AEQUITAS Law Firm

What AEQUITAS Law Firm does

AEQUITAS Law Firm LLP, founded in 1993 by the late Yuri G. Bassin and headquartered at 47 Abai Avenue in Almaty, Kazakhstan, is a privately held limited liability partnership providing cross-border legal advisory services to multinational corporations, banks, and financial institutions from more than 50 countries. The firm operates 19 practice areas including M&A, Banking & Finance, Energy & Natural Resources, Construction & Real Estate, AIFC Law, Data Protection & Cybersecurity, Dispute Resolution, and Competition & Antitrust, with a second office located inside the Astana International Financial Centre (AIFC) at 55/22 Mangilik El Avenue.

The firm derives revenue from fee-based legal advisory engagements billed on a project, hourly, or multi-year retainer basis, with no publicly disclosed pricing. Business development is driven primarily by partner reputation and analyst rankings rather than traditional sales motion: AEQUITAS holds consecutive top-tier rankings from Chambers & Partners (Band 4 Corporate & Finance 2026), Legal 500 EMEA (Top-tier 2026, with Leading Partner recognition for Yelena Manayenko), IFLR 1000, asialaw, and the Lexology Index. The firm lists marquee clients including Chevron, ExxonMobil, Tengizchevroil, Caterpillar, Sanofi, Johnson & Johnson, Michelin, HP, JP Morgan, EBRD, Sinopec, SoftBank, Yandex, and Coca-Cola, and maintains cross-border coordination agreements with international firms such as Clifford Chance, Norton Rose Fulbright, Herbert Smith Freehills, Vinson & Elkins, and Allen & Overy.

AEQUITAS is differentiated by direct involvement in Kazakhstan's legislative development: its lawyers have been engaged by the EBRD to draft the Merchant Shipping Law and Railway Transport Law, and Managing Partner Yelena Manayenko sits on the AIFC Legal Services Board. The firm is a member of the Ius Laboris global employment-law alliance and conducts targeted thought leadership, including the 2026 updated AIFC Guide and a June 2026 Chambers and Partners article on AI regulation. Leadership includes Chairman of the Board Dr. Olga Chentsova and Managing Partner Yelena Manayenko, supported by partners Larisa Yemelyanova, Yekaterina Khamidullina, Alexander Chumachenko, Yuliya Chumachenko, counsel Nurlan Sholanov, and senior associate Almagul Agadil.

Name

AEQUITAS Law Firm

Legal name

AEQUITAS Law Firm LLP

Website

https://aequitas.kz

Company type

Private

Founded year

1993

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

AEQUITAS Law Firm LLP is a Kazakhstan-based legal advisory firm serving multinational corporations, banks, and financial institutions from more than 50 countries across 19 practice areas including M&A, energy, banking, AIFC law, and dispute resolution, with offices in Almaty and the Astana International Financial Centre.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Legal Services

NAICS

Legal Services (5411), All Other Legal Services (541199)

SIC

Services-Legal Services (8111)

akta.pro primary industry

Capital Markets Advisory (IPO Readiness, SPAC, ECM/DCM Advisory) (BPAHAOAL)

akta.pro secondary industries

Litigation & Dispute Valuation (damages, shareholder disputes) (FSAEAHAI), Derivatives Documentation & Legal (ISDA, CSA, Regulatory) (FSACADAN)

Keywords

• Corporate legal services
• Banking and finance law
• M&A advisory
• Dispute resolution
• Energy and subsoil law

Headquarters

HQ city

Almaty

HQ country

Kazakhstan

HQ region

Asia

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Legal Advisory Services: Fee-based legal advisory services provided to international and domestic clients across various practice areas including M&A, banking & finance, dispute resolution, regulatory compliance, and industry-specific matters. Services are billed on project, hourly, or retainer basis depending on client engagement.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

AEQUITAS Law Firm LLP provides corporate, dispute resolution, employment, finance, construction, and regulatory legal advisory services across 19 practice areas. The firm advises international corporations, banks, and energy companies on Kazakhstan law and the laws of the Astana International Financial Centre (AIFC), covering transactional work, regulatory compliance, and litigation/arbitration.

