Wolf Theiss, working with Simpson Thacher & Bartlett, has advised KKR on its USD 450 million investment in Hero Future Energies.

Asters, working with Quinn Emanuel Urquhart & Sullivan, has successfully represented the interests of the Republic of Ukraine before the UK Supreme Court in a dispute with Russia concerning a USD 3 billion eurobond issuance from 2013. 

Viacheslav Yakymchuk joins Serhiy Chorny as Co-Managing Partner of Baker McKenzie’s Kyiv office. He takes over from Serhiy Piontkovsky, who has held that position since 2010 and will continue to lead the firm's Real Estate practice group in Kyiv.

Avellum has supported the action group led by Ukraine’s Ministry of Finance and the State Financial Monitoring Service in its efforts towards the adoption of restrictive measures against Russia by the Financial Action Task Force.

The Russian invasion is still ongoing, affecting all areas of life in Ukraine, but there are slivers of hope and reasons to stay positive and optimistic, according to Kinstellar Partner Alla Kozachenko.

The law “On Amending Certain Laws of Ukraine in Connection with the Ratification of the Convention on Choice of Court Agreements” (the “Law”) came into effect on October 15, 2022. In 2021, the Ukrainian Parliament had made this Law a condition for the ratification of the Hague Convention of June 30, 2005 on the Choice of Court Agreements (the “Convention”).

As Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine hit the one-year mark, we asked Ukrainian law firms how they adjusted to the new circumstances, how their mandates and teams have evolved, and about the support they received from their colleagues abroad throughout this period.

Since the outbreak of war in Ukraine, the world faces an ever-increasing number of restrictive measures and sanctions introduced in various jurisdictions. While the global sanctions landscape has been long established, it has developed rapidly after February 24, 2022.

2022 was a difficult year. To put a more positive spin on things, Rojs Peljhan Prelesnik & Partners Managing Partner Bojan Sporar, Deloitte Legal Senior Managing Associate Ened Topi, Redcliffe Partners Managing Partner Olexiy Soshenko, Drakopoulos Managing Partner Panagiotis Drakopoulos, and Polenak Partner Tatjana Shishkovska share what was, for them, the biggest positive surprise in 2022.

Everlegal has successfully represented the interests of the Louis Dreyfus Company Ukraine in a dispute with a supplier over the collection of a fine amounting to 30% of the value of unfulfilled agricultural product orders. 

Asters has successfully represented the interests of PrivatBank before the Supreme Court of Ukraine, securing a final ruling on the bank's ownership following its 2016 nationalization. 

On 11 December 2022, the Law of Ukraine “On Amendments to Certain Legislative Acts of Ukraine on Preventing and Counteracting Mobbing (Harassment)” (the “Mobbing Law”) became effective.

While Ukrainian law firms have to deal with issues ranging from power outages to effective work distribution, their intellectual property, tax, labor, and corporate law practices remain relatively busy, according to Baker McKenzie Managing Partner Serhiy Piontkovsky.

On 31 January 2023, the Resolution of the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine "Some issues with implementation of the provisions of the Law of Ukraine 'On Mobilization Training and Mobilisation'" No. 76 dated 27 January 2023 ("Resolution") came into effect. The Resolution approves a new procedure for reserving persons subject to military service, as well as criteria for determining companies that are critically important for the functioning of the economy and ensuring the livelihood of the population during a special period.

Sayenko Kharenko has advised the EBRD on its EUR 25 million loan to the city of Lviv under the EBRD’s Resilience and Livelihoods Framework.

Sayenko Kharenko has advised Goldman Sachs Asset Management on the acquisition of digital consultancy Cprime.

Sayenko Kharenko has successfully represented seller MHP Food Trading in arbitration proceedings under FOSFA Rules of Arbitration and Appeal against a buyer based in Hong Kong.

On 26 January 2023, the Resolution of the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine "On Amendments to the Procedure for Investigation and Recording of Accidents, Occupational Diseases and Industrial Accidents" No. 59, dated 20 January 2023, (the "Resolution") came into effect. The Resolution, among other things, establishes the procedure for the timely and thorough investigation of workplace accidents caused by the military aggression of the russian federation against Ukraine.