CMS Ukraine

Corporate/M&A, Competition, Commercial

Corporate/M&A partner at CMS Ukraine

Maria Orlyk is a Corporate/M&A partner at CMS Ukraine and a member of the wider CMS international competition group. Maria has extensive experience in corporate law, mergers and acquisitions, competition, energy, intellectual property, and employment law. She has played a key role in the reform of Ukraine’s gas sector, leading a landmark project to establish a reliable gas transmission system operator. Advising the World Bank, the Energy Community Secretariat, and Main Gas Pipelines of Ukraine, she has been instrumental in the unbundling of the Ukrainian gas transmission system, corporate restructurings, and high-level negotiations with government and industry stakeholders. Her sector expertise spans mining, pharmaceuticals, and financial services. Clients value her negotiation skills and pragmatic approach, describing her as “a very talented lawyer and a good negotiator with a co-operative approach” (Chambers Europe). Maria holds a Master’s in International Law from the Institute of International Relations at Kyiv National Taras Shevchenko University and an LL.M. from Wake Forest University School of Law (USA). Before joining CMS, she worked at leading Ukrainian and international law firms and interned at Powell Goldstein Frazer & Murphy LLP (now Bryan Cave) in Washington, D.C.

Ukrainian, English, Italian

1. International Association of Defense Counsel - the first and only member from Ukraine since 2015

2. European Business Association

3. American Chamber of Commerce

4. Ukrainian Bar Association - Deputy head of the Committee on Corporate Law & Stock Markets of the Ukrainian Bar Association; as such engaged in reviewing and assessing as well as providing commentaries to proposed draft laws, issuing statements on behalf of the Committee on problematic issues of Ukrainian legislation, and providing recommendations regarding legislative reforms. Member since 2007

5. Member of the working group charged with drafting a code of corporate governance under the auspices of the National Securities and Stock Market Commission of Ukraine.

6. Member of two working groups of the Ministry of Economic Development and Trade of Ukraine charged with working out measures aimed at improving the investment climate in Ukraine.

7. Member of the Ukrainian Bar since 2007.

8. Member of a newly established special Advisory Board on Corporate Governance of the National Securities and Stock Market Commission of Ukraine.

2008 – Ukrainian School of Political Studies (USPS) and Summer University for Democracy organised by the Council of Europe, Strasbourg, France

2006 – Wake Forest University School of Law, USA, LL.M. in American Law

2004 – Kyiv National Taras Shevchenko University/Institute of International Relations, Private International Law Department (postgraduate research programme)

2001 – Kyiv National Taras Shevchenko University/Institute of International Relations, Master of International Law, English Interpreter/Translator

Specialisation: Private International Law, graduation with honours (magna cum laude)

2000 – Kyiv National Taras Shevchenko University/Institute of International Relations, Bachelor of International Relations and Foreign Affairs, graduation with honours (magna cum laude)