We continue to summarize the results of last year together with top managers and experts of the gaming industry (and related ones). Next up is an interview with Natalia Yurkova, Managing Partner of i-Legal.Tell me, what was the year for you personally?
Were there any things that you finally managed to realize and are proud of?
For me, the year was very dynamic, reminiscent of the school game “Wolf and eggs”. The biggest personal challenge was managing two very different projects at the same time (IT and Legal).
There were business requests “no later than tomorrow”, the need to simultaneously dive into issues of mobilization, relocation, sanctions issues, stop factors in restructurings such as the need to obtain permits from the government commission, which we did not even suspect yesterday, the resolution of rebuses with international payments, etc., etc. I am proud that, thanks to my teams, it turned out quite successfully to “hold the blow”. To be honest, due to new challenges, not all strategic plans have been implemented, but everything is ahead — in 2023.
What was 2022 like for the company?
In terms of finances, it was the most successful year in the history of the company. But most of all I am proud not of this, but of the fact that we were able to help our clients with solving their tasks and problems. The teams worked for days and sometimes nights to find solutions to those non-trivial issues that the business community faced in 2022.
How has the market changed directly for law firms over the year?
A whole sub-branch of “anti-sanctions law” has appeared on the market. Without immersion in it at the moment, the provision of legal services, especially in IT, becomes almost impossible
How has legal practice changed in terms of working with gaming companies in 2022?
The main topic in the practice of working with gaming companies was relocation. And in a broad sense: starting from the relocation of employees and ending with the “relocation” of products and companies. As part of the search for the most optimal solutions, we had to actively dive into the laws and taxes of other countries, take into account the peculiarities of IP accounting. It was also necessary to take into account and solve difficulties with banks in foreign jurisdictions: from difficulties with opening accounts to difficulties with transfers and deposits.
What were the most popular appeals from gaming companies?
Perhaps, relocation and related issues were still in the lead. But our company also managed to close several investment deals, plus there were quite a lot of requests in the field of business restructuring and analysis of gaming cryptomechanics.
What are the company’s plans for 2023?
Strengthen the team with new experts and expand practices. We also want to introduce a new CRM system to make it easier for customers to work with us, and update the site – in general, there are many plans.