He is a graduate of MGIMO holding a doctorate in Legal Science and is a Lecturer at MGIMO’s Chair of International Private and Civil Law, arbitrator at the Arbitration Court attached to the Economic Chamber of the Czech Republic and Agricultural Chamber of the Czech Republic, arbitrator of the Shanghai International Arbitration Center, arbitrator at the Maritime Arbitration Commission at the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of the Russian Federation, reporter of ICAC at the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of the Russian Federation, member of the International Bar Association.

From 1989 to 1993 S. Vodolagin worked at diplomatic service at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation.

He completed a doctorate at MGIMO in 1996, having defended his thesis for Legal Science on the subject of «Constitutional Protection of Private Property». Since 1996 he has lectured at the MGIMO Faculty of Law, delivering lectures on Russian civil, commercial and business law as well as on the Russian Federation’s civil and arbitration procedure.

On several occasions he has undertaken work abroad, including at the Faculty of Law at the Sorbonne, Paris 1, been invited to research at King’s College London by the British Academy and completed courses on human rights led by the Council of Europe at the European Court of Human Rights.

During Russia’s accession to the Council of Europe S. Vodolagin acted as an expert of the Council of Europe, preparing articles concerning the protection of private property for an analytical Report concerning the level of correspondence of Russian legislation and law enforcement practice with European human rights standards. The Report served as a basis for the introduction of Russian legislation complying with Council of Europe standards.

S. Vodolagin is a co-founder of the «European Law Foundation», a non-profit organisation promoting European standards of human rights in Russia, and author of the first Russian reviews concerning questions of private property protection by means of the European Convention on the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms of 1950.

S. Vodolagin is a specialist in the area of Russian civil and business law, civil and arbitration trial law in the Russian Federation, the author of many publications on the legal protection of economic rights for entrepreneurs, defence of private property in the Russian Federation as well as the co-author of a range of textbooks on civil law in the Russian Federation as well as on European law.

In practical activities S. Vodolagin specialises in legal advice to companies in Russia and abroad on legal aspects of investment projects in Russia, dispute resolution including in court and international commercial arbitration (ICAC at the Russian Chamber of Commerce and Industry, SCC, ICC, LCIA).