Ekaterina Sjostrand

International Counsel - Russia and other Former Soviet Countries Practice

• ekaterina.sjostrand@valslegal.com

Ekaterina Sjostrand is an English barrister who is also qualified in Russia. A graduate of the Moscow Institute of International Relations (MGIMO), she was called to the Bar of England and Wales in 2003. She is the only Russia- qualified lawyer practising at the English Bar.

With over 20 years of experience, Ekaterina has extensively advised companies and entrepreneurs from/ connected to Russia and other countries of the former USSR on cross border corporate, litigation and arbitration matters under English law and has also assisted global companies with corporate and dispute resolution matters with a connection to the above countries and beyond.

Her practice covers a broad range of commercial and corporate matters such as international contracts, cross-border joint ventures, company law including directors' duties, shareholders’ rights and remedies, also insolvency, trusts, conflict of laws including jurisdictional challenges and enforcement of arbitration awards, etc.

Her expertise also lies in complex international cases and projects, both dispute resolution (litigation and international arbitration) and non-contentious/ transactional and other advisory work for a broad spectre of international clients. She advises and represents clients in international arbitrations under the Rules of various arbitral institutions.

Ms Sjostrand acts as an arbitrator and is included the LCIA list of “neutrals” (arbitrators), the list of arbitrators of the Arbitration Court under the auspices of the Russian Union of Industrialists and Entrepreneurs, the Mumbai Centre for International Arbitration (India), the ICAC list of recommended arbitrators (Kyiv, Ukraine), the list arbitrators of the KCAB International (Republic of Korea, Seoul).

She has published very extensively (in English and in Russian) on many topical issues of English law and procedure as well as comparative law. She is a regular speaker at conferences and seminars/ webinars for professional audiences and provides training on English law and procedure to international lawyers.

She possesses multilingual communication skills (bilingual English/ Russian, fluent French; currently learning Italian).

Ms Sjostrand is a member of the Chancery Bar Association and International Forum of Senior Executive Advisers (IFSEA). She is also a trustee of a school and another UK based charity, often dealing, among others, with regulatory/ compliance and procedural issues.