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

At Aequo, leading light Yulia Kyrpa and rising stars Maryna Fedorenko and Denys Kulgavyi are part of ‘the best practice in Ukrainian finance matters and provide commercial advice’. They advised Naftogaz on a €478m loan.

Arzinger ‘fully meets European standards’. It is best known for cross-border work pertaining to agriculture, real estate finance, trade finance, project finance and debt restructuring. Oleksander Plotnikov advised Ukrsotsbank on Mriya Agro’s $1.3bn debt restructuring.

The ‘extremely business-oriented and responsive’ team at Asters is led by Iryna Pokanay and Armen Khachaturyan. The latter advised Ukraine’s public railway company on restructuring a $500m loan. Counsel Gabriel Aslanian is also recommended.

Avellum is ‘top tier, one of the leading practices in Ukraine’. The ‘experienced’ Glib Bondar advised bondholders on Metinvest’s $2.3bn debt restructuring. Taras Dmukhovskyy is a rising star. Igor Lozenko joined Sayenko Kharenko as counsel in December 2017.

At Baker McKenzie, Kyiv Office, practice head Serhiy Chorny advised Metinvest on restructuring its $2.3bn debt. Viacheslav Yakymchuk focuses on equity capital markets and Ihor Olekhov is also recommended.

Dentons’ team ‘distinguishes itself through professionalism and wise counsel’ on debt restructuring, cross-border lending and trade finance. Natalia Selyakova advised CRI Group on its $1.3bn debt restructuring. Adam Mycyk, Nadiya Shylienkova and Nikolay Zhovner are also noted.

Redcliffe Partners is best known for its work for international lenders on cross-border financing and complex debt restructuring. Practice head Olexiy Soshenko advised Deutsche Bank, ING, Natixis and Unicredit, as pre-export finance lenders, on Metinvest’s $2.3bn debt restructuring.

‘Strong, solution-oriented firm’ Sayenko Kharenko ‘combines an exceptional grasp of banking legislation with a practical touch’. Nazar Chernyavsky, Michael Kharenko and counsel Anton Korobeynikov count Citigroup, JPMorgan and Morgan Stanley among their clients. Counsel Igor Lozenko rejoined the firm in December 2017 from Avellum.

Vasil Kisil & Partners provides ‘perfect service in complex legal matters with comprehensive and timely advice’. Practice head Alexander Borodkin and counsel Anna Sisetska are key names. Clients include Sberbank, Hellenic Bank and EBRD.

Andriy Kravets & Partners has a track record assisting foreign and domestic banks with lending and Eurobond issuances. Andriy Kravets and rising star Daria Volkova are recommended. Bohai Commodity Exchange is a key client.

CMS has ‘a strong and experienced team that understands cross-border financing’. Anna Pogrebna, Olga Belyakova and senior associate Kateryna Chechulina are the key contacts. Clients include Deutsche Bank,

Erste Bank and Mane Group.

DLA Piper Ukraine LLC ‘scores highly’ for its service level. Practice head Oleksandr Kurdydyk advised ABH Holdings on the $450m sale of Ukrsotsbank to Alfa Group. EBRD and Dragon Capital are also clients.

Egorov Puginsky Afanasiev & Partners acts for several international investment banks based in Ukraine, Russia and the CIS region. Highlights for practice head Roman Stepanenko and senior associate Kateryna Oliynyk included the sale of non-performing loan portfolios.

EnGarde Attorneys at Law has ‘an excellent team – accessible and responsive’. Practice head Irina Nazarova counts Smart-Holding, Scania Credit and Yernamio Consulting among her clients.

Andriy Nikitin leads the practice at Equity Law Firm. Viktor Barsuk advised engineering group Azovmash on restructuring $850m of debt with ten creditor banks. National Bank of Ukraine’s pension fund is also a client.

At Ilyashev & Partners, Mikhail Ilyashev, who is ‘a distinguished lawyer with a huge reputation’, and the ‘well-respected’ Roman Marchenko are the key names. Marchenko advised agribusiness Creative Group on a $711m loan refinancing. BTA Bank is also a client.

At Integrites, Oleh Zahnitko and Vsevolod Volkov focus on banking and capital markets respectively. The former handled the acquisition of a €52m loan portfolio for Dragon Capital. Associate Olena Savchuk is also recommended.

Kinstellar’s team is ‘professional, practical and business-oriented’. Counsel Andriy Nikiforov leads the team. He regularly acts for Naftogaz Ukraine on regulatory and finance matters, including advising on loans totalling $740m.

At LCF Law Group, the ‘proactive and intelligent’ Anna Ogrenchuk advised Fozzy Group on its dealings with creditor banks. Senior partner Artem Stoyanov and senior associate Denis Sperov are other key names.

At Spenser & Kauffmann, ‘determined’ team head Nickolas Likhachov and managing partner Valentyn Zagariya are ‘knowledgeable, effective and experienced’. They advised a Ukrainian commercial bank on high-value distressed debt matters.

At Wolf Theiss, ‘the quality of service is excellent and the responses are timely’. Senior associate Oksana Volynets assisted Erste Bank with the transfer of a €300m portfolio of non-performing loans.

Gramatskiy&Partners ‘has very high standards and deep experience’. It focuses on bank lending and project finance. Igor Reutov’s team advised Skywind Tech on a €3m loan and YustService on a $3.5m financing. Ernest Gramatskiy is also noted.

Jeantet has built up a strong client base since entering the market two years ago. Igor Krasovskiy advised International Finance Corporation on a €30m loan to bakery company Concern Hlibprom.

At Jurimex Legal Solutions, head of tax and finance Danylo Getmantsev handles cross-border financings, bond issuance and debt restructuring. He advised the Ministry of Health on the return of infrastructure funds to state budgets.

KPD Consulting Law Firm has ‘deep understanding of the domestic market and its team has excellent skills’. The ‘smart, responsive and friendly’ Vladyslav Kysil advised Sberbank on a $50m loan to Metropolia. UkrSibbank is also a client.

Associate Dmytro Savchuk heads the practice at Lavrynovych & Partners Law Firm following Olena Zubchenko’s departure to join PrivatBank. Highlights included advising MoneyGram on its international payments business.

Nobles, which merged with Phenomena LLC, is known for its ‘quick responses and strong knowledge of the finance industry’. ‘Experienced and client-friendly lawyer’ Roman Shulyar advised a Dutch financial institution on a defaulted $20m loan facility.