Partner, Head of Hospitality and Leisure for Russia, CIS and Turkey DLA Piper Scott Antel is a senior partner in the Moscow office of DLA Piper and heads the firm’s Hospitality Services Group for Russia, the CIS, Eastern Europe and Turkey. In his 20 years working in the region, he has worked with most all the major international hotels operators as well as numerous owners and developers. Mr. Antel regularly advises hotel clients on legal, taxation and commercial matters, including providing initial structuring advice, negotiating and drafting various hotel management, franchise and lease agreements for both owners and operators, representing buyers and sellers of hotels in Russia/CIS sales transactions and providing hotel operational legal advice, including litigation. He has recently been active on more than 30 hotel, branded residence and Olympic sports facilities projects related to the Sochi 2014 Winter Games. Mr. Antel has also assisted various Russian groups with hotel investments in Turkey, Asia, Montenegro and the Baltics. Mr. Antel is recommended as the "go to" hospitality lawyer by Chambers Europe, Legal 500, Who's Who Legal legal directories and was included in the Best Lawyers list for Russia for his hospitality work. He is on the advisory board of the Russian Hotel Investment Forum and a regular speaker at the event, as well the Berlin IHIF, IHC Rome and ALIS events and is regularly published or quoted on hospitality related topics. Scott Antel was recipient of the Russia/ CIS Hotel Investment Forum's 2012 Lifetime Achievement Award for his contributions to the industry in the emerging market, the first attorney/consultant to ever receive the Award.