What is an attorney (advokat), and how do they differ from a lawyer?

An attorney is a lawyer who has passed the bar examination and holds a special status with special rights and duties: attorney–client privilege, the warrant of attorney, formal attorney enquiries — and the exclusive right to act as defence counsel in criminal cases. Everyone at this bar association is an attorney; their status can be verified in the Moscow register of attorneys, and for the Mariupol office in the register of attorneys of the Donetsk People’s Republic.

How is the agreement concluded and the fee paid?

The legal-assistance agreement is concluded directly between you and the attorney. The fee is paid into the bar association’s cash office or bank account (art. 25(1), (6) of Federal Law No. 63-FZ). Terms are discussed at the consultation — we do not quote figures sight unseen.

What is attorney–client privilege?

Any information you give your attorney in connection with legal assistance is protected by law (art. 8 of Federal Law No. 63-FZ): an attorney cannot be questioned about it, and demands to disclose it are unlawful. It is a legal regime, not a promise.

Do you work only in Moscow?

The bar association works in Moscow and, since 2026, has an official representative office in the DPR — in Mariupol. Attorneys also handle cases in other regions: our practice includes proceedings in commercial (arbitrazh) courts — Russia’s state courts for business disputes — outside Moscow.

Can you help with tax, valuation or ongoing business support that does not need attorney status?

Such work — tax disputes, insolvency support, corporate law, valuation and audit — is handled by the lawyers of Kovalev & Partners LLC, a law firm with which the bar association has a cooperation agreement: kovalev.moscow. The bar association remains an independent organisation responsible for the attorney side of the work.

Do you advise in English?

Yes — written advice and court documents are prepared in Russian (the language of proceedings), and we correspond and explain the case to you in English. This page is a courtesy translation: where the two versions differ, the Russian version prevails.

PRACTICE / 06

Ongoing legal support for business

A standing legal partner for a company or entrepreneur: contracts, correspondence with counterparties, negotiations and consulting — with the advantages of attorney status that ordinary outsourcing lacks.

Call: +7 499 460-64-27

Correspondence and documents entrusted to an attorney are protected by attorney–client privilege, and the formal attorney enquiry lets us obtain information an ordinary lawyer cannot. For a business this means a far better-protected channel for sensitive matters.

What we do

Draft, review and negotiate contracts.
Run claims work with counterparties.
Take part in negotiations on the client’s side.
Advise on day-to-day legal and tax questions.
Send attorney enquiries to obtain necessary information.
Support transactions, including real-estate deals.
Act as an external legal department — full legal outsourcing.

Typical situations

There is no in-house lawyer, and contracts and claims are piling up.
Difficult negotiations are coming and you need strength at the table.
You want sensitive matters discussed under attorney–client privilege.

HOW THE WORK IS BUILT

How the work is built

Task audit

We map the legal tasks your business generates and what is urgent now.

1 week

Format

One-off engagements or a retainer — scope and procedure fixed in the agreement with the attorney.

1–2 days

The work

Contracts, claims, negotiations, advice — with clear reporting.

ongoing

WHO HANDLES IT

Attorneys in this practice

All attorneys

Kristina Tsypkalo

Attorney, partner

Kovalev, Malyutov, Tsypkalo & Partners

In the profession since 2011, called to the bar in 2019. Civil, commercial and corporate disputes, criminal defence, real estate, business support, insolvency.

Civil disputesCommercial and corporate disputesCriminal defenceReal estateBusiness supportInsolvency

More about their experience

Education: Graduated in 2011 from the Odessa National Law Academy (law degree). In 2017 completed a master’s programme at the Crimean Law Institute, a branch of the Academy of the Prosecutor General’s Office of the Russian Federation.
Practice: Working in the profession since 2011, including more than ten years in courts of general jurisdiction and commercial (arbitrazh) courts of first instance and appeal, among other roles as a judge’s assistant. Called to the bar in 2019.
Focus: Representing individuals in civil matters; extensive experience of commercial and corporate disputes, real-estate transactions, ongoing legal support of businesses and insolvency cases.

Dmitry Malyutov

Chairman of the Bar Association, attorney

Kovalev, Malyutov, Tsypkalo & Partners

Attorney since 2009, chairman of the bar association since 2019. Criminal and commercial litigation, personal and corporate insolvency.

Criminal lawCommercial disputesPersonal bankruptcyCorporate insolvency

More about their experience

Education: Graduated from the Moscow State University of Economics, Statistics and Informatics (MESI) with a degree in Law. Completed professional retraining at the Plekhanov Russian University of Economics under the unified insolvency-practitioner programme (crisis management). Postgraduate student at the Moscow Innovation University.
Practice: A practising attorney since 2009, specialising in criminal and commercial law and in personal and corporate insolvency cases.
At the bar association: Chairman of the Kovalev, Malyutov, Tsypkalo & Partners Moscow Bar Association since 2019.

QUESTIONS

Frequently asked questions

How does attorney-led support differ from ordinary outsourcing?

By two instruments an ordinary lawyer lacks: attorney–client privilege protecting what you share, and the attorney enquiry — a formal way to obtain information from authorities and organisations. Plus the attorney’s personal responsibility under the law and the code of professional ethics.

Can we work without a retainer?

Yes, on one-off engagements. When tasks multiply, a retainer usually becomes better value — but that is calculated on your actual workload, not “on average”.

Do you replace an in-house lawyer entirely?

We can cover the function entirely or work alongside your in-house counsel, taking the complex and court work. The split of responsibility is fixed in the agreement.

NEXT STEP

Let’s discuss your situation

The consultation is free when an agreement is signed: that is where we say whether the case has prospects and how the work would be built.

Call: +7 499 460-64-27