Practice
Investment & Trade Law
The Investment & Trade Law practice at Nodia, Urumashvili & Partners provides legal and strategic counsel to businesses, investors, and financial institutions engaged in cross-border transactions, international trade, and foreign direct investment (FDI). Our team advises on regulatory compliance, trade agreements, dispute resolution, and investment structuring to help clients navigate global markets efficiently and mitigate legal risks.
What We Do:
Investment Law Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) Advisory: We assist foreign investors in structuring and establishing investments, ensuring compliance with local regulations, tax optimization, and securing necessary permits and approvals.
Investment Structuring & Risk Mitigation: We develop tailored investment structures to maximize returns and minimize legal exposure, advising on joint ventures, equity financing, and public-private partnerships (PPPs).
Mergers & Acquisitions (M&A): Our team provides legal due diligence, transaction structuring, and regulatory compliance guidance for cross-border mergers, acquisitions, and investment transactions.
Trade Law International Trade Compliance & Regulatory Advisory:
We help businesses comply with international trade regulations, including customs procedures, import/export controls, and trade sanctions.
Trade Agreements & WTO Law: We advise on the implications of bilateral and multilateral trade agreements, ensuring businesses leverage favorable trade policies and dispute resolution mechanisms.
Anti-Dumping & Trade Remedies: We represent businesses in anti-dumping, and countervailing duties, and safeguard investigations before trade authorities and dispute resolution bodies.
Customs & Export Controls: Our team assists with tariff classification, customs valuation, and compliance with international export control regimes, including sanctions and embargoes.
Dispute Resolution in Trade & Investment: We provide representation in international arbitration, mediation, and litigation related to trade and investment disputes, ensuring the protection of business interests in global markets.
Lasha Nodia is the founder and managing partner of Nodia, Urumashvili and Partners since 2005. Before founding the firm, he served as counsel and head of the legal department at JSC Bank Republic (1996-2005). Lasha Nodia, as the managing partner of Nodia, Urumashvili & Partners, leads a firm that is described as having a highly professional team. According to Legal 500, 2020, the firm provides comprehensive and practical solutions.
Some notable work includes acting for Ziraat Bank Azerbaijan in the drafting, negotiation, and execution of loan and security agreements. The firm has also advised Blue Orchard Microfinance Funds and Finca Bank Georgia JSC on loans provided by foreign financial institutions.
Areas of Practice
• Banking and Finance
• Commercial, Corporate, and M&A
• Insolvency and Restructuring
• Dispute Resolution
• Real Estate
Education
• The ICC Advanced Arbitration Academy for Central and Eastern Europe (2015)
• Tbilisi Institute of Law and Economy: Bachelor’s and Master’s Degree in Law (2002)
Bar Admission and Memberships
• Member of the Georgian Bar Association
• Accredited mediator at CEDR
• Fellow of Chartered Institute of Arbitrators (FCIArb)
• Co-founder and Deputy Chairman of the Georgian Association of Arbitrators
• Chairman of the Legal Committee of Georgian Business Association
• Member of the Business Rehabilitation and Insolvency Practitioners Association
Languages
• Georgian
• English
• Russian
Alexander Sukhishvili joined Nodia, Urumashvili & Partners in 2011. Prior to joining the firm, he headed the Legal Expertise Division of the Tax Department at the Ministry of Finance of Georgia (2007-2010) and the Litigation Division of the Revenue Service of Georgia (2010-2011). Before that, he served as a lawyer and the head of the Legal Expertise Unit of the Tax Department at the Ministry of Finance of Georgia (2005-2007).
Alexander Sukhishvili is recognized as an outstanding professional in tax law. He has extensive experience in tax advisory and disputes with tax authorities. He is noted for his client-oriented approach and his ability to handle complex tax issues.
Areas of Practice
• Tax
• Banking and Finance
• Dispute Resolution
Education
• Technical University of Georgia: Bachelor’s and Master’s Degree in Law (2005)
Languages
• Georgian
• English
• Russian
Jaba Balakhashvili joined Nodia, Urumashvili & Partners in 2018. Prior to joining the firm, Jaba worked as a tax expert for the Business Ombudsman of Georgia (2016-2017). Prior to that, he worked at the legal department of the Revenue Service of Georgia (2011-2014).
‘What makes working with Nodia, Urumashvili & Partners, and especially with the tax team, a truly unique experience, is that they truly consider themselves as part of our own team. Tax team of the law firm is notable for their high qualification, ability to identify the full picture of the case and come up with comprehensive and practical solutions.’- Legal 500, 2020
‘The individuals with which we work stand out for their deep knowledge of the tax law and capability to find tailor made solutions. In particular, Alexander Sukhishvili is an excellent, highly regarded, qualified and skilled lawyer. Alexander is detail oriented and at the same time sees the wider picture of the most complex matters, he always offers flexible and rational solutions and has good interpersonal skills. Jaba Balakhashvili is a very experienced and highly qualified lawyer, with deep knowledge of the tax law. Jaba is very responsive and has the ability to quickly analyze tax issues and identify best possible solutions.’ - Legal 500,2020
Areas of Practice: Tax, Dispute Resolution
Education: Tbilisi State University, Bachelor’s and Master’s degree in Law (2007)
Bar Admission and Memberships: Member of the Georgian Bar Association
Languages: Georgian; English; Russian
Tamta Margvelashvili joined Nodia, Urumashvili & Partners in 2019 as an Associate, advancing to Senior Associate, and later to her current role as Director of Competition, Capital & Financial Markets Practice. She specializes in competition law, financial and capital markets law, data privacy, corporate and M&A, contract law, ADR, and litigation. Tamta advises on cross-border regulatory matters, competition enforcement, and financial and capital market compliance, offering strategic counsel to both domestic and international clients. She is actively involved in national law-drafting initiatives and is a frequent speaker at national and international conferences. Her expertise is reflected in multiple publications on competition and digitalization.
Beyond private practice, Tamta is actively involved in Academia. She holds a position of an Associate Professor at Georgian National University and an invited lecturer at Ilia State University and Tbilisi State University.
Areas of Practice:
• Competition Law
• Banking, Financial & Capital Markets Law
• Corporate & M&A
• Data Privacy Law
• Insolvency & Restructuring
• ADR and Litigation
Education:
• PhD Candidate, Competition Law – Tbilisi State University, Tbilisi, Georgia (2019 – Present)
• Research Fellow at Institute for German and European Economic, Competition & Regulatory Law – Free University of Berlin, Berlin, Germany (2022-2023)
• Master of Laws (LL.M) in International & European Law (Business Track) – KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium (2018-2019)
• Exchange LL.B. Program – Friedrich Schiller University of Jena (2017–2018)
• Bachelor of Laws (LL.B) Tbilisi State University, Tbilisi, Georgia (2014-2018)
Bar Admission:
• Member of the Georgian Bar Association
Languages:
• Georgian (Native)
• English (Fluent)
• German (Fluent)
• Russian (Fluent)
