In December 2014 Maksim Avrashkov – managing partner of Maxima Legal – became a member of the Expert Group of the Strategic Initiative Agency to monitor implementation of the Standard in
St. Petersburg.

Membership in the Expert Group gives representatives of business society an opportunity to affect the process of shaping an investment policy within the constituent entity of the Russian Federation while maintaining a partner dialog with the government authorities.

The Expert Group is the public advisory body created by the Agency in each constituent entity of the Russian Federation from among representatives of business unions, investors and entrepreneurs, specialists and experts.

The main objective of the Expert Groups is to evaluate efficiency of institutes and instruments established in the region and operating in accordance with general requirements of the Standard.

The Court of Arbitration in St. Petersburg and Leningrad region has ruled to end the bankruptcy proceeding in respect of Radio Classic Russia, CJSC – the first Russian digital radio station to broadcast classic music.

As part of the process, which was initiated in 2012, lawyers of Maxima Legal represented interests of several creditors of the company, and interests of one of the company shareholders and a former chief executive as well.

During two and a half years the court did not only consider issues related to the validity of creditors' claims that are typical for any bankruptcy case, but the issues related to requisition the property belonging to the radio station, declaration of nullity of transactions made by the radio station and prosecution of controlling persons of the debtor.

Radio Classic Russia was established in 2005. Lack of well developed system of paid subscription for digital mass media means and non-commercial format of the radio station did not allow it to earn profit.

On 28 November 2014 during the session of the Interparliamentary Assembly of the Commonwealth of Independent Nations (CIS) there was approved the Model Public Private Partnership Law for CIS member nations drafted upon request of the Interparliamentary Assembly by the working group comprised of scientists and practisers representing the law faculty of the Saint Petersburg State University. 

Authors of the PPP Model Law tried to consider recommendations of international organisations and best public private partnership regulation practice of those countries where similar laws are adopted and effective. Experts of the European Bank of Reconstruction and Development and of some international law firms focusing on PPP took part in expert evaluation of the Model Law; they helped to tailor the said law to all the specific needs and requirements of all parties to PPP projects.

This document elaborated based on liberal eligibility guidelines and providing for a balance of interests of private and public partners and financing institutions in order to develop this concept in the CIS will allow resolving a great number of problems associated with legal regulation of PPP in Russia and other CIS member nations, however it will remain a non-binding document that may be used by any state while improving national PPP legislation.

Previously, on 26 November, the Tavricheskiy Palace, the headquarters of the Interparliamentary Assembly of Member Nations of the Commonwealth of Independent States hosted the International Conference Prospects for PPP Legal Frameworks in the CIS. Vladimir Kilinkarov, the executive secretary of the expert developers group (partner, the head of PPP of Maxima Legal) together with Elena Kilinkarova (council, the head of taxes of Maxima Legal) presented the concept and fundamental principles of the document. They believe that the CIS member nations have all favourable factors to implement public private partnership in the CIS member states, namely: high investment potential, vast territory and deficiency of budgetary funds.

Since national and foreign methods of legal regulation and structuring of PPP projects were actively adopted and thanks to a number of recommendations of international organisations such as UNCITRAL, UNIDO, ECE, UN, etc. the working group has managed to draft a comprehensive document on PPP regulation. The model law is a non-binding harmonizing document where the experts considered all legal specifics of the Commonwealth member nations which sometimes creates formidable barriers to take advantage of all public private partnership potential.

The event was attended by deputies of national parliaments of the member nations of the Commonwealth of Independent States, experts from relevant ministries and agencies, centres of development of public private partnership from CIS members states, representatives of international organisations, the European Bank of Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) and international and regional experts.

"Drafting of the model law On Public Private Partnership is a high-flying and very important step to perfect legal regulation of public private partnership in the former USSR. Today we shared our experience in the area of legislative work and implementation of public private partnership projects and exchanged views regarding the ways to apply the model law to improve legislation and practice. I am sure that the work done becomes a practically useful tool to develop the potential of the CIS member states", Vladimir Kilinkarov commented.

Maxima Legal lawyers commenced cooperation with one of the biggest full-service banks of the federal level, URALSIB bank.

Maxima Legal consults URALSIB on a number of legal issues related to bankruptcy of OAO Kondopoga, the leading manufacturer of newsprint paper in Europe and one of the largest enterprises of the Republic of Karelia. USRALSIB bank is the main asset of Financial Corporation URALSIB. The principal activity of the Bank is retail, corporate and investment and banking business.

On 17-18 November 2014 in Taleon Imperial Hotel there was held the IV Annual International Partnering Forum Life Sciences Invest. Partnering Russia. The forum is aimed to revitalize business contacts of companies and investors in the life sciences sphere.

The principal subject matter of the forum was support of topical federal initiatives focused on the development of this market as one of the key economic sectors. The main objectives of partnership are to make the Russian Life Sciences market more attractive to business and investments, to develop partnership with the world leading clusters and companies, to transfer technologies and to build infrastructure for the innovative development of Life Sciences in Russia.

Vladimir Kilinkarov, a partner and the head of PPP at Maxima Legal was actively involved in the theme discussion: Public Private Partnership. Organizing primary medicine and social care. Nuclear medicine. State asset management.

During his speech he cast light on specific problems of the implementation of healthcare infrastructure projects being realized under public private partnership (PPP) patterns and shared his opinion regarding specific changes to legislation and state policy required to launch pilot projects.

“Due to various reasons, including crucial social need and state healthcare policy, medicine becomes more and more attractive for private equity investment which makes state goals easier achievable and is beneficial to the services consumers. Among the best examples are concession projects permitting to organize efficient building and operation of a medicine infrastructure facility due to involving of well-motivated and thrifty private business. It allows re-allocating most material risks to a private partner able and experienced enough to mitigate them.

However, today the PPP development in the medicine sphere is impeded by the absence of unambiguous and specific state policy of medicine infrastructure development; the absence of investment element in mandatory medical insurance structure; strict and often outdated standards and norms of medicine services provision, and principles for assessment of quality of such services provision. All the said problems and difficulties can be overcome if the Ministry of Healthcare of Russia and regional authorities set a goal to overcome them and show their political will”.