Ukraine > Banking, finance and capital markets > Law firm and leading lawyer rankings

Aequo has 'a good team producing a good product, and is very easy to work with'. Leading light Yulia Kyrpa leads on banking, finance and debt capital markets matters. Among her clients are Naftogaz and Industrialbank. For EBRD, she handled a $20m loan to OTP Leasing. Denys Kulgavyi is a rising star.

Asters further increased its market presence with the arrival of Roman Stepanenko and others from Egorov Puginsky Afanasiev & Partners to join leading lights Armen Khachaturyan and Iryna Pokanay. The firm counts Privatbank and National Bank of Ukraine among its clients.

Widely regarded as a market leader in banking and finance, Avellum has a vastly experienced senior partner in Glib Bondar. He assisted Ukraine's Ministry of Finance with its $3bn eurobond issue, and advised Metinvest on refinancing $2.3bn-worth of debt. Taras Dmukhovskyy moved to an in-house position.

Baker McKenzie, Kyiv Office has 'a professional approach that helps protect its clients' interests'. Practice head Serhiy Chorny is a leading light in the market and he advised EIB on a €136m loan to Ukrenergo. Regulatory expert Ihor Olekhov and rising star associate Hanna Shtepa are also recommended.

At CMS, Anna Pogrebna is the lead finance partner and Kateryna Chechulina is a rising star senior associate. The firm's diverse range of work includes major financings in the agriculture, metals, infrastructure, aviation, and natural resources sectors. ING Bank and EBRD are among its clients.

Dentons  handles sovereign finance, regulatory and sanctions advice, distressed debt trading, cross-border lending and trade finance. Leading light Natalia Selyakova, counsel Nadiya Shylienkova and associate Artem Lukyanov advised Grand Solutions on financing for Kiev's fourth Metro line.

Key partner Oleksandr Kurdydyk handles bilateral financing, currency derivatives, project finance and debt restructuring at DLA Piper Ukraine LLC. He assisted the Ministry for Regional Development, Building and Housing, the World Bank, EIB and others with structuring Ukraine's energy efficiency fund.

Redcliffe Partners is 'among the best in the market, with great expertise and proactive lawyers'. 'True professional' Olexiy Soshenko acted for creditors including Deutsche Bank on the restructuring of $1bn of Metinvest's pre-export facilities. Counsel Olena Polyakova is also recommended.

Sayenko Kharenko has a reputation for high-quality advice on both regulatory and transactional matters. The practice led by Michael Kharenko, Nazar Chernyavsky and Anton Korobeynikov handles a large volume of cross-border work. It advised on a UAH4bn notes issue by Ukreximbank. Counsel Igor Lozenko is a rising star.

At Arzinger, agriculture, real estate finance, trade finance, project finance and, in particular, debt restructuring are key strengths. Oleksander Plotnikov acted for Ukrsotsbank and Deutsche Bank on the restructuring of $1.3bn of Mryia Agro Holding's debt. ING, VTB Bank and EBRD are among his clients for restructuring work.

At EnGarde Attorneys at Law, Irina Nazarova and Andriy Vyshnevsky assist global financial institutions with their business in Ukraine. They also handle leasing contracts and restructuring transactions for debtors and creditors. Smart Holding and Scania Ukraine are among the team's clients.

Mikhail Ilyashev's practice at Ilyashev & Partners handles asset finance, securities, banking matters, debt collection and much more. It is 'one of the most resourceful and top-quality firms on the market' and key lawyer Oleksandr Vygovskyy 'has a deep insight into the banking sector'. SE Antonov and ProCredit Bank are among its clients.

Oleh Zahnitko and Oleksiy Feliv are the key partners at Integrites since Vsevolod Volkov moved to EVERLEGAL. The team advises on regulatory and transactional matters including bilateral and syndicated loans, and debt recovery. Zahnitko handled a €52m secured financing for EBRD. Associate Olena Savchuk provides 'accurate' advice. Igor Krasovskiy was a new arrival from Jeantet.

Jeantet 'provides excellent legal opinions and comprehensive expertise in banking matters' and moves up the ranking this year.  Bertrand Barrier advised Long Wing on a $400m financing to support the development of a 500MW wind farm. Igor Krasovskiy is now with Integrites.

