International Law Club

We’re glad to announce that Vladimir Kostsov is going to hold a master class on «Secrets of Building a Successful Legal Career».

Date and time: 19 February 2026 from 10:00 am to 12:00 pm.

Place: room 519, Faculty of Law.

Info about the speaker:

A dual-qualified lawyer (both in Russia and State of New York), Vladimir possesses a remarkable combination of academic achievements in both Russia and the United States. He earned a Master of Laws (LL.M.) from Harvard Law School, a PhD in Law from the Higher School of Economics, and a Master of Private Law from the Russian School of Private Law. Previously, as part of the HSE team, he became the only Russian winner of the prestigious Willem C. Vis Moot Competition (Vienna, Austria) in its history.

 Vladimir successfully combines his practical legal career with academic work. As a practicing lawyer, he has over 10 years of experience advising foreign and Russian clients on international investment and commercial arbitration, as well as litigation in Russia and abroad. He has experience handling cases under key international and Russian arbitration rules, including ICSID, UNCITRAL, SCC, LCIA, SIAC, ICAC, and RAC. Vladimir also regularly appears as an expert and arbitrator, and gives public lectures on international arbitration, international law, and dispute resolution to Russian and international audiences.

As an associate professor in the School of International Law at the Higher School of Economics, he teaches international business transactions and international arbitration. He has also been a coach for the HSE team at the Willem C. Vis Moot Competition for over eight years. He has also published in both key international journals (including Arbitration International) and leading Russian publications (including the Bulletin of Economic Justice, Zakon, the HSE Journal of International Law, etc.).

On March, 18, HSE International Law Club organised a workshop on international arbitration within BRICS. It was held by Olga Tsvetkova (Brevia Partner), Maria Zinovyeva (Brevia Senior Associate), and Victoria Khandrimaylo (HKIAC Special Counsel).

About the speaker: Olga Tsvetkova is the Managing partner of Brevia and a recognized expert in complex crossborder disputes. She specializes in international legal relations and the protection of foreign investments. With 17 years of experience across Russia, the UAE, and Switzerland, Olga has held senior positions in major law firms and the public sector before establishing her own practice. She has represented Russia in landmark investment arbitrations and advises the Ministry of Economic Development on UNCITRAL Working Group III’s reform agenda for the investorstate dispute settlement (ISDS) system. She has also worked on trade and investment agreements involving Russia and the EAEU.

Olga touched upon the skill of walking a mile in business, consultants and arbitrators’ shoes to succeed in arbitration proceedings. The participants came to conclusion that international arbitration is not solely a formal procedure, but the whole “ecosystem”. Maria presented the results of study on foreign investment protection within BRICS countries, and Victoria talked about the HKIAC.

HSE International Law Club thanks speakers for their participation in the meeting!