Orion continues its course towards consolidation of expertise in the field of corporate law and announces the strengthening of its team: today Ilia Smirnov is joining the corporate practice.

Ilia is qualified under Russian law as well as under the law of England and Wales as a solicitor. He specializes in supporting mergers and acquisitions, projects in the field of corporate law and the securities market. Ilia has over 13 years of experience in advising major companies in the spheres of industrial production, TMT, O&G, FMCG, and retail, within the framework of deals governed by Russian as well as by English law.

The projects successfully completed with Ilia's participation include supporting cross-border and local transactions, advising on attracting investors and establishing joint ventures, advising on the sale and acquisition of assets in various sectors of the economy, advising on securitizations of mortgage and consumer loan portfolios, public and private placements of securities, etc. Ilya is recommended by Best Lawyers, Pravo-300 and Kommersant as one of the leading Russian lawyers, and is also a member of the Expert Council for the Listing of Securities of SPB Exchange PJSC.

Ilia graduated from the Law Faculty of the State Academic University for the Humanities, holds a Master of Laws (LL.M) degree from the University of London (UCL, Queen Mary).

Prior to joining the Orion team, Ilia Smirnov held the position of Partner and Head of the Legal Practice of Althaus, and previously worked in large Russian law firms and in the federal executive body for the securities market (FFMS of Russia).

According to Evgeny Zelensky, Partner of the corporate practice of Orion, the consolidation of expertise in key areas of the law firm’s activities reflects Orion' strategy to bring together highly qualified talents and to provide clients with first-class services.

“We are extremely pleased to welcome Ilia to our team. I am sure that his extensive experience and reputation as a reliable expert will undoubtedly strengthen our position and open up new opportunities for our clients,” noted Evgeny Zelensky.  

The corporate practice of Orion currently consists of twelve lawyers, including three Partners, Evgeny Zelensky, Grigory Gadzhiev and Konstantin Olefir, as well as one Counsel, Maria Borodina, which makes this team one of the strongest in the Russian legal services market.