Commercial Litigation — Kazakhstan Courts

Representation in civil and commercial disputes at all levels of the Kazakhstan court system — district courts, regional courts (regional courts), Almaty City Court, and the Supreme Court of the Republic of Kazakhstan. Bond Stone handles contract disputes, debt recovery, shareholder claims, injunctive relief, and appellate proceedings. Active matters at Almaty City Court including appellate complaints in commercial and civil matters.

AIFC Court — English Law Proceedings

Bond Stone holds automatic right of audience before the AIFC Court as an AIFC Registered Legal Adviser — unavailable to non-RLA counsel. AIFC Court proceedings are conducted in English under English common law principles. Judgments are enforceable in Kazakhstan through the Supreme Court mechanism. Preferred forum for disputes involving AIFC-registered entities, AFSA-licensed firms, and contracts governed by AIFC law.

International Arbitration

Representation in international arbitration proceedings under institutional rules — AIFC IAC, ISTAC (Istanbul), ICC, and LCIA. Bond Stone advises on arbitration clause drafting, seat and governing law selection, arbitrator appointment, pre-hearing strategy, and enforcement of arbitral awards under the New York Convention in Kazakhstan and internationally. Active ISTAC mandates for cross-border trade disputes.

Cross-border Enforcement

Recognition and enforcement of foreign judgments and arbitral awards in Kazakhstan. Bond Stone advises on the applicable bilateral treaty framework, enforcement procedure before Kazakhstan courts, and asset tracing and recovery strategy. Kazakhstan is a party to the New York Convention and has bilateral judicial cooperation agreements with CIS states and a number of other jurisdictions.

Debt Recovery

Pre-litigation demand notices, court proceedings, simplified court order proceedings for undisputed debt claims, and enforcement through court bailiffs. Bond Stone manages cross-border debt recovery involving UAE, Turkish, and European counterparties — from pre-action notice through judgment enforcement across multiple jurisdictions.

Corporate & Shareholder Disputes

Disputes between shareholders, partners, and management — including breach of joint venture agreements, minority shareholder protection, director liability, and asset retention disputes in the context of joint venture breakdowns. Bond Stone advises on claim structuring, interim protective measures, and parallel enforcement tracks where assets are held across jurisdictions.

Commercial Appellate Proceedings

Litigation · Almaty City Court

Appellate counsel in a commercial dispute before Almaty City Court. Strategy: procedural and substantive grounds for reversal of the first instance judgment.

Digital Asset Criminal Defence

Criminal Defence · Kazakhstan Courts

Criminal defence counsel in proceedings arising from digital asset trading activity. Strategy: challenge legal classification and establish absence of criminal intent.

AIFC Court — Digital Asset Dispute

AIFC Court · Financial Services

Litigation counsel before the AIFC Court on behalf of an AFSA-licensed digital asset service provider. Bond Stone’s automatic right of audience as AIFC Registered Legal Adviser applied directly.

ISTAC Arbitration — Goods Supply Dispute

Arbitration · ISTAC Istanbul · KZ–Turkey

Acting for a Kazakhstani manufacturer in ISTAC arbitration against a Turkish counterparty. Strategy: documentary evidence of non-conformity, parallel Turkish enforcement track prepared.

Cross-border Debt Recovery — UAE

Debt Recovery · KZ–UAE

Acting for a UAE-based company in debt recovery proceedings against a Kazakhstani counterparty. Strategy: pre-action demand followed by court claim. Matter ongoing.

International Goods Supply — Debt Recovery

Debt Recovery · KZ · International

Acting for a foreign supplier against a Kazakhstani importer under an international goods supply contract. Outcome: full debt recovered.

Construction — Payment Dispute

Litigation · KZ · Construction

Acting for an international contractor against a Kazakhstani subcontractor for unpaid works. Strategy: completion evidence, claim for principal plus contractual penalty. Outcome: judgment obtained and enforced.

Energy Sector — Trade Receivables

Litigation · KZ · Energy

Acting for a foreign energy sector supplier in recovery of outstanding trade receivables from a Kazakhstani operator. Outcome: debt recovered.

Joint Venture Breakdown — Shareholder Dispute

Litigation · KZ · Corporate

Acting for a foreign investor in a shareholder dispute following joint venture breakdown — asset retention and loan recovery proceedings. Strategy: interim protective measures and court claim. Outcome: judgment obtained.

Pre-trial Demand Procedure

Kazakhstan law requires a mandatory pre-trial demand procedure (mandatory pre-trial settlement procedure) before filing certain categories of civil claims. Bond Stone prepares compliant demand notices that satisfy procedural requirements and preserve limitation periods under Article 177 of the Civil Code of the Republic of Kazakhstan.

Limitation periods

The general limitation period under Kazakhstani civil law is 3 years from the date the claimant knew or should have known of the breach — Civil Code of the Republic of Kazakhstan, Article 178. Specialist limitation periods apply to certain categories of dispute. Bond Stone advises on limitation risk at the outset of every mandate.

State Court Filing Fee

Filing a civil claim in Kazakhstan courts requires payment of state court filing fee. For property claims, the standard rate is 1% of the claim value — Tax Code of the Republic of Kazakhstan, Article 611. The state duty is recoverable from the losing party upon successful judgment.

e-Törelik — Electronic Court System

Kazakhstan’s courts operate through the e-Törelik electronic court filing platform — enabling online filing of claims, submission of procedural documents, and case tracking. Bond Stone files all Kazakhstan court documents electronically via e-Törelik using electronic powers of attorney (electronic power of attorney) issued through the the Kazakhstani e-government portal.