EQUITY Law Firm > Kyiv, Ukraine > Firm Profile

Viktor Barsuk, Senior partner and Oleg Malinevskiy, Partner

 What has been your greatest achievement, in a professional and personal capability?

VB:
Having built up a company which is a leader in litigation, bankruptcy and criminal defense is our greatest achievement. We are proud to be recognized by national rankings as a top-tier law firm in the mentioned practices. For instance, in the latest edition of the Legal Awards 2020, Yuridicheskaya practica’s directory, we have been ranked No.1 in Litigation and White-collar crime, confirming our title of 2018 and 2016.

Thus, we have managed to put together a superlitigation team that can become a one-stop shop for legal protection of our client in all possible matters. It is our team which is the ultimate expression of our common professional success.

Generally, EQUITY is an achievement of at least 5 in 1. On the one hand, it is an opportunity to do a legal work of love at the highest professional level and develop constantly. On the other hand, this is an opportunity to work with the most successful Ukrainian businessmen, domestic and foreign investors, renown giants in various sectors, effectively protect their property and rights in courts and law-enforcement bodies.

Finally, success, knowledge and experience gained at our company enable to profess the philosophy of responsible leadership. As a matter of fact, we support projects in the sphere of law-making, legal education and professional communication, openly share our practical knowledge and experience, making a substantial contribution into development of successful future of the whole legal profession.

ОМ:
As to local achievements, we take pride in each project, each won case. We specialize mainly in complex cases, which are real professional challenges, as they mobilize all available knowledge and practical skills, make the brain actively search for the most effective and sometimes the only possible solution. A high-profile procedural opponent only adds enthusiasm, multiplying emotional effect from the obtained result. Clients in such cases are, as a rule, quite interesting individuals, acquaintance and communication with whom significantly extends the angle of one’s perception of the world.

What do you do differently from your peers in the industry?

OM:
People, primarily our team and clients, have always been the most important capital in our firm. The first constituent – the team – is an intellectual foundation of success and simultaneously testimony of the lawyer’s ability to consolidate behind himself like-minded highly-qualified coworkers. Clients and projects associated with them speak for professionalism of the lawyer and his team. Respect of colleagues, high positions in ratings and other outward attributes of success make up only derivative evidence that the lawyer and his firm is on the right path. Keeping highly professional and family friendly EQUITY staff as well respectability of our clients in mind, we are happy to take pride in the success we have managed to achieve in recent years and get even more excited about future of our firm.

VB:
Another aspect which makes us different from our colleagues is a clear internal and external strategy of our team development – to be a flagship in the market of litigation and criminal procedure of a new generation. This strategy is aimed at finally withdrawing from one-sided understanding of the criminal lawyer (defender) as a monofunctional practitioner who represents interests of a person suspected of crimes against human life and health, violence, etc.

Today, the criminal law practice is increasingly mentioned in terms of white-collar crime and corruption crimes defense. It requires a combination of approaches and specific knowledge in commercial, administrative and civil procedures. This is the so-called superlitigation which presupposes expansion of usual boundaries and stereotypes in common understanding of the litigation lawyer, ultimate expression of all his incarnations in all directions of the judicial practice the client needs.

What advice would you give to your younger self?

ОМ:
Looking back on our 20 years experience, I would advise all young legal practitioners to do what appeals to them personally rather that what is popular in the market. Listen to yourself and don’t give in to hype. It is not worth going by profitability of a specific sector. It is much better to choose something to one’s heart, work hard, improve to become later the best.
Sharing views of the Ukrainian philosopher, Hryhoriy Skovoroda, regarding importance of “compatibility” of chosen work field with your inner “self,” I am convinced that the basic foundation of success lies in “emotional affection” for a profession when all other economic activities, income or self-realization opportunities become secondary against the chosen realm. Such perception ensures utmost focus on one’s business, increases workability, complete and prompt professional development.

It is also important to find a mentor who would inspire you in your professional realm. As young lawyers get easily confused in the vast ocean of the domestic legal market, it is of primary significance to have certain moral and professional guidelines that would help them follow their path. Such guidelines may be provided by your supervisor, university professor or defense lawyer you like. Address him or her for advice, instruction or word of encouragement. Legal profession is one of few sectors in which mentoring flourishes. I think that is really cool!

VB:
We really like the slogan “demand impossible and get maximum.” It has to do with both a specific case and career heights. That is why one should not be afraid to set super ambitious goals. Correct approach made, they tend to come true.

In regard to professional growth, it is important to arm oneself with patience and develop, become better than a day before, have a finger on the pulse of market trends, legislation and practice without forgetting to develop professional “tricks” that would ensure competitive advantage over colleagues.

Within your sector, what do you think will be the biggest challenge for clients over the next 12 months?

VB:
One could single out two kinds of challenges – non-legal and legal. The first comprises, of course, the world pandemic caused by COVID-19. This, undoubtedly, will leave its imprint leading to an economic liquidity crisis, increased number of court disputes and bankruptcies. Despite the fact that the legal market is extremely flexible and is one of the first to adapt to new reality we depend on solvency of our clients who have recently been encountering certain problems and limitations.

As far as legal challenges are concerned, it is critical to successfully complete or continue the judicial reform and solve the problem of deficit of judges, especially in general courts. The judicial reform underway was aimed at renewing some bodies of the judicial power. Instead, it has blocked their work and made influx of new judicial personnel virtually impossible.

Currently, the given matter is being actively discussed in the parliament, though final solution to the problem is unlikely to be found in the near future. This, in turn, maintains high demand for high-level litigation lawyers both among representatives of the business community and ordinary citizens.

ОМ:
Indeed, litigation lawyers will continue to be highly requested on the market. Moreover, according to various researches conducted by renown Ukrainian legal publishings, almost 95% of existing law firms have their own litigation practice. Superlitigation (litigation, bankruptcy and criminal defense), meanwhile, provides around 30-35% of the overall market revenues.
Talking of the make-up of client demand, it is worth noting one important trend that is formed by the volatile state of post pandemic and post reformation Ukrainian market. It is the request by a large client for a complex litigation, which combines highly-qualified expertise not only in the field of civil, economic and administrative proceedings, but also in the field of criminal defense, asset tracing, bankruptcy, cross-border litigation, arbitration, mediation. In other words, in all areas of a potential solution to a client’s legal problem, where he or she asks for professional protection.