Aequo

The firm: Aequo is one of Ukraine’s top law firms serving industry leaders in transactional and dispute resolution matters.

The list of Aequo’s representative clients includes leading Ukrainian and international companies and organizations, such as Amazon, Allianz, ArcelorMittal, AXA, Bunge, Commerzbank, Corteva, Darnitsa, Discovery Networks, Dr. Reddy's, DuPont, EFSE, European Commission, Facebook, Forbes, GlaxoSmithKline, Google, IFC, Inditex, Instagram, Kernel, Nova Poshta, Novo Nordisk, OLX, Philips, Posco International, ProCredit Bank, Schenker, Samsung, Sandvik, Synthon, Thomson Reuters, UniCredit, Vodafone, Zara.

Aequo has been named Ukraine Law Firm of the Year by Chambers Europe Awards 2022, the Most Innovative Law Firm of the Year in Ukraine by IFLR Europe Awards 2018, and one of the most innovative law firms in Europe according to the FT Innovative Lawyers 2015-2022.

Areas of practice

Antitrust and competition:

We are a fully-fledged competition practice. Our team leader has unparalleled experience in developing the authority’s practice while serving as the state commissioner. We are regularly retained when the matter is complicated or when the timing of merger clearance is of the essence. Often our advice leads to the regulator dropping investigations against our clients without any charges.

Banking and finance:

If you are involved in banking and lending, pragmatic and commercial results are a priority. Our team is known for its superb business acumen, broad expertise, its innovative approach and versatility. We are at the forefront of the industry and able to navigate you through Ukraine’s ever-changing regulatory climate.

Capital markets:

A key strength of our practice is the ability to deliver international standards of service with a wealth of Ukrainian expertise. We speak the same business language as our clients and clearly understand their needs – whether we are dealing with clients involved in their first-ever IPO on the world’s major stock exchanges, or international financial institutions considering sophisticated financing of Ukrainian businesses.

Corporate/M&A:

We are constantly engaged in helping our clients at every stage of their businesses’ life cycles. We also assist with sector-specific compliance challenges in regulated industries. We are known for developing corporate laws in Ukraine and are leading experts on how to apply them commercially. Our corporate lawyers are the true innovators in this area. Also, we have proven expertise in all aspects of transactions. We work on deals for local corporates, multinationals and private equity funds. Our team is known for excellent strategic planning and tactical outpacing when managing the deal-making process. We stand apart from other Ukrainian law firms in that we have strong English law capability.

Dispute resolution:

We have acted for major international and local companies in a wide range of market-highlight and complex precedent-setting cases in Ukrainian courts and at international arbitration tribunals.
The cornerstones of our expertise are daily trial practice, strong local and cross-border case management skills, combined private practice, government and legal academia background of our team members, and commercial value-oriented approach.
On top of extensive dispute resolution practice, our team members also authored and co-authored some key Ukrainian acts on judiciary, litigation and international arbitration.

Energy and natural resources:

Our energy and natural resources group advises on every tier of the energy industry and has a particular understanding and experience in the oil and gas, conventional power and renewables sectors. Our clients benefit from our unique insight into rapidly evolving sectoral regulations in liberalised domestic energy markets, along with our successful track record of assisting high-profile clients with market-shaping deals and landmark disputes.

Government relations:

When solving complex business problems, strong governmental relation advice can increase your chances of success. Our experts can help with navigating a highly regulated business environment and leveraging relationships with key stakeholders – community, industry and government leaders. Our aim is to ensure that our clients' views are given due consideration in the public policy debate at the proper time.

Intellectual property:

We have dealt with the most high-profile and landmark IP cases protecting the interests of national leaders and international corporate giants. The practice’s position is unique thanks to an unparalleled combination of prosecution and litigation experience. Our team leaders have unmatched experience developing IP-related regulations while serving as public officers.

Labour and employment:

advising clients on employment contracts and agreements, employment permits, redundancy and dismissal of staff, responsibilities of employers and trade union law.

Real estate and construction:

Our real estate practice group focuses on all aspects of construction, development, real estate acquisition and property management. We have successfully handled many notable property transactions in Kyiv and regions all over Ukraine, having represented major corporations, financial institutions and PE funds. We stand apart from other Ukrainian law firms in that we have both legal and land management expertise, which is greatly valued by our clients.

Tax and customs:

Our expertise in tax and customs covers both counselling and litigation. You can rely on us when you need rulings on ambiguous tax and customs regulations, due diligence checks in M&A deals, tax advice for commercial or financing transactions, or when you seek support during audit procedures by tax and customs authorities. We help with multi-jurisdictional tax planning, transfer pricing, CFC rules compliance and group restructurings. We stand behind our tax or customs-related recommendations and successfully defend our clients against any unlawful claims by the domestic fiscal bodies.