Baker McKenzie pledged in March to spin off its Moscow and St. Petersburg offices in the wake of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, but the slow pace of disentangling these operations enabled a partner to present under the firm’s name Wednesday at an international legal conference in St. Petersburg that featured a welcome message from Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Moscow partner Vladimir Efremov presented on a panel at the 10th annual St. Petersburg Legal Forum on “The balance of public and private interests in the conditions of mutual restrictive measures,” according to a program from the event obtained by Law.com.
The conference, which began Wednesday and runs through Friday, is hosted by the Ministry of Justice of the Russian Federation
“The current Forum’s theme—Staying Within the Law—has taken on particular relevance at this time. The adoption of illegitimate sanctions, disregard for the fundamental principles of respect for the sovereignty of states and non-interference in their internal affairs, and the violation of treaties of strategic balance damage relations between countries and peoples and call into question the very essence of the global legal system,” Putin stated in a published address to the conference.
Baker McKenzie has operated in Russia for 33 years but confirmed plans to spin off its operations in the country in March. However, the firm’s website continues to list its Russia offices and attorneys.
In April, Baker McKenzie spokesman John McGuiness said the firm was working through the process of making its Russian operations independent, noting that while it was incomplete, progress was being made.
A document from the Russian Agency of Patents and Trademarks shared with Law.com also reveals that the “Baker & McKenzie” trademark in Russia is owned by Baker & McKenzie LLP, based in Chicago. While the firm is organized globally as a Swiss verein, this filing indicates the U.S. partnership that is part of the verein continues to allow the Russian firm to operate using the Baker McKenzie name.
Historically, attorneys from multiple Baker McKenzie offices in and outside of Russia have acted as advisers to the Russian Federation, including a 2021 capital markets mandate on behalf of the Ministry of Finance, which featured partners in London and New York as well as Moscow.
A Baker McKenzie spokesperson declined to comment on Wednesday.
