Kazakhstan

Morgan Lewis combines the resources of a global law firm with knowledge of the Kazakhstan legal system and local markets in Kazakhstan and Central Asia. Our team in Kazakhstan, which has capabilities in Almaty and Astana, includes seasoned local lawyers and foreign specialists with experience in the region.

Our Kazakhstan team covers a variety of business and investment transactions, regulatory matters, and disputes. Notably, we have advised on some of the largest, most complex projects in the region, including major oil and gas investments, commercial property developments, manufacturing joint ventures, private equity transactions, infrastructure projects, and complex financings under both Kazakhstan and foreign laws. We handle disputes in the Kazakhstan courts and international arbitrations in London, throughout the United Kingdom, and in other jurisdictions.

Additionally, we advise on public and private mergers and acquisitions transactions, typically acting for both strategic and portfolio investors, including private equity funds. Our team also advises both multinational and Kazakh companies on joint ventures for energy projects, manufacturing, and technology development, and we advise on high-profile matters involving oil and gas, mining, electricity generation and transmission, nuclear power, and renewable energy. Our clients include oil and gas majors and independents, national companies, large energy companies, and service providers.

Morgan Lewis represents major Kazakh and foreign banks in matters involving commercial loans, structured finance, project finance, debt refinancing, and restructuring. We also act for corporate and government issuers in capital market transactions, such as the Republic of Kazakhstan on its debut sovereign bond offering.

Our lawyers handle power plant, railway, refinery, and other infrastructure project work. Our experience in the region includes advising on the financing, acquisition and sale of power companies, complex refinery modernizations and related Engineering, Procurement and Construction (EPC) agreements, and utilities regulatory work.

We regularly advise on complex matters involving issues of corporate governance, disclosure, anticorruption (under the US Foreign Corrupt Practices Act, the UK Bribery Act, and Kazakhstan law), and anti-money laundering rules.

Our team focuses on complex employment law issues and workplace disputes. And our tax practice in Kazakhstan is focused on structuring for mergers and acquisitions, financings, and oil and gas sector deals, as well as for multijurisdictional migrations and mergers. We also regularly advise on tax disputes.