Illarion Igorevich Girs, LL.M.
Master of International and European Law
Master of International and European Law
The International Mediation Institute - IMI
Certified Mediator and Mediation Advocate
Certified Mediator and Mediation Advocate
Mediation first
To right the ship
To right the ship
When a dispute hits, the instinct is to fight it out in court, in arbitration, or by sheer attrition. Mediation works the other way: a confidential, structured talk, run by a neutral, where the parties keep control instead of handing it to a judge. Running that talk as mediator, or representing a side within it as mediation advocate, is the whole of this practice, built on two decades at the sharp end of law.
One of the few Russian-speaking IMI Certified Mediators worldwide, and the first and only one of them also certified as a Mediation Advocate.
Multinational Mind
Foundationally trained across Britain, Russia, Belarus, Singapore, India, and the USA, as cross-border as the disputes handled.
Rules-Ready
Bound by the IMI Code of Professional Conduct, while equally at home under UNCITRAL, WIPO, ICC and other compatible mediation rules.
In mediation since 2021, with two decades in law before. One practice, two seats at the table: the neutral who runs a mediation, and the advocate who represents a party in one. Having sat in both, each role sharpens the other: the mediator reads what an advocate is truly after, the advocate understands how the room moves. The roles stay separate; the experience-informed judgment behind them is one.
Mediation typically resolves matters in days or weeks rather than the years litigation can take, at a fraction of the cost, and it spares the time, energy, and relationships a courtroom fight burns through. Across the sector, most cases that reach mediation settle.
Mediation looks past what happened to what's actually needed: real-life solutions shaped around the parties, not the static rulebook. Substance over posturing, every time.
Needs-based at root, drawing on whatever serves the parties rather than a single fixed school of thought. The process has a lasting effect: even when the parties don't settle at once, the clarity it brings rarely goes to waste.
What happens in mediation stays in mediation; it is mostly off the record by design. The Without Prejudice principle on top ensures nothing said or proposed can later be used against either side, leaving both free to speak plainly and test options without risk.
Nothing binds until both sides agree and sign: no imposed outcome. Once settled, it stands as a legally binding, enforceable agreement.
Learned in law
No-nonsense
No-nonsense
The mediation and its advocacy rest on this. In law since 2003: lawsuits, corporate conflicts, and deal-making. Projects advised total around $5bn, spanning Arts, Real Estate, Construction, Production, Trading, Logistics, IT, iGaming, Hospitality & Tourism, and offshore businesses.
Courtroom Tested
Litigation experience across all levels, including the Supreme and Constitutional Courts, the European Court of Human Rights, and the UN Human Rights Committee.
Internationally Agile
At ease across different jurisdictions, cultures, and politically charged contexts.
Reality-Driven
Real life demands advice beyond mere lawyerism, and that's the approach that actually settles things.
Certified in ESG, AML, Corporate Governance, and Anti-Corruption, fluent in the language of modern business regulation.
Mediation & Law: Core Practice Areas
including but not limited to
Contractual and commercial matters, from formation to breach. Agreements that say what they mean and cover what matters: no jargon, no off-the-shelf templates, just tailored, risk-aware terms built for the deal at hand.
Corporate, shareholder, and partnership matters. The vehicle serves the business, never the reverse; structure follows strategy.
Matters turned contentious: settlement-first as mediator or mediation advocate, litigation-ready as counsel.
Coined from practice and built around what works: the matters that don't fit the textbook, handled by sound judgment rather than precedent.
A big job well done in 93 hours over five months: all claims and counterclaims settled. Mediation is the kind of resolution to try first.
— Director General, cross-border supply dispute
The mediation restored mutual understanding and enabled the continuation of business relations.
— Director, cross-border consultancy dispute
He is inquisitive, analytical, intelligent and he has a very important sense of justice.
— Prof. Ineta Ziemele, Judge
of the Court of Justice of the European Union,
formerly of the Constitutional Court of Latvia
and the European Court of Human Rights
Illarion Girs is not a typical lawyer. He is not only into law, but into justice, and he is not only into words, but into truth.
— Prof. Alexander Bretz, Advocate
Design Law Force, German law firm
Practice Portfolio and supporting references are available upon request.
To begin
Names first, in confidence.
A note to girs@illarion.pro is received directly and held in strict confidence.
To allow a due conflict check, please keep the first inquiries to the parties' names.
A note to girs@illarion.pro is received directly and held in strict confidence.
To allow a due conflict check, please keep the first inquiries to the parties' names.
