Russian litigants fighting cases in London’s High Court are being forced to find new representation as the biggest UK-based law firms are increasingly refusing to act for them in the wake of the invasion of Ukraine.
Lawyers at some of the top London firms have warned the wider fallout from UK and other western sanctions targeting those close to the Kremlin could spell the end to the heyday of big-ticket Russian litigation in the capital.
Adam Greaves, the litigation practitioner at law firm LK Law, said that City law firms had started to conduct a “sniff test” on potential Russian clients irrespective of whether they face sanctions as a result of the war in Ukraine. He added that he did not foresee certain Russian work returning to London in the long term and suggested it would shift to places such as Dubai or Singapore.
“There are signs that law firms are steering clear of Russian work and are thinking twice about it partly for reputational reasons,” added Jonathan Fisher QC, a barrister at Red Lion Chambers.
In the past, Russians litigants have flocked to London’s High Court attracted by the independence of the judiciary and a robust legal system that unlike the US does not use juries to try civil cases, which makes the outcome more predictable.
Big law firms, which typically make less than a quarter of their profits from all litigation, are technically permitted to act for sanctioned Russian clients but only if they first receive a special government license.