Sergey Pepeliaev

Specialist area:

Sergey Pepeliaev has over 30 years' hands-on experience of dealing with corporate and personal taxation issues. He has resolved countless challenging situations involving investments and court proceedings.

As a practitioner, he has defended the rights and interests of companies before the Russian Constitutional Court, the Russian Supreme Court, and commercial courts in large-scale and significant court disputes regarding: the legality of additional taxes and fines being assessed; unlawful regulations of the Russian Government, ministries and state authorities being repealed; and unconstitutional provisions of laws being set aside. He has also advised on matters including the taxation of investments, day-to-day business operations, and much more.

A member of the Board of the Russian Union of Industrialists and Entrepreneurs.

Main achievements:

• Over the last several years, our firm's lawyers, under Mr Pepeliaev’s guidance, have helped our clients to save more than USD 8 billion thanks to having successfully settled tax disputes both through court proceedings and out of court.
• Mr Pepeliaev has been invited by the State Duma, the Russian Presidential Administration and other governmental authorities to take part in drafting laws, most notably, the Russian Tax Code, the Law on the Olympic Games.
• The Constitutional Court also invites him to express his expert opinion on a number of cases.
• In 2013 Mr Pepeliaev was elected to the Board of the Federal Chamber of Attorneys. He is also a member of the Board of the Moscow Region Chamber of Attorneys.
• The Federal Chamber of Attorneys has awarded to him the medal 'For outstanding protection of civil rights and freedoms' and the silver F. Plevako medal as well as other awards.
• The Federal Antimonopoly Service acknowledged him with a letter of commendation for his commitment to the development of knowledge in the sphere of protecting competition, and to commemorate the fifth anniversary of the magazine Competition and Law.

What they say:

Headed by Sergey Pepeliaev, the firm has, for over ten years, been acknowledged the leading Russian law firm by independent rating agencies and publications.

Various sources refer to Mr. Pepeliaev as “the father of Russian tax law”. The international directory Chambers Europe praised Mr Pepeliaev as “the leader setting development trends on the market and playing an active role in developing solutions for clients”.