From May 25 to 29, 2026, the Faculty of Law at Lomonosov Moscow State University hosted the inaugural case championship titled "Legal Tools in GR and Lobbying," organized in collaboration with Baikal Lobridge.
This championship represented a significant first in the field of GR and lobbying, with a particular emphasis on the legal components involved. The program was structured as a systematic engagement with a real legislative initiative, guiding participants through the legal analysis of a draft bill, identifying its deficiencies, and developing a regulatory concept along with a GR strategy to advocate for the proposed changes.
The project's appeal was evidenced by a high level of student engagement, with 94 participants taking part in the remote qualifying round. Participants represented a diverse array of universities, including Lomonosov Moscow State University, Russian State University of Justice, National Research Nuclear University MEPhI, Peoples' Friendship University of Russia, St. Petersburg State University, Higher School of Economics, RANEPA, St. Petersburg Law Institute (branch of the Prosecutor's University of the Russian Federation), Novosibirsk State University of Economics and Management, All-Russian State University of Justice (RPA of the Ministry of Justice of Russia), Chelyabinsk State University, VAVT of the Ministry of Economic Development of Russia, Moscow State Law Academy, and Dagestan State University.
In the initial stage, participants were required to select a trading company whose interests they would represent, conduct a legal examination of the draft bill concerning the "Russian Shelf," and prepare a legal opinion with conceptual remarks. Following the selection process, 10 teams advanced to the in-person semifinals. In this round, participants were tasked with developing a concept for the legal regulation of trade activities in Russia within the context of the platform economy. Teams analyzed legal imbalances between traditional retail networks and electronic platforms, addressing issues of competition, consumer rights protection, pricing, logistics, and the responsibilities of market participants, while proposing realistic and legally sound solutions aimed at achieving a balance of interests.
The semifinals featured a distinguished jury composed of representatives from Baikal Lobridge, the GR master's program at the Faculty of Law, and the business community:
•Valery Afanasyev — Partner, GR & Risk at Baikal Lobridge
•Zhanna Logacheva — Project Lead, GR & Risk at Baikal Lobridge
•Denis Abdrakhmanov — PhD in Law, Director of the Center for Legal Initiatives at the Agency for Strategic Initiatives, Guest Lecturer at the GR master's program at the Faculty of Law
•Vasily Zagretdinov — Guest Lecturer at the GR master's program at the Faculty of Law
•Anastasia Zharova — Manager for Government Relations at the National Union of Milk Producers (Soyuzmoloko).
Five of the strongest teams advanced to the finals, where they focused on developing a GR strategy for the institutional promotion of regulatory changes proposed in the semifinals. Special attention was given to understanding the positions of government authorities, businesses, industry associations, the expert community, consumers, media, and other stakeholders in the regulatory process.
The finalists' work was evaluated by:
•Eduard Voytenko — General Director of Baikal Lobridge, PhD in Political Science
•Irina Kenenova — Associate Professor of Constitutional and Municipal Law at the Faculty of Law, PhD in Law
•Georgy Bagiryan — Director of the Electronic Trade Union, PhD in Law.
n the final of the case championship, the prize positions were distributed as follows:
The teams demonstrated a comprehensive approach to addressing the challenges presented. Participants analyzed existing regulations, identified legal and regulatory risks, assessed the potential impacts of proposed changes on various market players, and formulated well-reasoned proposals for regulatory improvement.
The case championship emerged as a significant professional event for students interested in GR, lobbying, and legal regulation. The project brought together students from legal, economic, political science, and other disciplines, as well as representatives from the expert community, business, and GR specialists. The championship served as a platform for discussing pressing regulatory issues and developing practical solutions at the intersection of business, government, and society.
Winners and runners-up of the championship received diplomas, commemorative gifts from the event partner, and the opportunity to intern at Baikal Lobridge. All semifinal participants were awarded certificates.
