Anton Nakou is an Of Counsel and a Head of the International Desk at CLS.

Anton has many years of experience in real estate, corporate law, M&A, as well as legal regulation of foreign economic activity. Anton specializes in a wide range of legal services, including advising foreign investors on acquiring land, real estate, industrial complexes, operating enterprises, design, construction and operation of commercial real estate, preparing and negotiating draft commercial contracts, advising on various aspects of legal regulation of business in Russia, resolving day-to-day legal issues that clients are faced with in their business. Anton has extensive experience in structuring and supporting transactions on business acquisition and sale, investment projects, due diligence of companies, real estate and other investment objects.

Anton is a leading expert in providing legal support for the hospitality industry in Russia; he provides regular support to famous international hotel brands in the process of concluding and executing management, franchising and hotel lease contracts, having legal expertise in hotel transactions and supporting their operation.

Among the clients and business partners, Anton focuses particularly on companies from Finland and the Scandinavian countries, major international law firms without representative offices in Russia, as well as Russian enterprises (including ones in which the state holds a stake) and private investors implementing investment projects abroad. 

Along with work in legal consulting, Anton conducts scientific research and gives lectures. He has authored several publications on Russian and international law issues. He has a PhD in Law.

Education

• Moscow State University of International Relations, International Law School (specialist), 1994
• Moscow State University of International Relations, PhD studies, major in International Law, European Law, 1997

Languages

• Russian
• English

Recent projects 

• Legal support of a large Norwegian hotel group on the issue of acquiring a partially constructed facility near Sheremetyevo International Airport for creating a hotel and a business center. The project included conducting a due diligence of the facility, preparing documentation for the transaction, participating in negotiations and supporting the transaction through to closure;

• Support of a transaction on acquiring 36 stores located primarily in Moscow and St. Petersburg from companies operating under a major sport brand;

• Representation of a major Finnish investor in a number of transactions on acquiring business centers, shopping malls and logistics facilities in Moscow, Moscow Region and St. Petersburg. Legal support of the investor on issues of leasing and operating facilities. When the investment cycle was completed, support for transactions on the sale of facilities and exit from Russian projects;

• Support of a number of transactions on selling Russian assets of an international agricultural and industrial group with headquarters in Finland. Assets included livestock farms, meat processing plants and logistics facilities;

• Structuring and support of transactions on selling non‑specialized Russian assets and shares in joint ventures owned by the Finnish energy concern, whose subsidiaries are leading producers and suppliers of thermal and electric energy in the Urals and Western Siberia;

• Comprehensive legal support of a Finnish private manufacturer of food products from grain raw materials, in structuring and implementing an investment project in Russia. The project included execution of agreements on financing the project, creation of a corporate structure in Russia, acquisition of agricultural land in southern areas of Russia, construction of a grain elevator, design and construction of a food factory in Moscow Region with necessary infrastructure (including railways), supply of equipment, representation of investor in pre-trial and court disputes with contractors, formalization of employment relations, drafting model contracts necessary for client’s business operation, etc;

• Support of the development of business in Russia of a major international hotel chain, including due diligence of future and existing hotels, participation in negotiations with hotel owners/developers, participation in drafting lease, management and franchising agreements, as well as related licensing agreements for the use of trademarks and other intellectual property, contracts for design technical support, booking services and other international services. Transactions related to client’s hotels of various brands located in Moscow, Moscow Region, St. Petersburg, Nizhny Novgorod, Kemerovo, Krasnodar, Ufa, Voronezh, Rostov-on-Don.