Akin Gump Bolsters International Transactions Practice With Addition of Partner In Moscow
Contact:
(Moscow, Russian Federation) – We are delighted to announce that Varun Gupta has joined Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld LLP as a U.S. partner and head of the Russian capital markets practice. He joins the firm from Allen & Overy LLP where he had been a U.S. partner in Moscow since 2007.
Mr. Gupta’s practice focuses on international capital markets transactions, cross-border M&A transactions and general corporate matters. He provides both debt and equity capital markets advice, and regularly represents issuers and underwriters in public and private offerings of equity and debt securities. Based in Moscow since 2003, Mr. Gupta has played a leading role in the development of the Russian equity capital markets through his work on a number of landmark IPOs, including listings of Russian companies on the London and New York Stock Exchanges.
Varun’s Russian IPO transactions have included the flotations of AFK Sistema, Novatek, Comstar, United TeleSystems, Sistema-Hals, Sitronics and Federal Grid Company on the London Stock Exchange, Mechel on the New York Stock Exchange and M.video and Bank Saint Petersburg on the Russian stock exchanges.
Mr. Gupta is ranked in the first tier of independent legal guide Chambers Global 2011 for Capital Markets work in Russia, where he is described as working at the “top of the market”.
Rick L. Burdick, managing partner for the firm’s international offices and head of Akin Gump’s international corporate transactions practice, said, “Varun’s arrival enhances our first-class international transactions practice, and we are delighted to welcome him to the firm. His practice in Russia is well-known and widely respected, and the strength and breadth of his capital markets and wider corporate experience will augment our well-established capabilities in Moscow.”
Mr. Gupta added, “Akin Gump’s reputation - particularly across the energy, telecom and real estate industries - has long been respected in Russia and Akin Gump has an impressive list of Russian blue-chip clients. By joining the firm, I will continue to serve Russian companies looking to list overseas and domestically to raise debt and equity financing and to assist Russian and international companies with their cross-border M&A transactions. I look forward to working with Akin Gump’s strong corporate and capital markets teams, both in Moscow and around the world.”
Mr. Gupta holds a J.D. from Georgetown Law School and a B.Sc. (Accounting) from the University of Florida. Mr. Gupta is a member of the New York bar.
Founded in 1945, Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld LLP, a leading international law firm, numbers more than 800 lawyers in the United States, Europe, Asia and the Middle East. The firm’s Moscow office opened in 1994 and is home to a team of Russian, U.S. and English-qualified lawyers who advise on investment funds; international and Russian capital markets transactions; mergers and acquisitions; joint ventures; bank, vendor and other financings; real estate development and transactions; international arbitration and litigation in Russia or involving Russian companies; large-scale project development; corporate governance; and complex public law and policy matters in Russia and the United States.