Mr. Smirnov is the leading dispute resolution and regulatory expert.

Ivan joined Egorov Puginsky Afanasiev & Partners from Baker & McKenzie where he was a Partner and Head of Dispute Resolution Practice in St. Petersburg. His previous experience includes acting as Head of Litigation and Tax Practice at DLA Piper’s St. Petersburg office, a legal and tax expert at Ernst & Young, as well as roles in a number of Russian and foreign companies.

Throughout his career, he has represented multinational and Russian companies on myriad tax, commercial, antimonopoly and dispute resolution issues. He has extensive experience in representing clients across a broad range of industries — pulp/paper, telecommunications, brewing, tobacco, retail, food, manufacturing, real estate development and construction, among others — in courts and before various administrative authorities. He has been involved in over 10 Competition law disputes and all of them were resolved in favour of his clients.

Ivan is also experienced as an environmental, health and safety (EHS) lawyer. He advised a major European confectionery group on drafting and implementing its product recall policy in Russia; advised Russia’s largest brewery group on product liability issues; represented a Russian water park in criminal and administrative investigations resulting from mass poisoning of over 100 venue visitors. He also advised one of the world’s largest confectionery companies on attempts of public bodies to close the Client’s plant in the Novgorod Region of Russia due to pollution generated by the plant, and represented a major global FMCG company in attempts to suspend operations at one of the Client’s plants in Russia due to environmental issues.

His experience in the area of international trade regulations includes representing the Ministry of Industry and Trade of the Russian Federation and the Foundation for Tube Industry Development, a foundation of Russian pipe manufacturers, in the precedent-setting case regarding the results of the anti-dumping investigation and respective challenge of the Russian Government Regulation in regard to protection of the Russian market from dumping imports from Ukraine:

• in the Supreme Arbitrazh Court of Russia (ongoing case) in a lawsuit to annul the Governmental Decree “On measures to defend economic interests of the Russian producers of steel pipes of several types”; and
• in an anti-dumping lawsuit filed against the Ministry of Industry and Trade of the Russian Federation (the case is already won by the Ministry with the help of the Firm).

Ivan graduated from St. Petersburg State University (Law Degree High Honours) in 2000 and St. Petersburg State University of Finance and Economics (Degree Economics High Honours) in 1997. He was admitted to practice in 2000 and is a member of the Baltic Bar Association and a Certified Accountant in New Hampshire, USA.

Chambers Europe recommends Mr. Smirnov for his “exceptional expertise” in tax litigation and “impressive track record in commercial litigation." He is recommended for dispute resolution by Chambers Europe, for antitrust regulations by PLC Which Lawyer, and for litigation and tax by Best Lawyers. The Legal 500 EMEA recommends him as a “highly experienced” tax expert.

He is a member of the Russian Federation's Ministry of Justice Law Enforcement Advisory Board.