Almat’s practice focuses on cross-border litigation, including investor-state and commercial arbitration, investigations, asset recovery, and commercial and risk advisory work to clients operating globally. He has a particular focus on matters within the energy, natural resources, and financial sectors.
Prior to joining BSF, Almat served at the Ministry of Justice for the Republic of Kazakhstan for over a decade, most recently as Vice Minister of Justice, where he gained deep experience advising on investor-state disputes, investor treaty arbitration, and policy and regulation, as well as commercial transactions involving the state. As Vice Minister, Almat worked with BSF attorneys representing the Republic on numerous matters and liaised with BSF in its representation of the City of Almaty and Kazakhstan’s BTA Bank – including in connection with a successful trial last December, which resulted in a roughly $218 million jury verdict for BTA.
Almat has practiced at international law firms in New York and London as well as served as in-house counsel for an international oil company. He speaks native Kazakh and Russian and fluent English.