Member Profiles

The "QUORUS GmbH" is a management and consultancy Limited Liability Company (Ltd.) with an exclusive operational focus on Swiss-Russian cross-border activities. The company is registered in the commercial register of the canton of Zurich (CH-020.4.060.084-6) and fulfils a dual role, in that it advices, sustains and accompanies activities from Russia towards Switzerland and in the opposite direction. Legal, management, business consulting and lobbying are the main operating fields the QUORUS is covering. Focusing on holistic exclusive tailor-made specialist service-solutions based on expertise in Russian, Swiss and EU-law, banking-, asset-management, and further fields, depending on clients' needs, the QUORUS business-model provides for targeted partnerships with specialists in Russia, CIS, Switzerland Europe and beyond. The company domiciles the Russian legal expertise and the Russian expertise beyond legal issues in persona on the Swiss market and its managerial set-up feeds the QUORUS with diversified knowledge, expertise and credibility.

A founder of MZS has extremely broad experience in Dispute Resolution, Securities and Finance, Intellectual Property, Taxation, Financial Services, Insolvency, Telecoms, Media & Technology, Real Estate, Anti-trust, Transport, White-collar Crime as well as general corporate law. Yuri is a graduate of the Moscow State Institute of International Relations. He also holds a Candidate of Law degree from the Russian Academy of Sciences’ Institute of State and Law. Yuri is a member of the Moscow Bar. People Our firm is built on a group of driven, dynamic and intellectually focused people who are pleasant and inspiring to work with. We invest heavily in broadening their skills and knowledge to ensure success when working across multiple jurisdictions and cultures. International Network In addition to our clients, we also work with many of the world’s leading international law firms, delivering specialist expertise and services that are either not available or not practical for them to deliver themselves. Our network of friends extends well beyond the legal world, to relationships with banks and various financial institutions that can benefit our clients. Thought Leadership We strive to put the huge intellectual capital within MZS to good use for the benefit of the legal and wider commercial worlds. To date lawyers from our firm have authored more than 80 publications, covering a wide variety of topics – helping to shape, not just debate, Russian law itself. Academic Relationships We maintain extremely close links with Russian academia. Not only does this enable us to share knowledge and experiences, but also to identify and recruit the bright young stars of tomorrow to the MZS team. Pro Bono We provide pro bono services (and financial contributions) to a range of good causes including the Moscow Journal of International Law, as well as The Fund of Grateful Alumni of the MGIMO International Law School. MZS is a key participant in the events held by the Association of Russian Corporate Lawyers; and we also sponsor various student moot courts around the world, helping the next generation get a taste of the legal profession. Through a charitable foundation MZS supports one of the leading doctrinal periodical in Russia, The Journal of Civil Law.

We handle the following matters at the ICAC Russia and state arbitration courts: • disputes arising from contractual or other civil-law relationships in the course of foreign trade and other forms of international economic affairs, provided that the place of business of at least one of the Parties is situated abroad; • disputes arising between enterprises with foreign investment, international associations and organizations set up in the territory of the Russian Federation, disputes between their participants and, their disputes with other subjects of law of the Russian Federation. Additional services at the ICAC Russia: • recognition and enforcement of the ICAC Russia decision; • preparation of the review of the ICAC Russia practice

MIKHAILYUK, SOROKOLAT & PARTNERS is a patent, trademark and design partnership established in 1992 by Mr. Valentin Mikhailyuk. At present, our company is one of the largest in the countries of the former Soviet Union in the sphere of IP law. We have been setting the exceptional service standards since the firm’s very foundation. Step by step, traditional approach to quality combined with innovative view on business development enabled the law firm to reach the international level. Being proficient, responsible and scrupulous in every aspect of our profession, we have built reliable business relations with partners from all over the world, expanded the area of business activity to all countries of the former Soviet Union, opened offices in Russia, Ukraine, Kazakhstan, Georgia, Belarus, Moldova, Uzbekistan and Kyrgyzstan. We are proud of being trusted by small and medium entities, as well as the largest multinational corporations. Inventions with multibillion potential and housewife simple innovations are treated with equally high responsibility. This general approach lies in the basis of our strategy and shapes the Company’s spirit being the driving force of our success. Inspired by the principle of constant development we keep on moving forward expanding our geography in order to meet and exceed clients’ expectations.

Kurlyn Merchant is admitted to practice in the Federation of St. Kitts and Nevis, the British Virgin Islands and the Anguilla Circuits of the Eastern Caribbean Supreme Court. She is also a Notary Public in St. Kitts and Nevis. She is known as an astute Attorney who guides clients as she consistently seeks the best outcome possible.  ​Ms Merchant has practiced in civil and commercial law attending to land and Real Estate matters, corporate disputes, debt recovery, divorce, child custody and domestic disputes. Her clientele includes financial institutions and businesses locally , regionally, politically exposed individuals, high network individuals and families. Ms. Merchant frequently appears before the Court of Appeal, High Court and the Magistrates Court in the Eastern Caribbean and likewise, has attended to matters before the Commercial Court in the BVI.  Ms. Merchant is the recipient of the prestigious Chevening Scholarship through which she secured expertise in Energy and Natural Resource Law and now stands as one of the few trained specialist in that area in the Eastern Caribbean, competent to navigate in particular the intricacies of renewable energy efforts of various states in the regions.  Education:  2015: Queen Mary University of London - Masters of Law (LLM) Energy and Natural Resource Law (Merit) 2010: Norman Manley Law School- Legal Education Certificate (LEC) 2008: University of the West Indies (Cave Hill Campus) - Bachelor of Laws (LLB)  (Hons) Bar Admissions: 2015: Anguilla 2013: British Virgin Islands 2010: St. Kitts and Nevis Membership:  Chartered Institute of Arbitrators (CIArb) St. Kitts Nevis Bar Association OECS Bar Association  Commonwealth Lawyers Association  Awards:  UK Foreign & Commonwealth Office, Chevening Scholarship Recipient 2014-2015  Council of Legal Education Norman Manley Law School Principal’s Roll of Honour 2008/2009 – 2009/2010  The Raphael Codlin Prize (awarded to the most outstanding Year 2  Student) Norman Manley Law School, 2010 The Principal’s Special Prize (awarded to students who have received straight A’s in year 1 or Year 2 examinations) Norman Manley Law School, 2010 Kelsick, Wilkin & Ferdinand Prize (awarded to the best overall Overseas Student over two years), Norman Manley Law School,  2010