Konstantin Krutilnikov is the founder and Managing Partner of Vertical.
Konstantin has more than 25 years of daily experience in developing and implementing strategies to protect clients' interests in complex legal disputes and conflicts that require a cross-disciplinary approach at the intersection of legal and investment decisions in the face of diverse risks and opportunities.
He is a recognized expert in business defense and legal risk management in the aggressive environment of business conflicts complicated by corporate and inheritance family disputes, criminal law claims, and business bankruptcy.
Konstantin's special professional passion is the defense of the rights of minority shareholders and participants in business companies in corporate confrontations with the main owners and management of the business, aimed at restoring the violated rights of minority shareholders, compensation for losses and fair valuation when exiting the business.
He is a member of the Board of Trustees of the Joseph Brodsky Museum Foundation.
For many years, Konstantin Krutilnikov has been ranked as one of the leading lawyers in corporate dispute resolution, arbitration, and bankruptcy (Kommersant, Pravo-300, Rossiyskaya Gazeta). He is listed as one of the TOP-100 most influential figures in bankruptcy (PRObankruptcy).
Education
- Saint Petersburg State University: Law
- Skolkovo School of Management: Executive MBA
Project experience
- Represented a bank in a case involving charges of embezzlement of more than RUB 5 billion in credit funds. The proceedings stemmed from a bankruptcy case, and led the ultimate beneficiaries of the unlawful acts against the bank to be identified and held liable.
- Provided full-service support for a corporate conflict in a leading auto group in the North-Western District, including disputes over management bodies and appeals against transactions with key assets. Ensured full recovery of the clients' property losses and redemption of the shares in the business at fair value. The sum involved in the dispute exceeded RUB 10 billion.
- Represented a client in a high-profile deprivatization dispute in the Russian Federation. Developed a strategy to compensate for the losses of shareholders resulting from the seizure of shares by the state.
- Provided full-service legal support in bankruptcy proceedings for a construction company (projects included the Kerch Strait Bridge and M-11 Federal Highway). Conducted a financial investigation that resulted in dozens of successfully challenged transactions and subsidiary liability claims against beneficiaries exceeding RUB 2.8 billion.
- Provided full-service legal support in Russia’s central corporate conflict of 2020. Secured a position on more than 20 disputes, which allowed the Client to sign settlement agreements in respect of more than RUB 19 billion in commodity assets.
- Represented a majority creditor in proceedings involving a contractor for key infrastructure projects in the Northwestern Federal District. Traced assets and recovered debts, ensuring the full satisfaction of the Client's claims.
- Through pre-bankruptcy compliance and development of a bank protection strategy (for a top-10 bank), restructured the credit obligations of Russia’s largest oil and gas group and facilitated the completion of all bankruptcy procedures. Total obligations exceeded RUB 5 billion.
- Represented the Client in a dispute between former business co-owners involving claims exceeding RUB 3.4 billion, which sparked the largest-ever corporate conflict in the Northwestern Federal District.
- Managed and settled the troubled debts of the largest bank in the CIS for RUB 100 billion.
- Represented a beneficiary of Aspect Bank in a multi-jurisdictional corporate dispute with a complicated criminal aspect. The Supreme Court of the Russian Federation made a precedent-setting ruling on the beneficiary's rights (Case of Aspect-Finance CJSC).
- Provided legal support to a client (Russia’s only private heat generation company) during audits, interviews, pre-investigation, and appeals against construction, technical, and expert economic inspections. The total project cost exceeded RUB 1 billion.
- Represented a minority shareholder of a nuclear industry supplier in a corporate dispute with a leading Russian special-situations investment company. The dispute encompassed over 100 court cases across five regional arbitration courts in Russia and several criminal cases, with an asset value of RUB 6 billion.
