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Russia  Moscow, 121357, Vereyskaya Plaza 2, Vereyskaya str. 17, office 616 Russia  St.Peterburg, 190031, Efimova str. 4a, office 730	Since the creation of our firm in 1993, lawyers of law firm Zhigachov & Christophoroff have continually represented the interests of our clients in various proceedings before the arbitration and general courts in many regions of the Russian Federation. Most of the trials in which our lawyers participate take place in Moscow, the Region of Moscow, and the North-West Region of the Russian Federation.      The firm's main area of expertise is the conduct of tax cases and the representation of client interests in litigation over intellectual property rights. By representing the interests of the largest regional and national taxpayers in the Russian Federation, our lawyers have allowed our clients to keep tens of millions of dollars; they have defended the chief executives of a whole series of companies against illegal charges of liability for pseudo-infractions of a fiscal nature. It is particularly important to emphasise our experience acquired during trials defending the largest industrial companies, commercial organisations and Russian banks against the massive and organised pressure from the fiscal institutions and the law-enforcement bodies who often abuse their authority for financial ends.      Thanks to the team, which is especially strong in specialists in the field of intellectual property, our firm manages dozens of cases at a time in the courts and the Chamber on Patent Disputes. Our lawyers have succeeded in obtaining a significant number of rulings from Russian courts, which appeared to be turning points in the establishment of legal practices with regard to disputes over intellectual property rights. Of considerable importance in the success of our lawyers in these disputes is the fact that, for many years now, our firm has participated actively in the development of legislation both in intellectual property law and tax law.      Apart from the tax disputes and IPR, our lawyers represent on a permanent basis the interests of the clients in disputes on the resolution of corporate, investment and labour conflicts.      Over the last few years, more and more clients turn to Russian and international arbitration courts in order to resolve conflicts with their associates and contractual partners. Our lawyers not only successfully defend the interests of clients before the commercial court but also are themselves arbiters in some Russian arbitration tribunals.      Our lawyers also have represented client's interests before international arbitration courts; in particular in London and Stockholm, acting within international legal teams in collaboration with lawyers of the British firm Hammonds and the American firm McGuire Woods.      These last few years, our lawyers represent more and more frequently the interests of Russian and foreign clients in cases tried before foreign courts. In these matters, the participation of Russian lawyers is indispensable in preparing the case, collecting the information and evidence which they find within the territory of the Russian Federation, delivering for the trial professional conclusions on questions of Russian law, compiling the dossier to confirm the reputability of the business and the legitimate origin of the financial means and other assets of the Russian client, in addition to providing a professional evaluation of the legal risks involved in taking a foreign case and co-ordinating the procedures of a large international team which includes foreign lawyers, auditors, detectives, etc.