Curtis, Mallet-Prevost, Colt & Mosle LLP

The firm: Curtis, Mallet-Prevost, Colt & Mosle LLP, founded in 1830, was one of the first US law firms to develop a truly international practice. Dedicated to counselling clients involved with some of the most challenging transnational transactions and complex multi-jurisdictional disputes, Curtis represents multinational companies, international financial institutions, governments and state-owned entities, family and other privately held businesses, entrepreneurs and high-net-worth individuals. With offices in the United States, Central and East Asia, Latin America, Europe and the Middle East, Curtis is located in the key business centres where clients need the firm most.

Areas of practice: Curtis established its Almaty office in 2008. The firm’s attorneys in the region focus on oil and gas, energy, infrastructure development and public projects, investment management and international arbitration. The firm has served as legal advisor on some of the largest projects in Kazakhstan, counselling both private sector companies and government entities.

Curtis continues to be a trusted advisor to the Ministry of Energy and the Ministry of Justice on strategic oil and gas matters in Kazakhstan. In January 2017, Curtis partner Eric Gilioli was awarded a medal for Distinguished Labor in recognition of his legal work in the Kazakh oil and gas industry.

The office’s Kazakhstan lawyers work closely with commercial, tax and international arbitration lawyers from its London, Paris and New York offices.

The Almaty office is particularly strong in oil and gas and energy work in Kazakhstan, but also undertakes corporate and capital markets work, reflecting the developing legal services market in the country.

The firm’s market-leading international arbitration practice continues to represent the Republic of Kazakhstan in high-profile arbitrations. The team represents clients in matters ranging from complex “multiparty, multijurisdictional” disputes to mid-sized commercial arbitrations and mediations and is involved in all stages of the arbitration process, including drafting arbitration clauses and, in the event of a dispute, handling pre-arbitration negotiations and representing clients before arbitral bodies and in court proceedings to recognise and enforce arbitral awards.

The team’s practitioners have appeared before all the major European and international arbitral bodies in disputes arising under the rules of the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC), International Centre for Settlement of Investment Disputes (ICSID) and the rules of the United Nations Commission on International Trade Law (UNCITRAL).

Resident attorneys in the Almaty office are admitted to practice in Kazakhstan. Curtis Mallet-Prevost (Kazakhstan) LLP is owned by Curtis, Mallet-Prevost, Colt & Mosle LLP (New York).