UK/US firm DLA Piper Rudnick Gray Cary has snapped up the Russia and CIS practice of EY Law, the legal network associated with Big Four accountancy firm Ernst & Young.

The deal sees fast-expanding DLA Piper significantly strengthen its five-lawyer Moscow arm, as well as gain new offices in St Petersburg, Ukraine and Georgia.


With more than 80 lawyers involved, the move has been billed as the biggest lateral hire in the history of the Russia and CIS market.


The team includes five partners, while a further three lawyers - including the head of the Kiev practice, Magarita Karpenko - will be made up when the deal goes through.


DLA Piper's equity partners approved the integration last week, with the EY Law team formally joining the firm on 1 July.


Nigel Knowles, joint chief executive officer of DLA Piper, said: 'The region offers huge opportunities and we now have the critical mass necessary to provide the international experience our clients need. We'll have the second-largest practice in Russia and intend to build on this strength across the region.'


Constantine Lusignan-Rizhnashvili, managing partner of the EY Law team that is transferring, said: 'We are committed to growth in the CIS and were naturally looking for a partner which was also committed to realising the full potential of the region.'


DLA Piper was created by the merger in January this year of UK firm DLA and US firm Piper Rudnick, which had itself combined with California-based Gray Cary Ware & Freidenrich two months before (see [2004] Gazette, 9 December, 6).


From 1 July it will have more than 2,900 lawyers across 20 countries.