Asters reaffirms the leading positions being ranked as Tier 1 in all 12 areas researched by The Legal500 EMEA 2023 in Ukraine. The ranking highlights the expertise of 26 Asters' lawyers who receives individual recognition and positive clients' feedback. In view of Russia-Ukraine war, the research team has not undertaken conventional research for Ukraine but updated recent client names, matter highlights and client testimonials.
Banking, Finance and Capital Markets is ranked as Tier 1 together with its key players Senior Partner Armen Khachaturyan (Hall of Fame), Partner Iryna Pokanay (Leading Individual), Counsels Gabriel Aslanian and Kateryna Oliynyk (Next Generation Partners).
Commercial, Corporate and M&A is ranked as Tier 1 with positive feedback: "Asters has the best lawyers in this practice, with a strong professional background, leadership and strong negotiations skills (with an ability to be very persuasive and protect the client’s interest to the maximum), and an extensive hands-on experience in English law." Senior Partner Armen Khachaturyan is recognized as Leading Individual, Partners Oleg Boichuk and Oleksiy Demyanenko – as Next Generation Partners. A client says: "Oleg Boichuk is the corporate partner, an extremely knowledgeable and capable corporate practitioner. He is very clear in his advice, commercial in his approach, always accessible and very easy to work with." The ranking also recommends Counsel Maksym Tereshchuk who "is an exceptional lawyer, very good at English law and has exceptional negotiation skills."
Ranked as Tier 1, Competition practice is considered as "…unique in terms of expertise as such, as well as ability to address the variety of side aspects and issues being a part of the big law firm with different practices that may be involved in serving the client." Partners Igor Svechkar and Oleksandr Voznyuk are ranked as Leading Individuals together with of-Counsel Tetiana Vovk ranked as Next Generation Partner. A client mentions: "Professional and personal values of Igor Svechkar make the client stick to his practice, receiving timely comprehensive professional advice with friendliness and rapport."
Asters' Dispute Resolution practice receives a lot of feedback with the most representative as follows:
- "The team is very responsive with a sufficient number of lawyers with different expertise who can cope with different and urgent requests."
- "The team is extremely helpful and reliable and revert quickly on all questions we have on Ukrainian law and the pending investigation."
- "The team is excellent and strongest in the market."
Co-Managing Partners Oleksiy Didkovskiy and Serhii Sviriba are in the Hall of Fame, Partner Markiyan Kliuchkovskyi is ranked as Leading Individual together with recently promoted Counsel Serhiy Dusanovsky ranked as Rising Star.
Ranked as Tier 1, Employment practice is characterised as "The team is of high quality, timewise, expert and innovative and provides creative legal support." The ranking highlights the achievements of Partner Vadym Samoilenko (Leading Individual) and Counsel Inesa Letych (Next Generation Partner). Describing cooperation with Inesa, a client says: "Inesa Letych is a truly remarkable and well-rounded lawyer who is intimately aware of local employment and labour regulation, both from a theoretical perspective and from the viewpoint of prevalent employer practices in her jurisdiction. Her knowledge encompasses substantive and procedural aspects of employment law. Her strongest point probably is litigation: frequent and prompt updates, well-identified decision points, valuable strategic advice, practical management of disputes."
Energy practice is recognized as Tier 1 for its "very professional individuals with deep skills assembled ineffective teams for specific assignments." Three key Energy team members Senior Partner Armen Khachaturyan, Partner Yaroslav Petrov are ranked as Leading Individuals and Counsel Anzhelika Livitska is ranked as Next Generation Partner. Clients say:
- "Yaroslav Petrov is creative, entrepreneurial and reliable – an unusual combination."
- "Senior Partner Armen Khachaturyan has deep expertise, knowledge of the energy industry and tremendous ability to make the right strategic decisions."
Asters' Tier 1 International Trade practice "… is regarded as one of the tops in Ukraine, which is well deserved." Partner Gleb Bialyi is a Leading Individual, Counsel Anton Sintsov is a Next Generation Partner. Clients say:
- "Asters international trade practice has a strong track record in the field. The lawyers have cross-departmental specialisation covering competition law, customs law and FDI, along with trade law. This helps the team to come up with certainly valuable solutions throughout the case. They are also successful in integrating marketing research and GR-related initiatives into the project’s strategy."
- "The team works extremely well under time pressure and in stressful situations, which was particularly important for our project during the invasion of Ukraine."
Giving feedbacks, clients often mention strong expertise of Partner Oleksiy Pustovit who is "a skilful manager, he definitely knows how to build bridges with clients, stakeholders, and colleagues."
Clients trust Asters' Private Clients' team because "they always keep your affairs under control and perform all tasks very carefully and responsibly. When I delegate my legal problems or questions to them, I’m sure that everything will be resolved. The team gives a sense of calmness, and it is one of the main advantages." Partner Constantin Solyar is ranked as Leading Individual. Practice Co-Head and Partner Talina Kravtsova is also mentioned. Clients say:
- "Talina Kravtsova is client-oriented and creative. She proposed a very interesting and unusual strategy to deal with my issue. My litigation was successful and fast-going thanks to her advice."
- "I would like to highlight Talina Kravtsova. She acted professionally and wisely during mediation process with opponents. She is very charismatic and tactful at the same time. After negotiations with her involvement, I’ve got much better conditions than I initially expected. She has deep knowledge of legislation."
Real Estate and Construction practice is ranked as Tier 1 and is considered as "… a very reliable partner in all negotiations. The consultations were always constructive and efficient. I enjoy working with this firm." Partner Oleg Boichuk and Counsel Anzhelika Livitska are Leading Individuals in this field, Partner Roman Kostenko is included into Hall of Fame.
Tax practice receives Tier 1 for "… expertise from international markets combined with deep knowledge of local matters." Partner Constantin Solyar is ranked as Leading Individual.
Expertise of White-Collar Crime practice is highly appreciated by The Legal500 EMEA being ranked as Tier 1 together with its Partner Sergiy Grebenyuk (Leading Individual) and Counsel Orest Stasiuk (Next Generation Partner). A client says: "I would like to highlight Sergiy Grebenyuk, Partner and Volodymyr Boriak, Senior Associate, for their dedication and involvement in cases for the benefit of clients. They use every opportunity to achieve progress and success for their clients."
The Legal500 EMEA researches law firms and lawyers across 80 countries. It surveys clients to obtain feedback on which law firms best serve the needs of in-house counsel and business leaders.
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Asters is the largest full-service law firm in Ukraine with offices in Kyiv, Brussels, London, and Washington, D.C. The firm has access to over 125 jurisdictions through a well-developed network of partner law firms. Asters and its lawyers consistently receive recognition by the leading international rankings, namely Chambers & Partners, The Legal 500 EMEA, IFLR1000, GAR1000, GCR100, The Lawyer, Best Lawyers, Who’s Who Legal.
