About Us
FD Advisory is a boutique law firm with expertise that bridges law, advocacy, and global affairs.
Most of our clients are doing business in jurisdictions with weak rule of law or trying to regularise their affairs after having left them.
This has created a unique mix of practice areas that includes market entry/exit, corporate law, immigration, defence from extradition, sanctions, and busting private trusts.
Having practiced in Moscow before moving to London and played a role in some of the most significant geopolitical cases in Russia, Ukraine, and Belarus, we have particularly strong expertise in matters arising from the CIS. This includes defending clients against actions originating in these jurisdictions, acting as expert witnesses in arbitration proceedings, and advising on complex sanctions-related issues.
Some of the matters we deal with are highly political, in which fair outcomes depend on media coverage and political pressure. However, most are quiet cases that depend on an understanding of how the game is played in other jurisdictions and on the ability to pre-empt, counter, and, if necessary, expose those moves. The vast majority of matters are resolved through negotiation.
That being said, one of our specialties is complex multijurisdictional litigation and project management—the ability to identify issues and retain and manage the necessary talent across relevant fields and jurisdictions to meet our clients’ goals.
Another specialty is the untangling of complex structures that served a purpose in frontier markets but are counterproductive when their owners or beneficiaries move to more developed jurisdictions. This also includes disputes between the beneficiaries of those structures and the people managing them, or between partners in less than transparent structures.
In 1993 we began with a simple mission: to provide first-rate, practical, and proactive legal advice in an emerging market as a customer service business; to be on call and responsive.
In keeping with that mission, we don’t have large and small clients; we just have clients, all of whom get the same high level of care. Large clients get the attention they demand, and smaller clients get the legal equivalent of private banking. It’s a formula that works, and through thick and thin we’ve acted for many of our clients for decades.
RESTRUCTURING • SANCTIONS • EXTRADITION • ASSET PROTECTION & RECOVERY
Jamison R. Firestone
Managing Partner
Jamison Firestone is a businessman lawyer who established the first independent foreign law firm in Russia and managed it for over two decades. He graduated from Tulane Law School in 1991, is a member of the New York Bar, and a registered Foreign Lawyer in England and Wales.
He is currently Managing Partner of FD Advisory in London where he specialises in international business law, complex multi-jurisdictional legal actions, private trust busting, sanctions, asset recovery, and defence from extradition.
Mr. Firestone serves as a Director of World Chess PLC, a London Stock Exchange–listed company and the exclusive operator of the International Chess Federation’s online platform.
Earlier in his career, he served for six years on the Board of Directors of the American Chamber of Commerce in Russia, where he lobbied the US and Russian governments for changes to improve trade and business in Russia.
He has been closely involved in some of the most significant anti-corruption and human rights cases relating to Russia. In 2007, his firm uncovered what has been described as the largest tax fraud perpetrated against the Russian state by its own officials. His law partner, Sergei Magnitsky, was subsequently arrested, tortured, and killed in custody by individuals implicated in the fraud.
In 2009, Firestone relocated to London and co-founded, along with Sir William Browder, the Global Magnitsky Justice Campaign. The initiative led to the creation of Magnitsky sanctions regimes—targeted visa bans and asset freezes imposed on human rights abusers and corrupt officials—which have since been adopted by the United States, United Kingdom, European Union, Canada, Australia, and several Baltic states.
He later led the Navalny 35 campaign in support of Alexei Navalny’s Anti-Corruption Foundation, coordinating the worldwide sanctioning of human rights abusers and people implicated in corruption by Mr. Navalny.
Mr. Firestone is widely recognised for his expertise in operating in jurisdictions where the rule of law is weak. He advises clients on structuring business operations to mitigate legal and political risk, as well as on dismantling legacy structures that become inefficient or problematic when moving to more developed jurisdictions.
His practice frequently involves high-stakes fraud cases, including asset tracing and recovery, particularly where there is an ongoing risk of dissipation. He also advises beneficiaries of trusts in disputes involving rouge trustees.
With extensive experience across Russia, Ukraine, Belarus, and the wider CIS region, he acts as an expert witness in arbitration proceedings and advises on matters arising from those jurisdictions. His knowledge of political pressure, corruption, fraud, and human rights violations in the region is particularly useful in cases concerning these matters.
Mr. Firestone is also a recognised authority on compliance and forensic investigations. His sanctions practice includes compliance advisory work, delisting applications, and obtaining licences from regulatory bodies in the United States, United Kingdom, and elsewhere.
In addition to his legal practice, he is frequently engaged to bring public and governmental attention to cases where justice may otherwise not be achieved. His pro bono work focuses on strengthening sanctions regimes to combat corruption and human rights abuses, including efforts in support of Ukraine. He is the author of numerous articles and legal papers and has appeared on major international media outlets, including the BBC, Bloomberg, CBC, CNN, and Sky News, as well as in documentary films.
He is also the author of
RULE OF LIES: My Wild Ride through Chaos, Corruption and Murder in Putin’s Russia
A book being released by Harper Collins in English in June of 2026 and in 2027 by Yulia Navalnaya’s ONE BOOK Publishing in Russian.
Denis Dorofeev
Partner
Denis Dorofeev is a multi-jurisdictional legal adviser with over 25 years’ experience advising on complex cross-border transactions and legal structures. He is qualified in England and Wales, Ukraine, and Russia, and is admitted as a solicitor in England and Wales. His practice focuses on corporate transactions, private capital investments, and international restructurings involving high-value assets and multi-jurisdictional risk.
He advises founders, investors, and high-net-worth individuals on structuring and executing transactions across jurisdictions, including acquisitions and disposals, private capital investments, and the structuring of investments across early-stage, growth and more mature businesses. His work frequently involves aligning legal, regulatory, and commercial considerations across multiple legal systems.
A significant part of his practice involves leading and coordinating complex cross-border legal projects for private clients and business owners. He is often engaged in situations where transactions or structures span multiple jurisdictions with differing legal systems, requiring careful coordination and a pragmatic approach beyond standard transactional models.
Denis has extensive experience working across Europe, the CIS, and offshore jurisdictions, and brings a practical understanding of the legal and operational challenges that arise in cross-border matters. His approach is focused on clarity, execution, and delivering workable solutions in situations where standard approaches are often insufficient.