Russian contract review, explained in English

A defined legal question and a written answer

This service is for a foreign business considering a supply, services or other commercial contract with a Russian counterparty. The starting point is the document and your intended transaction: what you will deliver, how you will be paid and what you need the contract to protect.

You can request a Russian law legal opinion on specific questions, a review of selected clauses or an assessment of the full draft. We agree the scope first. A document review does not automatically include negotiations, ongoing business support or representation in a dispute.

What the review can cover

• The parties, signatory authority and information that still needs verification.
• The scope of supply or services, deliverables and acceptance procedure.
• Payment triggers, evidence of performance and the consequences of non-payment.
• Liability, contractual penalties, termination and notice provisions.
• The governing-law and dispute-resolution clauses, including the distinction between a Russian state commercial court and private arbitration.
• Differences between Russian and English versions and any clause identifying the controlling text.

The review is directed at Russian law. Questions governed by another country's law may require advice from a lawyer in that jurisdiction. A legal opinion also does not establish the counterparty's solvency or replace financial, technical or sanctions due diligence; additional checks are scoped separately.

What you receive

The agreed deliverable is a written assessment in English, with references to the relevant provisions of the draft. It identifies the issues that matter to your stated objective, explains their practical significance and sets out questions or changes to raise before signing.

Where agreed, the work can include comments on the draft or proposed wording for selected clauses. We distinguish between a legal concern, a commercial negotiation point and a fact that cannot be confirmed from the documents supplied. A translation of a contract and a legal review are different tasks; tell us if you require both.

What to send to scope the work

• The latest draft, schedules, specifications and any terms incorporated by reference.
• Both language versions, if they exist, and the proposed governing-language clause.
• The Russian counterparty's legal name and registration details, if available.
• A short description of the transaction, your role and the commercial points already agreed.
• Your questions and the proposed signing date.

Start by emailing a short outline and the parties' names so we can check whether we can act. We will confirm which documents are needed and how to provide them. Sending an enquiry does not by itself create an engagement.

Scope, fee and timing

We first check the parties and the requested task, then confirm the documents, deliverable, working language, fee and delivery date. The amount depends on the length and complexity of the draft, the number of versions and the questions to be addressed.

An urgent signing deadline should be stated in the first message. We confirm availability before accepting the work. No review can guarantee how a counterparty, court or enforcement authority will act.