The 'Russia Chronicles' Would Have More Violence
The New York Times has a fascinating piece today about businessman William F. Browder; his Russia-based investment firm, Hermitage Capital; and doing business in Russia. It reads more like an advisory on why you shouldn't do business in Russia. Once you've got a good thing going, the Kremlin may investigate you, take all your money, and kick you out of the country.
The moral of the story is:
The rule of law is subject to [the Kremlin's] wishes, and those out of favor are easy prey.
Given our obsession with all things "lawyer," we were particularly interested in the legal folks in the story. One thing we noted: new Russian president Dmitri A. Medvedev is a former law professor. He has pledged to "wage war on corruption, often saying that Russia is plagued by "legal nihilism." Yeah, yeah -- that's what they all say. Though only a former law professor would use the term "legal nihilism."
If we were to do a spin-off of the Asia Chronicles, for lawyers based in Russia, our prediction is that it would be less cushy, and more violent:
Dozens of police officers swooped down on the Moscow offices of Hermitage and its law firm, confiscating documents and computers. When a member of the firm protested that the search was illegal, he was beaten by officers and hospitalized for two weeks, said the firm's head, Jamison R. Firestone.
Hospitalized for two weeks!? That's taking workplace hazard to a whole new level.
An Investment Gets Trapped in Kremlin's Vise [New York Times]
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first
I GOT DA BOOTAY STOLICHNAYA!
uh hello its russia what was the protester thinking!
there's gotta be a yakov smirnov-style joke in here somewhere....
"in communist russia, road forks YOU!"
Wimps. Guys in my high school were beaten by officers and hospitalized for two weeks all the time. It was no big deal.
Thank G_d I'm not in the Moscow office. What a country that place is. At least China cares what the U.S. thinks and wants our money. Russia could care less about any of it. They just want centralized, absolute power.
Can the US intervene in something like this (assuming the law firm donated $1,000,000 to Bush's campaign)? I guess I am wondering whether the US can protect its firms working overseas.
However, why would you expect anything different in Russia?
Moscow to 190 . . . years in the Gulag
7
You really think Russia gives two [cents] what the US thinks about its internal matters?
No, 7, we only f*ck with countries that _don't_ have nuclear weapons, preferably ones where the people are not white or Christian (Serbia being the big winner of an exception).
Maybe Obama can work it out with some diplomacy.
http://www.portfolio.com/news-markets/international-news/portfolio/2008/07/16/Yukos-Attorney-Bob-Amsterdam
http://www.portfolio.com/news-markets/international-news/portfolio/2008/07/16/Yukos-Attorney-Bob-Amsterdam
Portfolio mag article about the lawyer defending Mikhail Khodorkovsky (Yukos...anyone remember that?)
tbh, if you pissed off the Chinese government, you'd be just as much better-flee-the-country dead meat. And have about as much recourse.
anybody know what the going rate is in Moscow biglaw for first-years?
Jamison R. Firestone...really? Reeeally?
"They're nihilists Donnie, they don't believe in anything."
"Say what you will about the tenets of Nationalist Socialist hookers, but at least they have an *ethos*..."
Russia sucks. I went there one summer and I'm never going back. Any country that drives eight-year-olds to alcoholism isn't worth doing business in.
don't knock it till you've nailed a sex slave.
What is interesting about Bill Browder's story is that once upon a time he was a fierce defender of Putin.
I recommend people check out Robert Amsterdam's excellent blog for all sorts of stories about lawyers risking it all in the line of duty. Yes, I really did just write that.
http://robertamsterdam.com/
Mr. Levy's heart-rending description of the plight of Mr. Browder paints a picture of a hard working capitalist being cheated by a tyrannical Russian government. What Mr. Levy fails to point out is that folks like Browder, Berezovsky and Khordakovsky, with their shell companies, offshore accounts and cozy insider deals, made their billions by exploiting the corruption which was endemic in Russia in the 90's and preying like vultures on the weakened Russian state at that time. Now that the worm has turned, and the Russian government is sweeping out the trash left over from the Yeltsin years, Bowden has become in the distorted mindset of Mr. Levy the poster child of the oppressed capitalist. Cry me a river...
Geez, Russian legal nihilisists. Is the American equivalent of ambulance chasers?
amen 21. The current Russian gov't is far from perfect but they are doing necessary works. The early 90's were a free for all in Russia, with "business men" openly stealing from the country and each other. Bribes and security were a huge cost of doing business at that time balanced out by a complete lack of regulation or tax enforcement.
Also anyone resisting arrest (legal or illegal) in any country faces possibility of bodily harm
I’m with you 6:05. Unfortunately, a lot of people here are totally brainwashed by the American press and cold war stories told by their parents…At least the Russian president has some clue about what he’s doing unlike the guy in the White House.
Unlike my usual posts this one's from the heart:
Russia = TTT, and has been TTT since at least the 9th century.
10:33: brainwashed by the American press? do you speak Russian? have you listened to Putin? he's a dirty, racist, manipulative jerk who came to power with a racist campaign built on promises of obliterating all Chechens. at least khodorkovsky was trying to become respectable and institute good corporate governance and corporate social responsibility.
Ummm..."good corporate governance" and/or "corporate social responsibility" means not paying taxes and transferring money to offshore accounts?