Practice Area

Contracts and Business Law

Description Experience

Contracts and Business Law

We provide legal advice to Kazakhstan and international clients on their day-to-day matters (including under the “hotline service” arrangement) and on business projects: working on deals ranging from straightforward agreements to complex multi-party and multi-jurisdiction projects.

Our business lawyers provide legal advice on Kazakhstan laws to clients in structuring and documenting relationships with business partners, suppliers or customers, to advise on business law, including insurance, antitrust issues etc.

Our contract lawyers draft the full range of documents necessary to create, support and retain these relationships, protect our clients’ rights and appreciate the value of their businesses.

We have substantial experience advising both suppliers and customers on a broad range of commercial contracts and other issues across many different sectors. We advise on the full range of commercial agreements across a number of industries to ensure that every agreement achieves client objectives, including outsourcing contracts, FIDIC contracts, drilling, work-over contracts, joint operating agreements (JOA), farm-in contracts, bareboat charter contracts, management agreements etc.

Lead Practitioner

Abylkhair Nakipov

Partner

Service includes the following directions

Contracts
Insurance
Antimonopoly
Business Support

Signum Law Firm handles corporate and M&A matters, and is particularly active in the oil and gas sector. Liza Zhumakhmetova and Abylkhair Nakipov are the key names.

The Legal 500, Europe, Caucasus and Central Asia, 2018

“Excellent professionals, with wide local and international experience, high standards, focused on results and performance.”

Asialaw Profiles, 2018

“Professional all round corporate law firm covering most aspects of corporate law but with very strong knowledge of oil and gas sector sub soil use law.”

Asialaw Profiles, 2018

Experience

Contracts

Advising a major international producer of industrial gases on full process of the restructuring (by way of accession), including consulting on transfer of personnel, contracts and customs accounts to the primary company, re-registration of loans, preparation of a full package of documents and implementation of all procedural actions related accession through the state registration of respective statutory changes in both companies;
Representation of the interests of the major uranium production company in an arbitration case on recovery of damages under the construction contract (that was dragged on for as many as 3 years) with independent expertises;
SIGNUM lawyers have successfully represented the interests of the Client in court proceedings in relation to claims for the recognition of pledge agreements as invalid, recognition of the pledging of leased assets as illegal and the release the encumbered assets;
Full legal support of the acquisition of an oil and gas contract in Kazakhstan (including transaction document drafting and obtaining all regulatory approvals);
Representing an Australian oil and gas company in acquisition of several fields/exploration blocks in Kazakhstan (legal support included transaction document drafting and obtaining regulatory approvals);
Representing a UK-based oil and gas company listed on the Toronto and London Stock Exchanges in the acquisition of two Kazakhstani oil and gas projects (including transaction document drafting, obtaining regulatory approvals); Legal advice Kazakhstan
Representing an Australian mining company in the acquisition of the participating interests in a Kazakhstani gold-mining company;
Full legal support of local government authorities in the acquisition of a major electricity and heating company in Almaty;
Representing a Turkish construction company in the acquisition of a construction material plant in Kazakhstan (legal support included transaction document drafting and obtaining regulatory approvals);
Legal consulting by a major Turkish construction company during negotiations with the Ministry of Transport and Telecommunications on the conclusion of contracts on reconstructing an airport in Astana and roads in different regions of Kazakhstan;
Drafting a number of complex contracts on the construction of wells, well workovers, seismic works and services etc. for a national oil-producing company;
Drafting contract on design, delivery of the equipment and materials and construction of pipeline on a «turnkey basis» in accordance with the standard contracts of the International Federation of Civil Engineers (FIDIC) for a large oil-producing company working in Western Kazakhstan;
Negotiating, on behalf of a number of oil and gas companies, over amendments to subsurface use contracts with the Ministry of Energy of the Republic of Kazakhstan and liaising with relevant government authorities for the approvals of these amendments;
Drafting the foundation documents for the Food Consortium which the Islamic Development Bank proposed for Central Asian states and Russia;
Advising large off-shore subcontractor on marine laws and the use of vessels; drafting bareboat-charter agreements, assisting with the registration of the vessels in Aktau seaport;
Legal assistance to major uranium company in the review and revision of standard service contracts, including those on renting equipment and personnel, for compliance with local rules and regulations;
Legal assistance to European oil and gas company in the review and revision of standard service contracts, including those on renting equipment and personnel, for compliance with local rules and regulations;
Drafting standard contract template forms for a large Kazakhstani holding company on the transfer of customs brokerage companies for external management;
Drafting standard contract template forms with various lessees for a major retail centre in Almaty;
Drafting standard contract template forms with customers, contractors, utility companies, suppliers etc. for a construction company;
Legal advice for large Italian service company on the interpretation and application of the provisions in the contract for piles and flare fabrication, assembly and installation with respect to the allocation of liabilities resulting from delays that were within the customer’s control.

Insurance

Drafting drilling service contracts on the drilling of 30 wells for a large drilling contractor with primary focus on liability and insurance clauses.

Antimonopoly

Full legal support in the acquisition of an oil and gas contract in Kazakhstan (including transaction document drafting and obtaining all regulatory approvals);
Representing an Australian oil and gas company in the acquisition of several fields/exploration blocks in Kazakhstan (legal support included transaction document drafting and obtaining regulatory approvals);
Representing a UK-based oil and gas company listed on the Toronto and London Stock Exchanges in the acquisition of two Kazakhstani oil and gas projects (including transaction document drafting, obtaining regulatory approvals);
Representing an Australian mining company in the acquisition of the participating interests in a Kazakhstani gold-mining company;
Full legal support of local government authorities in the acquisition of a major electricity and heating company in Almaty;
Representing a Turkish construction company in the acquisition of construction material plant in Kazakhstan (legal support included transaction document drafting and obtaining regulatory approvals);
Full legal support of foreign investors in the acquisition of 100% participating interest in an international oil company in Kyzylorda Oblast (including transaction document drafting and obtaining required regulatory approvals);
Deal structuring and corporate restructuring in a multi-jurisdiction transaction involving the acquisition of a number of oil and gas projects in Kazakhstan by an Australian public company;
Advice on transaction related to the acquisition of construction material plant by a major Turkish construction company, particularly with respect to the amendment of responsibilities due to the partial replacement of the deal assets;
Obtaining approval from the Agency for the Protection of Competition of RK for the acquisition of shares in foreign companies, indirectly owning subsurface use rights;
Obtaining the approval of the Agency for the Protection of Competition of RK for stock repurchase at the London Stock Exchange.

Business Support

Consulting with a Kazakhstani paper recycling company on the registration of trademarks for its products;
Registration of trademarks of a Kazakhstani oil and gas company prior to going for an IPO;
Legal advice for Kazakhstani individuals and local companies in business structuring/restructuring for purposes of holding management and tax optimization, including the selection of an offshore jurisdiction, a type of offshore company, the registration of assets in Kazakhstan etc.

Specialists in the field

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Articles and publications

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Blog Post Publications

How to mitigate the consequences caused by the breach of the contract obligations due to the state of emergency declared in Kazakhstan