2025 ICC Russia Summit, Moscow
December 2, Muscow, Baltschug Kempinski
Dr. Klaus Oblin, our Senior Counsel and Ivanna Alecska have recently attended ICC Russia Summit 2025. During which Klaus Oblin had been invited to join a high-level panel, alongside leading Russian and international experts. The ICC Russia 2025 summit brought together practitioners and scholars from all over the world to discuss the new dynamics and changes in today’s world of arbitration
During the Panel discussion, Klaus Oblin focused on addressing the legal reality that sanctioned states are faced with within the European legal sphere. The emphasis was largely put on the fact that today EU Sanctions have become not only a political weapon but rather a mandatory rule of law. However, that does not deviate from the mere fact that EU sanctions do not prohibit all legal work for Russian clients. On the contrary, he explained that EU regulations draw a clear distinction between prohibited non-contentious advisory services and legal representation that is strictly necessary for the right of defense. Arbitration and litigation advocacy, when tied to concrete proceedings, remain expressly permitted. This distinction is not only embedded in the regulations themselves but has also been upheld by European courts.
Dr. Klaus Oblin has also offered a forward-looking perspective, observing a noticeable shift in the legal market. While large international firms often take a conservative approach to sanctioned countries, boutique law firms are increasingly willing to represent sanctioned clients within the boundaries of EU law. This is especially important to acknowledge, considering the fact that once the military operation in Ukraine comes to an end, it can be well assumed that Russian clients would likely gravitate towards highly specialized boutique law firms that continued to stand by them during the most complex period of time.
The ICC Russia Summit 2025 underscored that international arbitration is evolving in response to geopolitical and regulatory pressures rather than being displaced by them. Dr. Klaus Oblin’s panel contribution emphasized that sanctions have largely reshaped but did not suspend the rule of law. And as the legal market continues to adjust, the role of highly specialized boutique firms in navigating sanctions-compliant representation is becoming increasingly central. The Summit reaffirmed that expertise, adaptability, and a deep understanding of regulatory frameworks will define effective arbitration advocacy in the years ahead.
