Tax Law and Disputes

Tax law and disputes: our legal services for business in Russia. We advise Russian and international clients across the full range of tax and commercial matters — from structuring and risk assessment to representation in audits and litigation. Below is an overview of our practice and how we help businesses manage tax exposure and resolve disputes with the authorities.

Our areas of work

• Intellectual property protection — from trademark registration to disputes over any results of intellectual activity, including trademarks and computer programs.

• Corporate matters and disputes — from organising and holding general meetings to challenging transactions, recovering losses from directors, and invalidating decisions of management bodies.

• Litigation — disputes in courts of general jurisdiction, commercial (arbitration) courts, and arbitral tribunals.

• Tax matters — from auditing business processes for tax risks and supporting tax audits to challenging audit results and other acts of the tax authorities.

• Commercial practice — legal support of business across a wide range of questions.

• Criminal-law assistance — typically in matters connected with business activity.

• Asset protection — for companies and business owners.

Tax risk management

Effective tax defence begins long before a dispute. We review a company's operations and contractual arrangements for tax risk, advise on documenting the reality of transactions and due diligence on counterparties, and help structure activity to withstand scrutiny. When a tax audit begins, early involvement of counsel materially improves the outcome — shaping the evidentiary record while it can still be built, rather than reconstructing it at trial.

Tax disputes

Where the authorities make an additional assessment, we challenge it through the mandatory administrative appeal and, if needed, in the commercial courts. Tax disputes are winnable: courts overturn assessments where the taxpayer shows the reality of operations, the exercise of commercial due diligence, and the absence of intent — even where a supplier bears "shell company" features. What decides the case is evidence, assembled methodically.

Why international clients work with us

For foreign-owned businesses operating in Russia, tax exposure is often the least predictable risk. Rules on residency, cross-border income, VAT, and controlled transactions interact in ways that are hard to navigate from abroad. We bridge that gap — combining Russian tax and litigation expertise with clear, English-language advice — so that international clients can manage exposure, respond to audits, and defend assessments with confidence.

Related materials

• Tax disputes in the commercial courts

• Tax residency in Russia