At Kinstellar, 'the advice is always very good'. Counsel Andriy Nikiforov leads the practice and provides 'well thought-out and very commercial advice'. Together with associate Serhiy Mykhaylyk, he advised ArcelorMittal on a $350m loan from EBRD.

KPD Consulting Law Firm has an impressive roster of bank clients, including Piraeus Bank, Sberbank and ING. Vladyslav Kysil advised UkrSibbank on loans to a factoring company, and Krer Fund on an intra-group cross-border loan.

LCF Law Group focuses primarily on litigation for banks and corporates, often related to the restructuring of debt. Key partner Artem Stoyanov advised AVK Confectionery on the restructuring of defaulted debt. Anna Ogrenchuk and Denis Sperov are also highly recommended.

NOBLES climbs the ranking and is described by a client as 'one of the best law firms in Ukraine'. Key partner Roman Shulyar is, for one client, 'exceptional - the best lawyer I've ever worked with'. He advised Western NIS Enterprise Fund on the provision of low-interest loans to social enterprises.

Spenser & Kauffmann handles major cross-border debt restructuring matters, large debt collection cases, debt restructuring and asset tracing. Valentyn Zagariya and Nickolas Likhachov advised Alfa Bank on the restructuring of distressed debt totalling $106m.

Vasil Kisil & Partners, which last year launched a new aviation finance service, is respected for its work in debt restructuring and non-performing loan transactions. Anna Sisetska, who assisted Awas and Kahala with financing for the lease and sale of 30 aircraft, and Alexander Borodkin are the key contacts.

Experienced senior associate Oksana Volynets leads the practice at Wolf Theiss, which handles multi-jurisdictional finance transactions for clients including EBRD. For Erste Bank, the firm handled the €300m sale of a non-performing loan portfolio.

Andriy Kravets & Partners handles private and sovereign borrowing and lending transactions, acquisition finance, asset and commodity finance, project finance, debt restructuring and more. Andriy Kravets and Daria Volkova are the key practitioners.

Cai & Lenard  handles cross-border finance transactions for corporates and stands out for its turnaround times and 'non-standard ways of solving problems'. Anton Lukovkin, who joined from Misechko & Partners Law Firm, 'combines excellent management skills with deep knowledge of the area'.

Egorov Puginsky Afanasiev & Partners maintains a small team in Kiev following the departure of much of the firm to Asters. Ilona Zekely, who assisted an industrial client with a loan agreement with Ukraine's national bank, and the 'transparent, smart and responsive' Oksana Ilchenko remain at the firm.

At EQUITY Law Firm, Andriy Nikitin leads the finance practice, which advises banks and borrowers on financing transactions and debt restructuring. Azovmash and the National Bank of Ukraine’s pension fund are among the firm's key clients.

GOLAW has 'the ability to resolve complex issues and a business-oriented approach based on vast experience', and it joins the ranking this year. Valentyn Gvozdiy is 'extremely driven and visionary'. Sergiy Oberkovych, who acted for Procredit Bank on a subordinate financing transaction with IFC, is also recommended.

Igor Reutov and Ernest Gramatskiy are the key contacts at Gramatskiy&Partners, which handles financing for industrial borrowers and developers. Reutov advised KSTT on compliance matters and loan agreements with OTP Bank.

Head of tax and banking Danylo Getmantsev at Jurimex Legal Solutions has 20 years' experience and counts large domestic and European companies among his clients. He advised a Dutch investment company on a finance transaction in the transport industry.

Kasyanenko & Partners is well known for its work in negotiations with Ukrainian banks concerning the financial obligations of borrowers, including manufacturers of industrial products. Dmytro Kasyanenko has 'one of the best teams in the Ukrainian market', according to one client.

Lavrynovych & Partners Law Firm advises on banking regulation, compliance, capital raising and debt finance for international and foreign issuers. Associate Dmytro Savchuk leads the practice and he assists payment services provider Moneygram with its operations in Ukraine.

SDM Partners LLC 'stands out in the mid-cap space, which requires more creativity'. Corporate partner Serhiy Dzis has 'wide experience, and great industry sector knowledge'. He advised a US financial corporation on loan and security agreements.