Russia bans managing partner of City firm Fieldfisher for Kremlin sanction work
The Foreign Ministry of Russia has banned several British lawyers from Fieldfisher including the firm’s managing partner for their role in applying the mechanism of sanctions against the country.
In a statement released earlier this month, the Russian Government announced a new batch of “personal sanctions” on British government agencies, IT sector and legal services market.
The list included the managing partner of Fieldfisher, Robert Shooter, the firm’s regulatory and trade partner Andrew Hood, and an adviser in its international trade team, Richard Tauwhare.
Shooter is a long-term partner at the London-headquartered firm and was appointed as its managing partner in 2022.
Hood has been at the firm for over five years, and is one of the key contacts for sanctions and export control at the law firm. While Tauwhare is a former UK diplomat, and has written several articles for the law firm on Russian sanctions.
Following the invasion in Ukraine by Russia, the legal market in London has been busy advising clients on the in-and-outs of the many sanctions put in place by the UK, the EU and the US.
The statement by the Russian Ministry accused the British government of continuing an “aggressive anti-Russia course” by “actively applying the mechanism of sanctions and conducting a subversive propaganda and information campaign”.
In its list, the Russia also added the director general Joanna Crellin of the Department for Business and Trade. The country banned countless British politicians since the war broke out including former Prime Minister Boris Johnson.
The legal market was put under pressure when the war broke out to drop any Russian client as well as to pull any office it had in the country.
At the time, British lawyers were publically named for obstructing sanctions by acting for Russian oligarchs, as some firms had a reputation for acting for the oligarchs over the years.
A spokesperson for Fieldfisher said: “We are aware that the list of individuals sanctioned by the Russian state includes lawyers from our firm. While the basis for this decision is both unexpected and unclear to us, we have no further comment to make at this time.”