The First Magic Circle Firm To Close Its Office In Russia And Disavow Russia-Related Work

// We will wind down our operations in Russia and close our Moscow office. We will continue supporting our people there in the process, doing all we can to help them transfer to new roles within Linklaters or otherwise. We are grateful to our Moscow team for all their contributions and friendship since we opened the office in 1992.

We will not act for individuals or entities that are controlled by, or under the influence of, the Russian state, or connected with the current Russian regime, wherever they are in the world.

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We will wind down existing work in accordance with our legal and professional obligations.

— A statement issued by Linklaters on its plans to wind down its office in Moscow, amid Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, which the firm referred to as “reprehensible.” Linklaters is one of many Biglaw firms to have recently reevaluated its business in Russia. The firm has also pledged to “continue to assist international clients in dealing with the implications of the current crisis and in unwinding their Russian business interests.”

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Staci Zaretsky is a senior editor at Above the Law, where she’s worked since 2011. She’d love to hear from you, so please feel free to email her with any tips, questions, comments, or critiques. You can follow her on Twitter or connect with her on LinkedIn.

Topics

Biglaw, Linklaters, Magic Circle, Quote of the Day, Russia, Ukraine