Alexey Tarasov, a Houston-based lawyer, was honored in December by his Russian peers. The Guild of Russian Lawyers, under the chairmanship of Hasan Borisovich Mirzoev, awarded Tarasov the “Honorary Lawyer of Russia” insignia for his significant contribution to protecting the rights of Russian compatriots in the United States.

Alexey Tarasov, a lawyer born in Yekaterinburg representing Rostov resident Konstantin Yaroshenko, who is serving a 20-year sentence in the United States for conspiracy to smuggle drugs, filed a petition with the Second Circuit Court of Appeal to overturn the latest decision of federal judge Jed Rakoff in the Russian national’s case.

A Russian woman, formerly a nanny for Russian-speaking families in Washington, was convicted of killing her husband’s first wife and her minor son.

At the Baltic Artek forum, a notable American lawyer, known for handling significant international cases for compatriots, was a distinguished guest.

The case of Bout will be handled by a partner of the firm of the former U.S. Attorney General John Ashcroft, Michael Sullivan.