All merchants are aware of their criminal risks, although few seriously fear becoming involved in a criminal case. The usual business dangers can arise: signing an acceptance certificate before the work is completed or fictitiously employing the director's wife. How to defend oneself against accusations of manipulation in state procurements and how to draft such a complaint so that it is granted - this was discussed by experts at the Pravo.ru conference, with Artem Grishin, Head of the Law Office of Alliance Legal CG, as the speaker.

On 7 December at The Ritz Carlton, Moscow, Pravo.ru awarded Russia's leading law firms. Winners were chosen in 23 categories at once. The ranking itself consisted of two categories: the best companies by financial and statistical indicators and the best companies by sectors of law. The leaders among consultants were determined by the heads of legal departments of leading Russian and international companies.

"What awaits developers and co-developers in 2018, how will the transition to project financing proceed and how much will the price of housing increase for the buyer with the changes in legislation? The participants of the conference "Development and Construction: Legal Issues", organised by Pravo.ru and attended by Nikita Rozhentsov, Senior Consultant at Alliance Legal CG, talked about this.

On 29 November 2017, with the support of Alliance Legal CG, a charity event, A Winter's Night's Dream, was held in Moscow to benefit the Konstantin Khabensky Foundation, which helps children with cancer and other severe brain diseases to receive all necessary medical care on time and return to a full life as soon as possible. The foundation pays for the diagnosis and treatment of children, carries out information work with parents, uses courses and trainings to improve the qualifications of doctors, helps to equip specialized departments of Russian medical institutions, and organises rehabilitation programmes.

Partner and Chairman of the Supervisory Board of Alliance Legal CG, Dmitry Stanislavovich Fesko took first place in the International Russian Croquet Club tournament held on 04 November 2017.

Comments by Evgeny Karnoukhov, Managing Partner at Alliance Legal CG, and Alina Paltseva, Head of Bankruptcy Practice at Alliance Legal CG, for the information and legal portal Pravo.ru.

Commentary by Olga Kalinchenko, Senior Consultant of Alliance Legal CG Legal Practice Department for Pravo.ru legal information portal. The government has approved and decided to submit to the State Duma several draft laws concerning illegally constructed buildings as well as the regulation of individual housing construction (IHB). Citizens will be given an opportunity to avoid demolition if they themselves bring the construction in line with city planning regulations. "Pravo.ru asked lawyers how necessary and effective the new laws would be.

Commentary by Ignat Gorshtein, Senior Consultant in Alliance Legal CG's Legal Practice Department, for the legal information portal Pravo.ru.

Commentary by Alina Paltseva, Head of Bankruptcy Practice at Alliance Legal CG, for the Pravo.ru information and legal portal. The number of bankruptcies of individuals is growing, but this institution still fails to live up to expectations, recent statistics from the bankruptcy registry show. At the same time, the restructuring of a citizen's debts is becoming less and less popular. Why this is the case is explained by legal practitioners. Also, the statistics show who initiates consumer bankruptcy proceedings most often and which regions have taken the lead in them, leaving Moscow and St. Petersburg far behind.

On 03 October 2017, the Plenum of the Supreme Court of the Russian Federation discussed and approved draft amendments to procedural laws which should significantly reduce the workload of the courts, simplify and speed up court proceedings. Ignat Gornshtein, Senior Consultant at Alliance Legal CG, shared his opinion on the usefulness of the draft law.