Anna Shmakova, Senior Legal Adviser in the Contract and Claims Department at Polyus Krasnoyarsk, oversees the most complicated of court hearings and develops the Company’s corporate litigation strategy. Anna has an impressive track record of litigation success.
Anna commented:“Professional skills are usually nurtured during childhood. As a young girl, I was fascinated by the humanities. I imagined that the wide influence of the law would encompass a wide range of different things, which may be useful somewhere else. I was also eager to defend people and their rights, however my career took me down the corporate path.”
Anna graduated from the law department at the Krasnoyarsk State University. She joined Polyus Krasnoyarsk as a Legal Adviser and has been promoted to Senior Legal Adviser of Contract and Claims Department.
Anna commented:“I recall my first court hearing as a Legal Adviser; I was quite nervous. I was trained at the Arbitrage Court in the Krasnoyarsk region as an Assistance Judge, so my role in that hearing was as an auditor. I found representing a specific party can be much more challenging.”
Anna is primarily engaged in litigation, but is also involved in contract and claims activities.
Anna commented:“I can always discuss any issue with my team. The truth springs from an argument. Thorough attention must be paid to every case. A simple case sometimes turns out to be very complicated, if not dealt with in the right way. A Legal Adviser needs to be highly skilled in order to foresee various scenarios in terms of legislation and solutions, of which there are always more than one: you need to play the role of a psychologist. This helps me to better understand those involved in the cases, be allow me to make quick decisions during a hearing. One should also take into account that any court ruling may affect the Company’s relationship with numerous of its stakeholders, its corporate reputation and its general legal standing; this is as an arguments which can help in one case can be hinder you in a later case, so anticipating this is key to success.”
On her advice to newcomers, Anna says:“You must bear in mind that being a lawyer is complicated, time-consuming and can be stressful. You have to work hard and always be learning as you go. You need to be able to be decisive to make it in this profession.”