Product overview

AEQUITAS Law Firm is a legal services firm offering comprehensive legal advisory across 19 distinct practice areas. The firm operates as a unified legal services platform serving international and domestic clients in Kazakhstan's key economic sectors. The practice areas cover corporate and commercial law, financial services, dispute resolution, regulatory compliance, and specialized sectors including energy, healthcare, technology, and transport. The firm's expertise spans transactional work (M&A, financing), advisory services, regulatory compliance, and litigation/arbitration. The practice areas function as service lines within a single firm structure rather than as separate software products or modules.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Banking & Finance

Quantifiable outcome

• Top-tier rankings from all major international legal guides for multiple consecutive years
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers25 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Ius LaboriscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAEQUITAS is a member of Ius Laboris, a global alliance of leading employment law firms. This alliance provides AEQUITAS clients with access to employment law expertise across multiple jurisdictions worldwide.
• Kazakhstan Bar AssociationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAEQUITAS lawyers are members of the Kazakhstan Bar Association, providing professional standards and networking within Kazakhstan's legal community.
• AIFC Legal Services BoardcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAEQUITAS Managing Partner Yelena Manayenko serves on the AIFC Legal Services Board, positioning the firm at the forefront of AIFC regulatory development.
• Asian Development BankcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNurlan Sholanov has been personally engaged by ADB to advise on complex public borrowing matters, positioning AEQUITAS as a key local counsel for multilateral development bank projects.
• Eurasian Competition AssociationminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAEQUITAS Counsel Nurlan Sholanov is a member of the Eurasian Competition Association, supporting the firm's antitrust practice.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Norton Rose Fulbright (Central Asia practice): Global law firm with strong Central Asia and energy practices, and a former employer of AEQUITAS Managing Partner Yelena Manayenko. Provides comparable cross-border corporate and project finance services.
• Allen & Overy (Kazakhstan practice): Premier global law firm with significant Kazakhstan-related transactional experience, particularly in banking and capital markets. Competes for the same cross-border mandates AEQUITAS supports as local counsel.
• Baker McKenzie (Almaty): Global law firm with a long-standing Almaty office offering corporate, M&A, energy, and dispute resolution. Competes for the same premium international clients AEQUITAS serves, but with substantially deeper cross-border capacity.
• Clifford Chance (Central Asia practice): Global magic-circle firm with a dedicated Central Asia/Caspian practice and Beijing ties to AEQUITAS. Often engages AEQUITAS as local counsel, but can also act as lead counsel on the largest mandates.
• Dentons (Kazakhstan): World's largest law firm with a significant Kazakhstan presence covering corporate, finance, energy, and dispute resolution. Provides scale and global reach that AEQUITAS cannot match on mega-deals.

Others

• AIFC Legal Services Board: Regulatory body within the Astana International Financial Centre where AEQUITAS's Managing Partner sits. Not a commercial peer, but the AIFC jurisdiction is core to AEQUITAS's growth strategy and shapes the competitive landscape for AIFC-focused legal services.

Direct peers

• Unicase Law Firm: A Kazakhstan-based full-service law firm with strong energy, subsoil use, and corporate practices, competing head-to-head with AEQUITAS for international and domestic corporate clients.
• Sayat Zholshy & Partners: A leading Kazakhstani law firm providing corporate, M&A, energy, and regulatory advisory. Comparable to AEQUITAS in practice mix and in serving international corporates entering Kazakhstan.
• GRATA International: GRATA International is the largest full-service law firm in Kazakhstan with offices across Central Asia, offering corporate, M&A, banking & finance, energy, and dispute resolution. It is the most direct competitor to AEQUITAS in the same practice areas and customer base.
• Hergü Law Firm: Kazakhstani law firm with a corporate, energy, and dispute resolution practice serving both international corporates and local enterprises; competes with AEQUITAS in mid-market mandates.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/aequitas-kz
• Facebookfacebook.com/aequitas.kz

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles8 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about AEQUITAS Law Firm