The Legal 500

Baker & McKenzie – CIS, Limited provides ‘a high level of service, the best in the area’. Serhiy Piontkovsky, Lina Nemchenko and Mykhailo Tymoshenko are highly regarded. Recent work includes a major hotel project for Interpoint Development, and the acquisition of a Kiev department store.

Vasil Kisil & Partners’ Oleg Alyoshin is highly recommended. Recent instructions include providing due diligence on subsidiaries and agricultural assets for Alpcot Agro, and advising Amtel Properties on purchasing a plot of land to extend Kiev City Mall.

Asters provides ‘fast and competent responses’, and Roman Kostenko ‘a good level of service’. The firm advised Kazakh investor Eurasia on commercial properties around Kiev, and Australia’s CCI Holdings on a land acquisition for a coal mine in Lviv.

Beiten Burkhardt has ‘good knowledge of German and Ukrainian law’, and mainly represents German-speaking clients. Oleksiy Feliv advised WET Automotive on land acquisitions, WKN Windkraft Nord on the development of wind farms, and ArenaCom on a stadium development.

CMS Cameron McKenna LLC’s Daniel Bilak has ‘extensive knowledge of the local market’. His clients include foreign banks, large Ukrainian construction companies and a wind farm developer which he advised on a 200-ha lease.

DLA Piper Ukraine LLC’s ‘impressive’ Natalia Kochergina leads a team that advised Steltex Investments on a $15m investment in a leading Ukrainian development company, and a foreign agricultural company on a grain terminal project.

Ilyashev & Partners’ Maksym Kopeychykov is ‘responsive, commercial and highly recommended’. He advised SE Antonov in a land dispute with state bodies, and Globus Asset Management on the lease of a state-owned river port.

Salans has ‘a very professional group of lawyers’ including Myron Rabij and Anzhelika Shtukaturova. Highlights included advising on a port terminal expansion and a new hotel development.

Michael Kharenko and Sergey Ignatovsky are the outstanding individuals in Sayenko Kharenko’s large team, which advised Renaissance Group on its partnership with developer XXI Century, and Toronto-Kiev on the $18m development of a Holiday Inn.

Arzinger provides ‘skilled, technical analysis and outstanding response times’. In particular, the ‘fast, sharp-thinking’ Timur Bondaryev is ‘a young lawyer with an impressive track record – one of the top three specialists in real estate and construction’. Clients include Raiffeisen Property Management.

Avellum Partners’ Kostiantyn Likarchuk is ‘an excellent lawyer with deep market knowledge and a practical, problem-solving approach’. The firm advised on the $180m sale of a large plot in downtown Kiev for a shopping mall development.

B C Toms & Co’s vastly experienced Bate Toms advised Continental Farmers Group on land acquisitions.

Sergiy Onishchenko’s team at Chadbourne & Parke LLP shows ‘exceptional professional expertise and business acumen’. Recent deals include a large shipyard investment.

Magisters merged with Russia’s Egorov Puginsky Afanasiev & Partners. Andrew Mac is known for handling large energy and mining deals.

Gide Loyrette Nouel’s Karl Hepp de Sevelinges has worked on PPP projects and investments in heavy industry, often for large French corporates.

Peterka & Partners LLC’s Alexander Poels and Monika Simunkova Hoskova advise the Embassy of the Czech Republic on leasing matters, and also act for PSA Peugeot Citroën and Veolia Voda.

Schoenherr’s real estate specialist Denys Sytnyk advised Swiss investor group Azure on leases for a retail chain expansion, and ECO Business Immobilien on investment in a large office complex.

Andriy Kravets & Partners has a sound real estate financing practice, and the experienced Andriy Kravets is recommended.

Astapov Lawyers International Law Group is ‘very committed and professional; provides timely, practical and concise advice’. Oleh Malskyy is recommended.

Gramatskiy and partners’ Ernest Gramatskiy advised City Capital Group on a $40m shopping centre development, and local real estate company Traektoria Ltd on numerous projects.

Gvozdiy & Oberkovych Law Firm has ‘one of the most respected property and construction practices’. Sergiy Oberkovych heads the team, which recently advised on a large mine acquisition, and represented Donegal FRS on a €300m biomass energy facility.

KPD Consulting Law Firm has ‘perfect knowledge of local land law and construction law’. Its clients include Eurobank Properties REIC and BNP Paribas Ukrsib Asset Management. Vladyslav Kysil is ‘an expert in theoretical and practical issues’, and Mykola Dolenko is ‘really smart, well motivated’.

Legal Alliance Company’s Illya Kostin acted in a dispute over a 3,000-hectare land lease. Irina Pustovitenko left the firm.

Pavlenko & Poberezhnyuk, Law Group’s Larysa Poberezhnyuk advises Veda Corporation and VTB Bank. Recent instructions include defending a client’s interests in a large land plot in Obukhov.

Wolf Theiss’ Ievgen Gusiev advised UNIQA Investments on a large office development in Odessa, and Yalta City LLC on beachfront purchases for a resort development.