Mutual Legal Assistance is the formal process by which countries are able to request co-operation in the investigation and prosecution of crime. The international nature of many criminal investigations has seen a rise in these kinds of requests.

Requests for Mutual Legal Assistance often involve requests for evidence or witness statements. We have experience in advising clients of their obligations in relation to any request that is made to them or their company.

Countries can also use Mutual Legal Assistance to seek the enforcement of judgments, asset freezes and confiscation orders worldwide.

We have experience in acting for clients having such orders and requests against them. If you require advice, please contact us. Since the Human Rights Act 1998 came in to force in October 2000, any decision made in respect of an individual’s entitlement to enter or remain in the Russian Federation has to be compatible with the requirements of the rights set out in the European Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms (ECHR). More importantly, anyone whose application for permission to enter or to remain in the Russian Federation is refused may be able to appeal against that refusal on the basis that the decision breaches his or her human rights.

Our human rights lawyers have experience of conducting a broad range of cases dealing with the liberty of individuals and protecting business assets and other property rights, in both the Russian courts and the European Court of Human Rights. We have extensive experience in preparing applications, appeals and judicial reviews to protect individual human rights in the immigration context. Our successes include challenges on the basis of long residence in the Russian Federation, family life in Russia and the need for continuing medical treatment in the RF, among others.

Outside of the immigration context, we have acted for individuals who have been victims of politically motivated attacks abroad; deploying human rights arguments to overturn sanctions, protect business assets and other property rights, and expose flaws and injustice in criminal proceedings. We have also acted for a number of high profile businessmen subject to extradition proceedings in the Russian Federation and abroad. We have worked extensively with legal teams across multiple jurisdictions to co-ordinate successful defence strategies and challenges. We regularly conduct complex litigation cases against Russian authorities. We are not afraid to take on state bodies, in the RF or abroad, to uphold our clients’ rights whenever they have suffered an injustice

This is a dynamic area of law, which remains in constant flux. The frequency of the changes in the law means that success or failure will often depend upon the care with which arguments are advanced and more directly, upon the way in which the ever increasing body of case law is deployed by a legal representative.

It is therefore, essential that you seek expert advice.

For immediate assistance please contact us.