Law firm Morgan Lewis has made a series of high profile appointments to its Moscow trade finance team.

Joining as partner are Grigory Marinichev and Konstantin Kochetkov. Marinichev will have a focus on structured finance and secured lending. He specialises in the metals and mining, telecoms, oil and gas, energy and municipal infrastructure sectors.

Kochetkov will advise clients on project finance transactions, as well as on issues relating to pre-export finance, export finance, restructuring, equity financing and private equity transactions.

The pair joins from Gide Loyrette Nouell and has brought eight associates with them. Charles Engros, leader of the business and finance practice, says: “This team’s arrival offers us an opportunity to establish one of the leading banking and finance practices in Russia and helps to build out the firm’s global restructuring capabilities. The innovative counsel that they provide on cross-border banking, lending and financing issues for companies in a number of industries will prove invaluable to our wide array of clients. Their practice also ties in well with our current emerging market finance practice in London and the new finance team to be based in Dubai.”