Elena Zhigaeva is an Of Counsel of the Corporate practice at CLS.

Elena has extensive experience in advising Russian and foreign companies on issues related to structuring and carrying out merger and acquisition deals, corporate law, corporate reorganization, labor law, antitrust law and compliance.

Prior to joining CLS, Elena for four years headed the Legal Department of the Russian branch of a major French rolling stock manufacturer and before that, she spent over eight years heading the Corporate practice of the Moscow office of a foreign law firm. Elena started her professional career as a contract manager in the Moscow office of a major German chemical company where she was responsible for drafting and negotiating contracts for the supply of goods from Europe to Russian clients.

Areas of law:

• Corporate Law
• Mergers and Acquisitions
• Antitrust Law and Compliance
• Reorganization and Liquidation
• Labor and Migration Law

Education:

• University of Mannheim (Germany), LL.M., 2003
• Samara State Economic University, Lawyer, 1998
• Samara State University, German translator, 1995

Languages:

• English
• German
• French

A few of Elena’s completed projects:

•  Advising a major French energy company in the course of creation of a joint venture with a Russian state corporation, including drafting and negotiating a shareholders’ agreement, a license agreement and terms and conditions of the deal.
• Advising a major global hotel chain on drafting hotel management agreements, structuring and carrying out asset deals.
• Advising a global tire manufacturer on issues related to purchasing shares in and creating a joint venture with a Russian company, antitrust approval of deals, drafting a shareholders’ agreement, drafting and negotiating a license agreement.
• Advising a German chemical group of companies on issues related to activities in Russia, including support for asset deals, antitrust approval and corporate management.
• Advising a major European manufacturer of heating systems on issues related to restructuring its business in Russia, including reorganization and liquidation, creation of new companies and branch offices, optimization of the corporate governance structure.