This championship represented a significant first in the field of GR and lobbying, with a particular emphasis on the legal components involved. The program was structured as a systematic engagement with a real legislative initiative, guiding participants through the legal analysis of a draft bill, identifying its deficiencies, and developing a regulatory concept along with a GR strategy to advocate for the proposed changes.
The project's appeal was evidenced by a high level of student engagement, with 94 participants taking part in the remote qualifying round. Participants represented a diverse array of universities, including Lomonosov Moscow State University, Russian State University of Justice, National Research Nuclear University MEPhI, Peoples' Friendship University of Russia, St. Petersburg State University, Higher School of Economics, RANEPA, St. Petersburg Law Institute (branch of the Prosecutor's University of the Russian Federation), Novosibirsk State University of Economics and Management, All-Russian State University of Justice (RPA of the Ministry of Justice of Russia), Chelyabinsk State University, VAVT of the Ministry of Economic Development of Russia, Moscow State Law Academy, and Dagestan State University.
In the initial stage, participants were required to select a trading company whose interests they would represent, conduct a legal examination of the draft bill concerning the "Russian Shelf," and prepare a legal opinion with conceptual remarks. Following the selection process, 10 teams advanced to the in-person semifinals. In this round, participants were tasked with developing a concept for the legal regulation of trade activities in Russia within the context of the platform economy. Teams analyzed legal imbalances between traditional retail networks and electronic platforms, addressing issues of competition, consumer rights protection, pricing, logistics, and the responsibilities of market participants, while proposing realistic and legally sound solutions aimed at achieving a balance of interests.
The semifinals featured a distinguished jury composed of representatives from Baikal Lobridge, the GR master's program at the Faculty of Law, and the business community:
•Valery Afanasyev — Partner, GR & Risk at Baikal Lobridge
•Zhanna Logacheva — Project Lead, GR & Risk at Baikal Lobridge
•Denis Abdrakhmanov — PhD in Law, Director of the Center for Legal Initiatives at the Agency for Strategic Initiatives, Guest Lecturer at the GR master's program at the Faculty of Law
•Vasily Zagretdinov — Guest Lecturer at the GR master's program at the Faculty of Law
•Anastasia Zharova — Manager for Government Relations at the National Union of Milk Producers (Soyuzmoloko).
Five of the strongest teams advanced to the finals, where they focused on developing a GR strategy for the institutional promotion of regulatory changes proposed in the semifinals. Special attention was given to understanding the positions of government authorities, businesses, industry associations, the expert community, consumers, media, and other stakeholders in the regulatory process.
The finalists' work was evaluated by:
•Eduard Voytenko — General Director of Baikal Lobridge, PhD in Political Science
•Irina Kenenova — Associate Professor of Constitutional and Municipal Law at the Faculty of Law, PhD in Law
•Georgy Bagiryan — Director of the Electronic Trade Union, PhD in Law.
n the final of the case championship, the prize positions were distributed as follows:
- Dialogue Architects, Lomonosov Moscow State University;
- Future Leaders, V.M. Lebedev Moscow State University of Economics, Statistics and Informatics (MESI), National Research Nuclear University MEPhI, RUDN University;
- @ in Law, Novosibirsk State University of Economics and Management (NSUEM).
The teams demonstrated a comprehensive approach to addressing the challenges presented. Participants analyzed existing regulations, identified legal and regulatory risks, assessed the potential impacts of proposed changes on various market players, and formulated well-reasoned proposals for regulatory improvement.
The case championship emerged as a significant professional event for students interested in GR, lobbying, and legal regulation. The project brought together students from legal, economic, political science, and other disciplines, as well as representatives from the expert community, business, and GR specialists. The championship served as a platform for discussing pressing regulatory issues and developing practical solutions at the intersection of business, government, and society.
Winners and runners-up of the championship received diplomas, commemorative gifts from the event partner, and the opportunity to intern at Baikal Lobridge. All semifinal participants were awarded certificates.
