Denton Wilde Sapte has forged an alliance with St Petersburg firm Duvernoix Legal, becoming the first London law firm to secure coverage in the Russian city as it attempts to ramp up its coverage in the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS).

Dentons agreed the tie-up with 18-lawyer Duvernoix last week in a move that will give the UK firm its second base in Russia. The St Petersburg firm specialises in corporate, tax, litigation and real estate advice and is led by managing partner Egor Noskov.

Dentons has not ruled out merging with Duvernoix further down the line, as it aims to position itself as one of the largest international law firms in the CIS. The firm already has outposts in Moscow, Almaty and Tashkent.