General Counsels League Created in Kazakhstan

The Inaugural General Counsels’ League meeting took place in Nur-Sultan. The AIFC Court, the International Arbitration Centre, and Signum Law Firm, initiated the Leagues’ creation with the intention to provide a platform for leading general counsel in Kazakhstan and Eurasia to meet and discuss topical issues pertaining to their work and related law and business practices. Over 20 leading lawyers from various industries, economic sectors, and national corporations, formed the first meeting of League members.

The AIFC Court Justices, Justice Sir Rupert Jackson, and Justice Tom Montagu-Smith QC, supported the GCs League initiative and attended the inaugural meeting as special guests.

Mr. Christopher Campbell-Holt, Registrar and Chief Executive, AIFC Court and International Arbitration Centre:

“Since our launch in January 2018 we have aspired to support and contribute to the development of the professional legal community in Kazakhstan and Central Asia. The AIFC Court and the International Arbitration Centre Legal Education program is one of our priority programs and major contributions. We are also delighted to have this opportunity to cooperate with lawyers to launch and host the GCs League.”

Ms. Sofiya Zhylkaidarova, Managing Partner, Signum Law Firm, said:

“The idea of setting-up the GCs League has been cherished for some time. Being in a close cooperation with our clients, we have sensed the urgency of the need to create a certain platform for GCs, where they could discuss the issues of cross-industry cooperation, trends setting for the Kazakhstan business environment, exchanging knowledge and experience. We are proud to be a part of such an important project, from which we believe, both Kazakhstani legal and business communities will benefit. I would also like to express our special gratitude to the AIFC Court and IAC for supporting this initiative.”

This unique networking platform is intended to assist its members to exchange experience and knowledge and encourage the development of innovative ideas and solutions to improve business practices.

Reference:

AIFC The AIFC was established on the initiative of the President of the Republic of Kazakhstan Nursultan Nazarbayev. In December 2015 President Nazarbayev approved the Constitutional Statute “On the Astana International Financial Centre” (AIFC). The aim of the AIFC is to establish a leading international centre of financial services. The objectives of the AIFC are to attract investment into the economy through the establishment of an attractive environment for investment in the financial services, develop local capital markets, ensuring their integration with the international capital markets. https://aifc.kz/ru

The AIFC Court. The AIFC Court is an independent legal entity. It has its own procedural rules modelled on English common law procedures and leading international practice. It consists of two tiers: a Court of First Instance, which includes a specialist division known as the Small Claims Court; and a Court of Appeal. It has exclusive jurisdiction over disputes arising out of the activities and operations of the AIFC and jurisdiction in the case of other disputes in which all parties agree in writing to give the AIFC Court jurisdiction. It does not have jurisdiction in relation to any disputes that are of a criminal or administrative nature. It applies the most up to date and efficient case management practices.

The AIFC International Arbitration Centre (IAC). The AIFC International Arbitration Centre (IAC) is an independent legal entity. It has its own procedural rules modelled leading international practice. It has its own panel of world leading arbitrators and mediators comprising many years of arbitration and mediation experience in commercial law areas including oil and gas, trade, construction, energy, Islamic finance, banking, and copy right. IAC arbitration awards are recognised and enforceable in Kazakhstan and internationally.

SIGNUM Law Firm is an independent Kazakhstan based leading law firm focused on Corporate and M&A, Commercial, Tax, PPP, IP and Tech and Litigation matters. SIGNUM lawyers successfully advise on numerous complex transactions and high-profile matters involving major local and international companies that operate in a wide range of business sectors (Energy and natural resources, PPP, Construction, FMCG, Telecom, Pharma, etc). We also work for governmental agencies and public sector. We strive to be leading law firm in Kazakhstan and our values distinguish us from the peers. www.signumlaw.com