LEGATO
OUR EXPERTISE

Five Core Practice Areas

Legato concentrates on five core practice areas, supported by a broader capability across the regulatory and commercial matters that arise alongside them.

Mining is Mongolia’s largest draw for foreign capital, and its most heavily regulated industry. We advise investors across the life of a project — licence acquisition, exploration, development, operation and exit — with close attention to the requirements of the Mineral Resources and Petroleum Authority and the relevant ministries.

SCOPE OF SERVICES

  • Acquisition, transfer and due diligence of exploration and mining licences
  • Regulatory compliance for exploration, extraction and underground operations
  • Petroleum licensing and production-sharing arrangements
  • Investment agreements, joint ventures and farm-in structures
  • Land use, water use and special-purpose territory permits
  • Environmental assessment, rehabilitation and mine closure obligations
  • Royalty, tax and customs matters specific to the sector
  • Representation in licence disputes, suspensions and revocations
WHY IT MATTERS — Licence conditions change as the Minerals Law and its regulations are amended. We track those changes and explain what they mean in practice, before they become compliance problems.

We act for companies setting up in Mongolia and for those already operating here. Our corporate work covers the agreements and governance arrangements that determine how a business is owned, controlled and run.

SCOPE OF SERVICES

  • Market entry advice and registration of foreign-invested companies
  • Shareholder agreements, articles of association and equity structuring
  • Corporate governance, board procedures and directors’ duties
  • Drafting and negotiation of commercial contracts in Mongolian and English
  • Mergers, acquisitions, share transfers and legal due diligence
  • Joint ventures, distribution, agency and supply arrangements
  • Reorganisation, capital changes, dissolution and liquidation
  • Employment documentation and labour compliance
HOW WE WORK — Most corporate clients keep us on retainer. Because we already know the business, we can respond quickly instead of rebuilding the background with every instruction.

Public procurement in Mongolia follows a detailed statutory framework administered by a wide range of contracting authorities. We advise both bidders and contracting entities, and bring or defend challenges where an award is disputed.

SCOPE OF SERVICES

  • Assessment of eligibility, qualification criteria and bidder capacity
  • Preparation, review and legal vetting of bid documentation
  • Consortium, sub-contracting and joint bidding arrangements
  • Review of invitation documents and technical specifications
  • Complaints and challenges to evaluation and award decisions
  • Representation before the procurement authority and in litigation
  • Negotiation and drafting of public contracts and variations
  • Procurement compliance advice for authorities and state-owned entities
BOTH SIDES OF THE TABLE — Our lawyers have prepared bids and have also worked inside the institutions that evaluate them, a vantage point that often reveals where a process can be challenged.

Legato has a long record in preparing legislation and analysing how new law will work in practice. We have drafted statutes and regulations for ministries and state bodies, and helped clients put their position to the working groups that shape the law.

SCOPE OF SERVICES

  • Drafting of laws, regulations, rules and government resolutions
  • Legislative reform projects for ministries and state institutions
  • Legal opinions on new and amended legislation
  • Comparative and international law research for policy work
  • Regulatory impact analysis of proposed legal change
  • Written submissions and position papers for working groups
  • Government relations and policy advocacy for clients
  • Legal training, seminars and institutional capacity building
DRAFTING EXPERIENCE — Members of the firm have drafted legislation adopted at national level and have served as legal advisers within the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Ministry of Justice.

We represent clients in civil, commercial and administrative proceedings before the Mongolian courts, and in arbitration and mediation. We assess early whether a matter is better settled, mediated or fought, and we say so plainly — before costs build up on a case that should have been resolved another way.

SCOPE OF SERVICES

  • Civil and commercial litigation at first instance, appeal and cassation
  • Administrative litigation and challenges to decisions of state authorities
  • Domestic and international commercial arbitration
  • Mediation and negotiated settlement
  • Contract, shareholder, construction and employment disputes
  • Debt recovery, security enforcement and execution proceedings
  • Creditor representation in insolvency and bankruptcy
  • Recognition and enforcement of foreign judgments and awards
JUDICIAL INSIGHT — Members of our team have worked inside the Mongolian court system, including as judicial assistants in the administrative courts. We know how a file is read from the bench.
SUPPORTING CAPABILITY
  • Foreign direct investment & market entry
  • Licensing, permitting & regulatory affairs
  • Company registration & corporate governance
  • Tax, customs, import & export
  • Employment, labour, health & safety
  • Real estate & property management
  • Energy, infrastructure & construction
  • Banking, insurance & telecommunications
  • Intellectual property & technology
  • Administrative & environmental law
  • Government relations & policy advocacy
  • Arbitration & mediation

Discuss your matter with us.

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