Meet Our Team
Vugar Mammadov
Ismayil Aliyev
Managing Partner
Senior Associate
With over seventeen years of experience in sectors as diverse as energy, finance, banking, consumer markets, and retail & manufacturing, Vugar brings insight and know-how to major local and international clients. He gained extensive experience in tax and legal practices at PwC Azerbaijan. Later, he was invited to set up and head the Legal Practice at Deloitte Azerbaijan for many years.
Vugar advises on complex business and trade transactions, mergers and acquisitions, reorganizations and consolidations, project finance and applies his legal, tax, and business expertise to transactional documentation and negotiations, legal due diligence, and financial considerations of clients' deals.
He acted as a legal expert in various foreign courts and arbitrations in Switzerland and the UK, as well as at the NCA (National Crime Agency), UK. Vugar was appointed as an arbitrator of the Shenzhen Court of International Arbitration (SCIA) in February 2022.
Vugar also has extensive involvement in PPP (public-private partnership) projects as well as in all matters relating to their registration and operational matters, issuance of legal opinions, corporate investigations, etc. Additionally, he supports the clients in investment protection, private international law, and other areas.
Vugar holds an LL.M. degree in International Business and Trade Law from Erasmus University Rotterdam, the Netherlands.
Ismayil holds four academic degrees that include a Bachelor's degree in Law from Baku State University, a Bachelor's degree in Law from the City University of London, a Bachelor's degree in Management and Law from the London School of Economics and Political Science, and Master's degree in International Business Law from King’s College London.
Ismayil has gained professional experience at F&T Services Limited and Imran Khan and Partners law firms operating in London, UK. In addition to that, he was a part of the UN Agency for International Migration, where he obtained exceptional experience in migration law matters.
Ismayil is taking part in consulting significant players in the fields of construction, food, beverage, transportation, pharmaceuticals, aviation, retail, hospitality industries, and investment companies for the legal issues related to financial, corporate, contract, investment, employment, intellectual property, consumer protection, trade, shipping and so on.
Apart from drafting, reviewing all sorts of commercial, corporate, and other types of contracts, Ismayil has gained immense experience in preparing a lawsuit for the final court proceedings and represented clients in pre-court sessions throughout service in disciplines of all legal directions stated above.
Vusala Babayeva-Nazirli
Senior Associate
Aysel Maharramova
Litigation Lawyer
Vusala is a highly professional legal consultant specializing in the areas of international corporate structuring, business reorganization, consumer markets, project finance, banking, investments, and securities. She supports her clients in legal and statutory compliance matters, capital markets, M&A, international conflict law, insurance legislation, contracts, corporate law, etc. Vusala obtains various licenses and permissions for construction companies and non-banking credit organizations.
Vusala has gained profound legal expertise in a non-banking commercial organization as a lawyer. Previously, she worked at the Azerbaijan National Academy of Sciences as a Human Resources specialist.
Vusala provides her clients with extensive input in drafting, negotiating, and reviewing agreements, corporate and employment documents, distribution and franchising transactions, etc. She is actively engaged both in legal and tax due diligence projects.
Vusala acted as an Azerbaijani legal expert in the UK courts upon the NCA (National Crime Agency) invitation in the UK.
Vusala holds two academic degrees: an LL.B. (Bachelor of Laws) and an LL.M. (Master of Laws) degree in International Law from Baku State University in Baku, Azerbaijan. Vusala is fluent in several languages, including English, Russian, Turkish, and Azerbaijani.
Aysel is a highly qualified barrister and a member of the Azerbaijani Bar Association since 2018.
Aysel has extensive experience and knowledge in commercial and real-estate litigations. The main spheres of her specialization include litigation, real estate, investment protection, recognition of foreign court decisions and international arbitral awards, securities, mining, and production.
Aysel has participated in numerous legal conferences and courses conducted in Belgium, Turkey, and the United Kingdom.
Aysel holds two academic degrees: a Bachelor’s in Law from Baku State University and a Master’s in Commercial Law from Baku State University. She also participated in various legal courses organized in Belgium, Turkey, and the United Kingdom.
Sevda Rahimli
Senior Tax Associate
Jamila Alizada
Tax Associate
Sevda is the head of the Tax Department at VLM. Her expertise includes tax compliance, accounting and bookkeeping services, risk payments research, payroll, supplied payment reconciliations, reporting, managing, and controlling all accounting and finance processes for businesses, and support during statutory tax audits. She has solid expertise in the customs area, including preparing customs declarations and advising in customs matters.
