— According to the survey ‘50 Leading Law Firms of Ukraine’, the criminal practice retains its leading position. How would you describe the state of the Ukrainian White-Collar Crime practice?

The Ukrainian WCC practice has been actively developing over the past ten years. The war became its catalyst, increasing the number of proceedings and strengthening the demands for justice. The NABU/SAPO anti-corruption infrastructure remains a key generator. However, despite the increase in the number of cases, there has been a decline in their quality.

Law enforcement agencies often respond to the public demand for ‘quick arrests’, which leads to the return of old approaches when statistics are more important than substance. The effectiveness of investigators and detectives is assessed not by the quality of investigations and court verdicts, but by the number of suspicions served, assets seized or bail amounts.

This year, Ukraine has been included in the global guide White-Collar Crime 2024 by Chambers and Partners. This confirms the maturity of the WCC sector and its compliance with global trends.

— Why do you think Chambers White-Collar Crime 2024 is so crucial for the Ukrainian legal community?

This research is essential for the Ukrainian legal community for several reasons. Firstly, it is a recognition of the maturity of the Ukrainian WCC market as a separate industry and its integration into the global legal community.

Chambers and Partners is a leading research company with over 30 years of experience covering 200 jurisdictions. Its rankings are the most respected in the world. In fact, 86% of Fortune 500 companies use this ranking to select legal counsel.

Our analysts have been included in the annual White-Collar Crime guide, which contains information on more than 40 jurisdictions, and Ukraine has been included for the first time.

This research is the most extensive review of WCC practice in English. It covers key trends, challenges and the future of the practice. Such recognition helps Ukrainian lawyers to become visible on the global legal map, and foreign companies increasingly seek our advice on cross-border cases.

— How do you assess the evolution of WCC practice in Ukraine over the past ten years?

The evolution of the practice has been dynamic and multidirectional. Ten years ago, this area was just being formed, and even the term White-Collar Crime was perceived as a novelty. We started to use it based on the Western experience. Gradually, lawyers who dealt with criminal cases also began to separate this practice into different ones.

Over time, WCC practices have gained international recognition. Since 2014, we have been included in international rankings such as Best Lawyers, Legal 500, Who’s Who Legal, and later Chambers. This proved that Ukrainian lawyers meet the highest international standards in handling complex criminal cases.

Another critical aspect of the evolution is international cooperation. Today, Ukrainian lawyers are increasingly working on cross-border cases related to mutual legal assistance, Interpol and extradition.

— What are the main features of the Ukrainian WCC practice compared to the international one?

In general, our practice is developing in line with international experience. However, there are several significant features.

First of all, it is a different range of cases. In Ukraine, the WCC practice is mainly focused on embezzlement, anti-corruption investigations, tax crimes, cybercrime and abuse of power.

In Western jurisdictions, the WCC covers a broader range of cases, including securities market manipulation, corporate liability, banking crimes, cartel agreements and antitrust violations.

The second feature is international cooperation. Although Ukrainian practice demonstrates significant progress in mutual legal assistance, this area has not yet reached the level of automation and scale that is available in Western countries. At the same time, the expansion of the geography of extraditions and MLA requests shows positive dynamics.

Also, the institution of plea bargaining. In Ukraine, the plea bargaining institution has gained popularity only in the last few years, while in the US and EU, it is a standard tool for resolving WCC cases.

And then there are internal investigations. In Western countries, internal investigations are a separate, powerful area of work. In Ukraine, this tool is hardly ever used, as businesses often do not see effective mechanisms for compensation.

— What is your professional forecast? What will be relevant in the WCC industry?

The next decade will be a period of qualitative changes for WCC in Ukraine, which will be determined by the following trends.

First, it is the growth of international cooperation. Ukraine is actively integrating into the global system of transnational justice. Joint investigative teams, expanding the geography of international legal requests, extradition requests – all this will create new challenges for WCC attorneys.

The second is the criminalisation of sanctions violations. It is expected that the introduction of legislation on criminal liability for sanctions violations will become a significant area of focus for the WCC. This will be in line with European standards and the requirements of EU Directive 2024/1226.

The third is the Military WCC. This area covers crimes related to the activities of military structures, the defence industry and army supplies. Over time, post-war reconstruction will also open up new areas of work for WCC lawyers.

— How do VB Partners adapt to new challenges and opportunities?

First of all, we focus on international cooperation. The expansion of cross-border cases and the involvement of new jurisdictions require a high level of expertise and flexibility.

The second important aspect is that we see that international investigation standards are increasingly influencing local practice, so we are actively adapting our approaches. This applies to both improving the quality of analytics and introducing modern tools for work.

The introduction of artificial intelligence is an integral part of the transformation of legal processes. We use AI to automate routine tasks, such as analysing large volumes of documents, quickly searching for relevant case law, and drafting legal texts. This allows us to reduce the time spent on standard operations and focus on strategic aspects.

The third area is the development of internal business processes and the team. Our approach is to improve our team’s skills through continuous training and experience sharing. We actively invest in the professional development of our attorneys, as well as in business processes within the company, implementing modern project management systems.

Our goal is to create an environment where every team member has the opportunity to grow both professionally and personally, which ultimately improves the quality of services we provide to our clients.

Interview for Yurydychna Praktyka

More from VB PARTNERS