Big law firms including Eversheds Sutherland and Latham & Watkins LLP have announced they will leave Russia as attacks on Ukraine escalate. (AP Photo/Serhii Nuzhnenko)
Wednesday's mass exodus makes nine BigLaw firms to leave Russia since it invaded Ukraine. Cleary Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton LLP, Linklaters and Norton Rose Fulbright have announced their departures this month.
Eversheds Sutherland will "no longer have a presence in Russia," the firm said after announcing last week that it would "review" its operations in the country. In the wake of Russia's invasion of Ukraine, the firm has also cut ties with many of its Russian clients. It said it is not representing the Russian government or Russian state-controlled entities and oligarchs.
"This decision has not been made lightly, and is not a reflection on our valued colleagues in those offices, but we will not continue to operate in Russia given its government's invasion of Ukraine," the firm said. "Our priority now is to support our 50 colleagues in Russia and to work together to ensure an orderly transition of the business in compliance with our professional obligations."
Latham also announced a "wind-down" of its Moscow office Wednesday. The firm said that its Russian operations would undergo an immediate transition, "consistent with our ethical duties to clients."
"The unfolding humanitarian crisis is devastating to watch, and we stand with so many in the world in condemning the violence in Ukraine and the needless human suffering taking place," the firm said.
Freshfields also said it would fully close its Moscow office. In a statement Wednesday, the firm acknowledged its long history in the country but said the war had prompted the firm's departure.
"This is not a decision we have taken lightly," the firm said. "We have been present in Moscow for 30 years, and we are very conscious of the impact this news will have on our valued colleagues in Russia. However, in light of the Russian government's actions in Ukraine, and the clear stance we have taken on Russia-related work, we believe that this is the right course of action."
Squire Patton's exodus from Moscow will effectively end several of its client relationships, the firm said Wednesday.
"As circumstances surrounding the conflict in Ukraine continue to change rapidly, it has become clear that it is no longer tenable for us to continue our operations in Russia, and we have therefore decided to wind down our Moscow office," the firm said in a statement. "The humanitarian and economic toll of this conflict continues to be severely distressing, and we all continue to hope a peaceful resolution can be found."
Morgan Lewis said that it had been working for two weeks to support its lawyers in Moscow, including helping to relocate them. "After addressing these steps," the firm said it could finally announce the closure of its Moscow office.
"Many of our lawyers who have previously practiced in Moscow will continue practicing with us in other jurisdictions and will continue to assist our global clients," the firm said. "We join with others in condemning the Russian government's aggression and violence that has caused unspeakable suffering to innocent people."
Akin Gump acknowledged the firm's close ties to Russia in a statement Wednesday. Firm founder Robert Strauss was the last U.S. ambassador to the Soviet Union and the first U.S. ambassador to the Russian Federation. Nevertheless, the firm announced it would be "suspending operations in Moscow pending further developments."
"We will do so in an orderly way, as the safety and well-being of our longtime colleagues and ethical obligations to clients in Moscow remain a high priority," the firm said. "We will continue our efforts to provide humanitarian aid and pro bono assistance to Ukrainian refugees and others in need."
In 2014, 17 of the Law360 Global 20 had offices in Moscow. Following Russia's annexation of Crimea that year, a handful of firms scaled back operations in the country, and by 2019, three of those firms had closed their Moscow offices. With the departures announced this month, more than half the BigLaw firms that used to have a presence in the region have left.
Firms like White & Case LLP and Allen & Overy LLP have announced that they are cutting ties with some Russian clients but will keep their offices open. But experts predict that even more firms will likely exit soon.
--Additional reporting by Aebra Coe and Kevin Penton. Editing by Gemma Horowitz.
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