Commercial Litigation in Russia

Russia is a very attractive country from an investment point of view. Together with the latest changes brought to the foreign investment legislation which encourages foreign enterprisers to come to Russia also came a greater number of commercial disputes. At the end of 2013, the Russian Government overhauled the Commercial Procedure Code which was enforced in 2014.

Our lawyers in Russia can offer detailed information about the new Commercial Procedure Act.

Resolving commercial litigation cases in Russia

Contractual or commercial disputes are tried separately from civil cases in Russia. The court ruling in commercial litigation matters are the arbitrazh court, which are known as commercial courts. Even if they are part of the Russian civil court system, they follow special regulations and rule in disputes between companies, shareholders, intellectual property cases, and even in tax-related litigation cases. Russian arbitrazh courts are known for speedy and low-cost trials. The procedures related to commercial litigation in Russia consist in:

• -          filing the claim;
• -          preparing for the hearings, including filing evidence to be presented in court;
• -          the trial;
• -          awarding the remedies.

If a plaintiff is not satisfied with the outcome, they can file for appeal. The arbitrazh courts also have appellate and cassation districts. Starting 2014, the Supreme Arbitrazh Court was dissolved and its functions were taken by the Supreme Court, and thus allowing for faster resolution of commercial disputes.

How fast can commercial litigation be settled in a Russian court?

Once the new legislation was enabled, the terms for settling commercial disputes between companies in Russia have decreased considerably, as it follows:

• -          a 3-month period for trials in the first instance court;
• -          a 2- month period for trials in the appellate court;
• -          a 2-month period for trials in the district court;
• -          a 2-month period for trials conducted by the Supreme Court.

Commercial disputes in Russia can also be settled through arbitration.

If you need legal assistance in resolving commercial litigation, do not hesitate to contact our law firm in Russia. Our Russian attorneys can also offer more information on arbitration procedures.