Expertise/Corporate Law

Service

Retainer Support (Corporate Secretary)

An external corporate secretary handles the day-to-day corporate affairs of an LLC or JSC within an agreed monthly allocation of hours.

We are most often instructed by:

  • Companies with a steady volume of corporate work
  • Groups of companies that need support for several entities
  • Companies with an in-house lawyer

The information on this website is provided for information purposes only and does not constitute a public offer.

Support fees

Hours and Fees

20hours per month*
from RUB 200,000per month

Timing and fees are indicative and are confirmed when the engagement is agreed.

01 / Overview
Scope of instructions and terms of support

The monthly allocation of hours, the range of corporate tasks, the persons entitled to give instructions and the communication channels are agreed in the retainer agreement for legal services. Work is recorded against the selected allocation.

Standard instructions to prepare corporate documents take from two business days. For procedures that depend on the requirements of the law or the charter, or on the actions of third parties, a separate timetable is set.

Following the work, the documents prepared are provided together with information on the hours used and the upcoming steps.

What the Service Includes

The work listed below is included in the agreed monthly allocation.

  • Annual and extraordinary meetingsThe agenda, notices, ballots and materials for general meetings of participants or shareholders are prepared. Support is provided for the adoption of resolutions by a method permitted for the relevant procedure, and the results are documented.
  • Resolutions of management bodiesResolutions of the sole participant or shareholder and minutes of the general meeting, the board of directors and other bodies are prepared. The competence, the voting procedure and the requirements for confirming resolutions are checked.
  • Corporate calendarA calendar of regular and scheduled corporate procedures is maintained. Deadlines for holding meetings, adopting resolutions and taking other corporate actions are monitored.
  • Charter and internal documentsAmendments to the charter and new versions of it are prepared, as are regulations on management bodies and on the procedure for holding general meetings.
  • Changes to the Unified State Register of Legal EntitiesResolutions and documents for registration are prepared when information about the company's chief executive, address or other details changes. The necessary actions with notaries and the registration authority are coordinated.
  • OrdersOrders relating to the implementation of resolutions of management bodies, the appointment of authorized persons and the conduct of corporate procedures are prepared.
  • Company document setThe charter, internal documents, resolutions and minutes are compiled into a single set, which is updated to reflect the resolutions adopted and the changes registered.
  • Support for groups of companiesThe corporate secretary function may be performed for several legal entities at once. A single calendar is kept for the group, with the procedures and documents of each company tracked separately.
02 / Outcome
Service Outcome
  • Corporate calendarAn up-to-date list of regular and scheduled procedures and their deadlines.
  • Resolutions and minutesSets of documents for meetings and resolutions of management bodies within the scope of the instructions given.
  • Charter, internal documents and ordersNew versions of and amendments to the charter, regulations on management bodies and on the holding of meetings, and orders.
  • Documents for registrationResolutions and applications to register changes in the Unified State Register of Legal Entities.
  • Report on work performedInformation on the documents prepared, the hours used and the upcoming steps.

The outcome of the service is the work performed within the scope agreed with the client.

03 / Projects
Selected Projects
01 / 05

Liquidation

Liquidation of a company with a participant from an “unfriendly” jurisdiction

Challenge

The sole participant in a Russian LLC was a foreign company from a state committing unfriendly actions against Russia. The standard liquidation procedure could not be used: clearance from the Government Commission was required.

What was done

Clearance was obtained. The liquidation procedure was carried out from start to finish in compliance with regulatory requirements.

Division of a business

Division of a joint business taking account of the tax consequences

Challenge

The partnership was being terminated with a redistribution of assets. A direct division of the assets would have had significant tax consequences for both parties, so the exit structure had to be worked out separately.

What was done

The transaction structure was reworked in the light of the legal characterization of each operation and its tax consequences, while preserving the balance of the parties' interests.

Director's liability

Liability of a former general director for the company's losses

Challenge

A former general director had caused losses to the company. There were many transactions, the structure was complex, the causal links were blurred, and the former director was counting on the evidence being impossible to gather.

What was done

The chronology of decisions was reconstructed, the link between the transactions and the loss was established, and the former director's bad faith was proven. The court awarded the damages in full, without any reduction.

Corporate dispute

Compelling a distribution of profits in favour of a minority participant

Challenge

The majority participant systematically blocked the distribution of profits by voting at the general meeting. The company was generating income, while the minority participant received no share of the profits.

What was done

The general meeting's resolutions were challenged. A mechanism compelling the distribution of profits was implemented through the courts.

Relations between owners

Owners' roles and decision-making procedure in a medical business

Challenge

Advising on structuring the relationship between the partners of a company providing medical services. The corporate model had to be built around the specific features of an operating business.

What was done

The allocation of the owners' roles, the procedure for taking material decisions and possible scenarios for changes in the relationship between the partners were defined. An agreed corporate and contractual model was put in place.

04 / Questions
Frequently Asked Questions

Advance notice is given when the limit is approaching. Any additional hours are agreed before the work begins. If this workload becomes regular, the number of hours in the plan may be increased.

Yes. Regular procedures and the preparation of documents can be handed over to an external corporate secretary. The range of instructions and the interaction with the in-house lawyer are agreed at the start of the engagement.

Stand-alone projects, such as M&A transactions, reorganization, litigation and insolvency, are agreed separately.

The fee depends on the monthly allocation of hours chosen; the scope of work is the same for all plans. The terms of support, including how work beyond the allocation is handled, are set out in the contract and agreed before work begins.

Request a free consultation

Describe your matter and the circumstances in which it arose. The consultation establishes the possible structure of the work and the scope of legal support required.

Email us

Discuss your matter

Describe your situation and we will reply within 24 hours.

Discuss your matter

Describe your situation and we will reply within 24 hours.

Request sent

We will contact you within 24 hours