Changes in the legal field, security forces and growing competition.
In 2021, there were significant changes in the legal field of Russia. The security forces have been given new rights, and a growing number of Russian independent media are becoming foreign agents. Market participants themselves told "New Prospect" about these and other changes in legislation and in the work of lawyers.
Igor Gushchev, Partner of Duvernoix Legal:
- In 2021, there was an increase in competition in the legal environment. There was a price pressure on the services market, which, however, is observed year after year. There has been an expansion of the judicial and bankruptcy spheres, this may be due to the economic situation. That is, there is no rapid growth, but customers increasingly need to solve their problems applying to courts. There is a steady and noticeable increase in the number of bankruptcy-related stories.
Judicial practice of contesting transactions during bankruptcy proceedings is usually not in favor of the debtor and its counterparties, and the statute of limitations for canceling transactions is growing. Even bona fide participants in civil turnover should pay very close attention to such transactions. In fact, today the deal can be challenged 10 years after its completion. This means that when making any transaction today, a participant in civil turnover should pay special attention to this fact.
The pressure from law enforcement agencies intensifies. Criminal cases are often initiated in corporate disputes or bankruptcy cases. The need to be able to protect clients in criminal cases becomes a vital necessity for lawyers.
There is also a trend for the work going online in many aspects, including in terms of negotiations. Zoom or any other remote methods are used.
The number of transactions increase, there is a lot of corporate work and the amount of more work in the real estate sector has also increased.
Lawyers will have to keep competing. At the same time, a generation is now entering the market, in which fewer children were born in general. Competition for talented personnel has also intensified. There is no better situation for customers when competition intensifies and prices fall. It is obvious that the overall level of professionalism will grow. The situation is quite comfortable for clients.