Foreign Investment and Project Development Advisory
Foreign Investment and Project Development Advisory is a core practice of Inmar Legal, centered on providing investment project support to international and domestic investors operating in Russia. For more than two decades, the firm has advised on complex industrial, infrastructure, hospitality, and agricultural developments, helping clients move from initial concept to fully operational projects within a clear and predictable legal environment.
Our work combines regulatory insight, transactional experience, and strategic legal planning. By aligning commercial objectives with Russian legal requirements, we help investors structure, implement, and protect their projects while managing regulatory and cross-border risks.
Services
End-to-End Legal Support Throughout the Project Lifecycle
We advise clients at every stage of an investment project, from early feasibility assessment and site selection through construction, commissioning, and operational phases. Effective investment project support begins with a deep understanding of the investor’s commercial model and risk profile. Our lawyers develop legal frameworks addressing land and infrastructure rights, permitting regimes, foreign investment restrictions, and sector-specific regulatory requirements.
Our role extends beyond drafting and structuring. We work closely with federal and regional authorities, development institutions, and key counterparties to ensure projects progress within applicable legal regimes while preserving business flexibility. This integrated approach allows investors to anticipate regulatory challenges and address them before they affect project timelines or financing arrangements.
Structuring and Strategic Legal Advisory
A significant component of our practice involves structuring legally sound and commercially efficient investment models. We design corporate and contractual frameworks that define ownership, financing, governance, and allocation of risk among stakeholders. Early legal structuring provides stability and predictability, particularly in large-scale projects operating within evolving regulatory environments.
Our team regularly addresses cross-border structuring issues, currency regulation, tax exposure, and coordination with foreign counsel. This ensures that each project rests on a coherent legal foundation capable of supporting both market entry and future expansion.
Regulatory Strategy and Government Engagement
Major projects in Russia require careful navigation of administrative procedures and sector-specific regulation. We advise on permitting strategies, interaction with supervisory authorities, and alignment with regional and federal development policies. This is particularly important in industrial and infrastructure sectors, where regulatory sequencing can directly affect construction schedules and operational readiness.
We support clients in obtaining approvals, negotiating project documentation with public authorities, and maintaining compliance with evolving legislative frameworks. Anticipating regulatory risk at an early stage helps avoid delays and provides greater certainty for investors and lenders.
Advising Foreign Companies Establishing Operations in Russia
A substantial portion of our work involves support for foreign companies entering or expanding within the Russian market. We advise on market entry structures, establishment of subsidiaries and joint ventures, and legal regimes applicable to foreign capital participation. By combining domestic regulatory knowledge with international transactional experience, we help foreign investors operate with confidence and transparency.
Our advisory frequently includes currency control compliance, profit repatriation mechanisms, intellectual property protection, and industry-specific regulatory limitations. This tailored legal guidance ensures that Russian operations remain aligned with global corporate governance and compliance standards.
Ongoing Legal Advisory After Project Launch
Legal engagement continues after a project becomes operational. We provide ongoing legal project advisory in areas such as corporate governance, commercial contracting, asset restructuring, and regulatory compliance monitoring. Long-term legal support helps investors adapt to legislative changes, preserve asset value, and plan for expansion, refinancing, or exit.
Experience
Major Korean Industrial Investment — Manufacturing Facility Project, Russian Far East
Inmar Legal advised a leading South Korean industrial group on the development of a large-scale manufacturing facility in the Russian Far East. The firm provided comprehensive investment project support and ongoing legal project advisory covering regulatory analysis, investment structuring, transaction planning, and contract negotiations. The engagement required coordination with regional authorities on permitting, infrastructure access, and compliance matters across multiple regulatory layers. The project also involved detailed assessment of foreign investment legislation and implementation risk management strategies to ensure smooth transition from feasibility stage to early construction and operational readiness.
Cross-Border Acquisition — Landmark Vladivostok Hotel and Major Agricultural Enterprises
Inmar Legal acted as lead Russian counsel to the Lotte Group in connection with the acquisition of a strategically significant hotel in Vladivostok and two of the largest agricultural enterprises in Primorsky Krai. The transaction required integrated investment project legal support and end-to-end legal project advisory, including legal due diligence, transaction structuring, negotiation of acquisition documentation, coordination with Russian regulatory authorities, and foreign investment clearance. The engagement also included post-closing legal oversight and operational integration, ensuring compliance with corporate governance, tax, and labor requirements across multiple industry sectors
Regional Industrial Development — Seafood Processing Cluster Project, Russian Far East
Inmar Legal provided strategic investment project support and regulatory advisory for a major seafood processing cluster initiative in the Far Eastern Federal District. The engagement included legal risk assessment, project structuring analysis, and collaboration with regional authorities on the development and approval of a state support package. The matter required close interaction with public policies aimed at promoting diversification and international participation in the fisheries and processing sector, a priority area for regional economic development.
Foreign Investment Regimes — Priority Development Areas and Free Port of Vladivostok
Inmar Legal has advised multiple foreign investors on entry into and operations within Russia’s preferential legal regimes, including priority development areas and the Free Port of Vladivostok. The firm’s support for foreign companies in these matters has included cross-border entry structuring, regulatory compliance strategy, negotiation of resident and incentive arrangements, and coordination with federal and regional authorities to secure operational approvals and investment protections. These projects required careful interpretation of evolving regulatory frameworks designed to attract international capital while ensuring compliance with implementation requirements.
Strategic Shipbuilding Infrastructure — Foreign Participation in the Zvezda Complex
Inmar Legal acted for South Korean industrial clients, including Daewoo Shipbuilding & Marine Engineering (DSME) and STX Corporation, in early-stage participation discussions relating to the Zvezda Shipbuilding Complex project at Bolshoy Kamen. The firm provided tailored legal project advisory and investment project support focused on structuring potential participation models, assessing regulatory implications, and advising on engagement strategies with public authorities in connection with a large-scale strategic infrastructure initiative.
Commercial Real Estate Investment — Transaction Structuring and Asset Management, Moscow
Inmar Legal conducted comprehensive investment project legal support for foreign investments in major commercial real estate assets in Moscow. The engagement included legal due diligence, transactional structuring, contract negotiation, and post-acquisition advisory on asset management and regulatory compliance. The firm’s work addressed zoning and land use considerations, tenant arrangements, tax exposure, and currency control implications, helping the investor maintain operational continuity and optimize long-term asset performance.
Infrastructure Enforcement and Insolvency — Protection of Foreign Creditor Interests
In a complex enforcement and insolvency matter involving a port operator in the Primorsky region, Inmar Legal represented the interests of a foreign creditor. The firm’s support for foreign companies included litigation strategy, enforcement action coordination, and legal analysis of creditor rights under Russian insolvency and infrastructure regulation. Despite procedural challenges and continued debtor operations, the firm advanced the client’s recovery position and provided ongoing counsel on navigating enforcement and bankruptcy-related risks.