With its fascinating history, stunning architecture and a metro system with more chandeliers than your average palace, much like Bulgakov’s Master and Margarita, Moscow is rounded off with an appealing edge of madness. There has been great change in Russia over the past two decades and Moscow is currently the third most expensive city to live in for expats. It’s hard to avoid the Gotham-city stereotype that Moscow seems to have cultivated over years, but then it’s hard to deny that corruption and crime has become rampant. All this said, Moscow is a changed city with many sources noting the warmth among its people despite the Arctic winter temperatures. If the idea of living at -30°C chills your heart then take comfort in the fact that it is “quite romantic to see Moscow in the snow” and tuck into warming local delicacies like palmeni and borscht, even if the latter can leave “a slight purple twinge to the skin.”
Work: Scratch the surface and you’ll find that the value of the Russian rouble is linked to the price of oil, so it shouldn’t surprise you to learn that there’s a good deal of legal work from the energy sector. The Soviets also left a legacy of heavy industry and this too remains a focus, much of it now owned by the oligarchs who snapped up Russia’s various steel, oil & gas, gold, coal, aviation and infrastructure corporations when the country privatized these sectors. During the worst days of the recent economic crisis, the Russian government bailed out the economy to the tune of $50bn, and yet despite this some trainees have lately reported that there have been relatively few deals on which to work; “when I arrived it was really quiet,” said one. Many international law firms have been hit badly and one or two are looking to get out of Moscow altogether. The thriving areas are infrastructure (eg motorway building and energy), and as Russia is among the richest countries in the world in terms of natural resources, there are many long-term projects relating to gold mining, minerals, oil and gas, and coal to a smaller extent. Energy work is divided in to upstream and downstream – the first dealing with matters from the ground to the refinery, and the second dealing with gas and petrol stations and electricity supply.
When it comes to international legal work then it’s all about Moscow: only a small amount of business takes place in St Petersburg. Just as in other regions of the world, transactional areas like banking, securities and M&A have experienced considerably reduced deal flow, with greater levels of bankruptcy and restructuring matters in their place. Dispute resolution has held up, particularly international arbitrations, but don’t expect things to work in quite the same way as in the UK. Some sources suggest that the setting is “more Wild West, with less rules and clients that want us to go in all guns blazing.” Even in transactional matters, “negotiations can be difficult,” so it was reassuring to hear that in the office setting, “even if it is very stressful, people make an effort to be calm and you are often acknowledged by partners.” Small gestures of kindness can go a long way: “When I was ill, the boss of the office sent me an e-mail asking if I wanted him to send someone round with food and medicine.” English is spoken in the office setting but you will find even pidgin Russian useful, if only to decode the Cyrillic to get off at the right metro stop. Many firms like CMS Cameron McKenna offer intensive language lessons prior to departure.
Rest and play: Most apartments provided by the law firms are very central, with Dewey & LeBouef's located “two minutes from the Kremlin.” Speaking of which, the Kremlin, Red Square and the Pushkin Museum should be high on your list if you’re planning to cram centuries’ worth of Russian history into your secondment. If you tire of the same old museums and sights, hop on a night train to St Petersburg where the air is cleaner and important structures like the Hermitage takes weeks to explore. “You are part of the network here,” say sources of Moscow’s dynamic and unending social scene. Most new arrivals making do with the large and welcoming expat community; a more adventurous few venture into the mayhem of Moscow nightlife with locals - “it's a complete culture shock.” With many clubs and bars employing ‘face control’, it’s definitely good to be a guy here as not only is there an abundance of beautiful women, drinking establishments allow in more men as they are likely to spend money. Many people can find it quite a culture shock moving to Moscow; it’s exciting but still feels edgy at times. “Everyone’s drunk in Moscow all the time,” concluded one source, “and there are these massive militia blokes who stop you and look at your passport and visa.” If Moscow gets too much then you can escape as far as St Petersburg on an overnight train and there’s a circuit of picturesque towns around the city known as the Golden Ring.