Eastern European law firm Kinstellar has launched an office in Tashkent. The move is being coordinated by Joel Benjamin, the managing partner of Kinstellar’s Almaty office, who has been living and working in the region since the early 1990s. The core team will initially include Muborak Kambarova, as counsel. Mr Kambarova was previously was with the Tashkent office of  Dentons and has more than 20 years of experience advising international clients investing in Uzbekistan. He will be joined by finance lawyer Akmaljon Abdisamatov, an experienced finance lawyer, who has spent most of his career as a senior counsel at the local subsidiary of the Korean Development Bank. Kinstellar is in the process of hiring additional lawyers and staff to further strengthen the Tashkent operation.

Commercial hub

Uzbekistan is Central Asia’s largest country and once an important commercial hub of the famous Silk Road. It has has experienced rapid changes making it increasingly attractive to foreign investment. Joel Benjamin commented: ‘We are excited to open in Tashkent. There are tremendous investment opportunities in Uzbekistan, particularly given recent changes, which signal the opening of the country to foreign investment. We look forward to helping companies tap into the country’s potential. As one of the few international law firms in Uzbekistan, we are confident that our clients will benefit from our long-standing experience in Central Asia.’