Assessing the prospects
We study the documents, count the economics, propose a plan.
PRACTICE / 09
Civil disputes and real estate
A dispute with a bank or insurer, a debt that is not being repaid, a flat purchase, a land conflict — we run civil cases end to end: from pre-trial correspondence to enforcement of the judgment.
- Handled by
- Attorneys of the bar
- Courts
- General jurisdiction, all instances
- First step
- Assessing the prospects
Before any lawsuit we count the economics of the dispute: what can realistically be recovered, how long it will take and what it will cost. If the case is not worth it — we say so.
What we do
- Handle loan, insurance and customs disputes.
- Protect consumer rights.
- Recover debts under loans and IOUs.
- Support real-estate transactions and check properties before purchase.
- Handle housing and land disputes.
- Challenge actions and inaction of state authorities.
- Seek review of judgments.
Typical situations
- The insurer refused, claiming the damage “does not match the accident”.
- A borrower stopped paying on an IOU and is re-registering assets on relatives.
- The seller of a flat concealed an encumbrance.
- A neighbour has taken part of your land and will not negotiate.
HOW THE WORK IS BUILT
How the work is built
Pre-trial stage
Claim letters, negotiations, preservation of evidence, expert reports.
Court
The claim, interim measures, representation at all instances.
Enforcement
Writ of execution, bailiffs, tracing the debtor’s assets.
WHO HANDLES IT
Attorneys in this practice
In the profession since 2011, called to the bar in 2019. Civil, commercial and corporate disputes, criminal defence, real estate, business support, insolvency.
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.
Attorney since 2010, practising in Moscow since 2020. Employment, family, inheritance and housing disputes; pro bono expert to the Moscow Commissioner for the Protection of Entrepreneurs’ Rights.
More about their experience
- Education
- Graduated in 2008 from the Volgograd Law University.
- Practice
- Called to the bar in 2010. From 2010 to 2020 a member of the Astrakhan Regional Bar; since 2020 practising in Moscow, a member of the Moscow City Bar Chamber.
- Public work
- Pro bono expert to the Commissioner for the Protection of Entrepreneurs’ Rights in Moscow.
For fourteen years a judge of the Primorsky District Court of Mariupol, and before that a prosecution investigator. Called to the bar in 2026; handles cases at the association’s Mariupol office.
More about their experience
- Education
- 1999 — Yaroslav Mudryi National Law Academy, degree in law.
- Practice
- In the law since 1996, starting on the staff of the Primorsky District Court of Mariupol. From 1999 to 2003 she served in the Mariupol prosecution service: assistant to the environmental inter-district prosecutor, then senior investigator of the environmental and district prosecutor’s offices. Later — claims and legal work at the Azov Shipping Company “Torgovy Flot Donbassa”. From 2004 to 2018 — judge of the Primorsky District Court of Mariupol. From 2019 — in the bar: the Balashov & Partners law bureau, and from 2021 head of the Constant Legal Protection advocacy association. Called to the Russian bar in 2026; practises at the Mariupol office of the Kovalev, Malyutov, Tsypkalo & Partners Moscow Bar Association.
- Focus
- Criminal defence — drawing on her investigative service and fourteen years on the bench. Civil and family disputes; representation in courts of general jurisdiction.
- Approach
- Experience on both sides of the courtroom — fourteen years of deciding cases and investigative work at the prosecution service — helps her assess a case’s prospects soberly before it ever reaches court.
Evgenia Mitrofanova
Attorney
Kovalev, Malyutov, Tsypkalo & Partners
Bar association office in Mariupol
In the profession since 2002: an attorney from 2006 and, for eight years, a judge of the Primorsky District Court of Mariupol. A lawyer and psychologist by training; handles cases at the association’s Mariupol office.
More about their experience
- Education
- 2000–2005 — Academy of Labour and Social Relations, degree in law (courts, prosecution and the bar). 2008 — Yaroslav Mudryi National Law Academy, faculty for the training of professional judges, Master of Laws. 2017 — a further degree in psychology.
- Practice
- In the profession since 2002: court session secretary, attorney’s assistant, and from 2006 an attorney of the Azov Advocacy Company — deputy chair and then chair of its presidium in 2008–2010. From 2010 to 2018 — judge of the Primorsky District Court of Mariupol, appointed for an indefinite term, general docket. Thereafter — advocacy and in-house practice, including anti-corruption work. An attorney at the Mariupol office of the Kovalev, Malyutov, Tsypkalo & Partners Moscow Bar Association.
- Focus
- Criminal defence, including corruption offences — backed by eight years on the bench and specialist training in corruption investigations. Civil, family and inheritance disputes; representation in courts of general jurisdiction.
- Further training
- National School of Judges seminars (2015–2016), including on personal-data protection law; a special course of the International Law Enforcement Academy in Budapest on investigating corruption offences and combating human trafficking (2016).
- Approach
- The combination of judicial experience and a psychology degree helps in cases where negotiation matters as much as the law: family, inheritance and neighbour disputes.
RESULTS
Cases in this practice
Insurance disputes2024
1million ₽ and more recovered from the insurer
Insurance pay-out refused — recovered through a court-ordered expert examination
An insurer refused Ms A.’s claim, arguing that the damage to her car did not match the accident. Attorney Elizbar Margiev obtained a court-ordered expert examination that confirmed the accident was real — the claim was granted and over 1 million roubles recovered.
Case study
Civil disputes2019–2020
3court judgments in the client’s favour
A debtor tried to put his car beyond reach — the sale was declared void
Lawyer K. took money for services he never provided, then sold his car after losing in court so as not to pay. Attorney Dmitry Malyutov defeated the attempt to lift the attachment and had the sale contract declared invalid.
Case study
Civil disputes2020–2022
54million ₽ recovered for the client
A 65-million-rouble loan dispute: recovery and defence against a 270-million counterclaim
Two borrowers took loans of 65 million roubles from our client Ms F. and refused to repay them. The courts awarded her 54 million and 17.1 million roubles and foreclosed on the pledged assets, while a 270-million-rouble counterclaim against her was dismissed in full.
Case study
The result in one case neither guarantees nor implies a similar result in another.
QUESTIONS
Frequently asked questions
The insurer and the ombudsman have both refused. Any point suing?
A refusal is not a verdict. In our practice a court-ordered expert examination overturned the insurer’s and the ombudsman’s reports, and the court awarded the indemnity, penalties and the fine — over a million roubles.
The debtor has re-registered assets on relatives. What now?
Transactions made to defeat a creditor can be set aside. In our practice a court declared void a car sale the debtor arranged on the eve of attachment.
What is the limitation period in civil cases?
The general period is three years from the day the person learned, or should have learned, of the violation; specific claims have their own periods. Limitation applies only if a party invokes it — but do not count on your opponent forgetting.
How much do your services cost?
Terms are discussed with the attorney at the consultation and fixed in the agreement; the fee is paid into the bar association’s cash office or account. We do not quote figures sight unseen — that would not be honest.
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.