Sevda started her tax and accounting career at the international consulting firm Deloitte Azerbaijan, where she successfully provided tax compliance and accounting services to her clients. She gained further industrial solid and work experience at the biggest Azerbaijani distribution companies, such as Engin LTD and Ceylan, where she dealt with tax and finance matters.
Sevda holds two academic degrees: Bachelor’s in Finance from Azerbaijan State Economic University and a Master’s in Finance Management from Qafqaz University.
Jamila is a dedicated and hardworking tax professional, a team member of the Tax Department at VLM. She manages the salary/payroll system and vacation calculation, double-entry bookkeeping, receipts, payments order and advance report, VAT and WHT preparation, calculation of declarations, and its application on the invoice. Besides, she assists the team with coordinating tax preparation services, participates in tax planning discussions, and assists with the preparation of monthly/quarterly financial reports.
Jamila has gained top-rated practices and certificates from internationally well-known companies and universities, including ACCA - Financial Accounting (FA) Certificate, ACCA - Financial Reporting (FR) Certificate, Financial Markets Certificate from the University of Yale, and others.
Jamila holds an MBA degree in Finance from the University of Economics (UNEC) in Baku, Azerbaijan.
Seljan Aghasarkari
Associate
Selin Mammadova
Associate
Seljan has significant legal expertise in advising both international and local companies, as well as individuals. Before joining VLM, Seljan worked for internationally well-known legal companies, including a leading law firm Eptalex - Garzia Gasperi & Partners, situated in Milan, Italy, Roedl & Partners, and Özgun & Partners law firm in Istanbul, Turkey.
Her practice encompasses a broad array of corporate and commercial matters, including but not limited to the preparation of transactional documents, provision of legal due diligence reports, the establishment of joint ventures, internationalization processes of corporates, organization of corporate investigations, etc. Seljan assisted national and international businesses in different sectors such as renewable energy, manufacturing industry, real estate & construction, investments, private-public partnership, etc.
Seljan completed her LL.M. (Master of Laws) degree in Comparative and European Private law at the University of Sapienza in Rome, Italy, and has been awarded an Honor Certificate due to completing her studies with excellent marks. She also graduated from the Faculty of Law at Baku State University in Baku, Azerbaijan. She speaks fluently several languages, including English, Russian, Azeri, Turkish and Italian.
Selin is the youngest and up-and-coming member of the VLM Team. Before joining VLM, she had legal experience at one of the country’s leading banks, YapiKredi Bank Azerbaijan, and at a successful local consulting firm.
She has legal expertise in areas such as intellectual property, commercial contracts, corporate, transportation, employment, etc. She also deals with the marketing and promotion of the company.
She is also engaged in voluntary legal activities; thus, she is a Vice President in charge of Moot Court Competitions at ELSA Azerbaijan (European Law Students’ Association Azerbaijan), also, she is the Assistant for Teams for the John H. Jackson Moot Court Competitions at ELSA International (European Law Students’ Association).
Selin holds her LL.B. (Bachelor of Laws) degree from Baku State University. In addition to the Azerbaijani language, she is fluent in Russian, English, German, and Turkish.
Sara Aghamaliyeva
Associate
Rashad Mahammadzada
Associate
Sara has broad experience in areas such as registration and liquidation of legal entities, intellectual property, commercial contracts, franchising agreements, negotiations, dispute resolutions, etc.
Before joining VLM, Sara worked as a lawyer in Global Food Company LLC (Franchisee of KFC and Pizza Hut in Azerbaijan) and as a Pro Bono lawyer in the Legal Clinic by the Academy of Justice, Ministry of Justice, and European Union.
Sara has several internationally acknowledged certificates, such as "Specialized Course on the Essentials of Patents" and "Advanced Course on Patents" issued by the World Intellectual Property Organization. She participated in numerous moot court competitions, such as Willem C. Vis International Commercial Arbitration Moot and National European Human Rights Moot Court Competition.
Sara holds an LL.B. (Bachelor of Laws) degree from Baku State University, and she is currently an LL.M. (Master of Laws) student in Intellectual Property Law at Baku State University. She is fluent in several languages, including Azerbaijani, English, Russian, French, and Turkish.
Rashad is a team member of the Legal Department at VLM. He has experience in areas such as corporate, commercial, intellectual property, litigation, and disputes.
Before joining VLM, Rashad had legal expertise in Sumgait Technologies Park LLC. He was also involved in volunteer activities; thus, he was Vice President in charge of Academic Activities in the National Board of ELSA Azerbaijan (European Law Students’ Association Azerbaijan) and Assistant for Law Review at ELSA International (European Law Students’ Association).
Rashad holds his LL.B. (Bachelor of Laws) degree from Baku State University. He is fluent in Azerbaijani, English, and Turkish languages.