Such a mass exodus of lawyers from an ILF with the aim of launching their own practice on the Russian market had never happened before. ‘Due to sanctions, Akin Gump was precluded from rendering services to one of my key clients with whom I had been working for over 13 years, so I decided that I may, and must, continue representing the client’s legal interests independently, together with my partner Suren Gortsunyan,’ says RGP partner Ilya Rybalkin. ‘We have parted amicably and maintain friendship and partnership relations. Our firm continues to work on a major project together with Akin Gump.’ Quitting Akin Gump and launching a new firm has allowed the team of lawyers to continue supporting the clients which Akin Gump would be prevented from servicing because of the imposed sanctions, as Sebastian Rice, partner in charge of Akin Gump’s London office, said via a spokeperson: ‘We maintain good relations and look forward to working with them closely in the future, where we are able to do so’.”