The Legal 500 2021 recommends Aequo as a TOP-TIER FIRM in ten practice areas
Aequo has been top-ranked in 10 practice areas, by The Legal 500 Europe, Middle East and Africa, namely: Banking, Finance and Capital Markets; Commercial, Corporate and M&A; Competition; Dispute Resolution; Energy; Intellectual Property; International Trade; Private client; Real Estate and Construction; and Tax.
A total of 23 Aequo’s lawyers are mentioned by Legal 500 EMEA for their standout contribution to respective practices.
Managing partner Denis Lysenko, partners Anna Babych and Yulia Kyrpa are listed in the Hall of Fame for the second year in a row. This award highlights individuals who are "at the pinnacle of the profession".
Partners Pavlo Byelousov and Sergey Denisenko are listed in the elite "Leading lawyers" group.
Counsels Bohdan Dmukhovskyy, Oksana Krasnokutskaya, Denis Kulgavyi, Michael Lukashenko, and Myroslava Savchuk are listed in the "Next Generation Partners" group.
Counsel Vasyl Mishchenko and senior associates Yevgen Blok, Mykhaylo Soroka and Oleksandr Tereshchenko are named Rising stars.
According to directory, Banking, Finance and Capital Markets’ practice team has ‘excellent knowledge of local law and practice in Ukraine financial markets, and are incredibly responsive and detailed'. The firm frequently handles first-of-their-kind finance transactions and works with leading international financial institutions, banks, and borrowers. A practice head Yulia Kyrpa has been inducted in an inaugural Hall of Fame. Sources praise her creativity, thoroughness, and intelligence. ‘She understands both the local legal market in Ukraine and the global legal market, and advise in each vernacular equally well, and appropriately. She took time to understand our business’, client says. Other notes that Aequo’s ‘lawyers possess deep knowledge and extensive experience.’ Of counsel Denis Kulgavyi has been named the Next Generation Partner.
Commercial, Corporate and M&A practice continues to build on its impressive client base for cross-border and high-value matters. ‘Aequo's team provides a high-quality legal product tailored to the needs of the project', the directory emphasizes. Clients praise its 'excellent technical knowledge’, ‘passion about projects’, and ‘an exceptional client-oriented approach'. According to the research, ‘the group is well-versed in sophisticated cross-border M&A, and frequently acts for large corporates, and private equity houses.’ Clients describe a head of practice Anna Babych as ‘extremely hardworking, talented, strategic and easy to work with. She is one the most prominent M&A professionals.’ Anna and Denis Lysenko have been selected for the Hall of Fame in this practice area. While counsel Michael Lukashenko and of counsel Oksana Krasnokutskaya have been named the Next Generation Partners.
A Competition practice ‘has built up a strong roster of domestic and international clients’, the directory notes. Aequo’s wide-ranging workload includes merger control, cartels, and abuse of dominance investigations, as well as advice on compliance. The research has highlighted the leading role of a founding partner Mariya Nizhnik, who has re-joined Aequo in late 2020. Managing partner Denis Lysenko, partner Sergey Denisenko, who is listed among Leading individuals, and senior associate Yevgen Blok, ranked as a Rising star, ‘also feature prominently in the practice’.
Aequo’s Dispute resolution team, which is one of the largest in Ukraine, is 'highly professional and dedicated to the client's goals,' according to the directory. The firm is frequently involved in high-value cross-border disputes, including landmark international arbitration cases and high-profile energy disputes. It acts for major clients in key industry sectors such as agribusiness, energy and natural resources, pharmaceuticals, and financial services. Clients praise the lawyers have for their ‘deep educational background and extensive expertise, experience in Ukrainian courts. The deliver client service, confidentiality, and an understanding of our industry. They are proactive.’ Practice heads Denis Lysenko and Pavlo Byelousov 'truly take ownership of the case'. Pavlo has been recognized as Leading individual, while counsel Myroslava Savchuk is named the Next generation partner. Counsel Yevgen Levitskyi is recommended, sources describe him as ‘a strong professional and an experienced and absolutely reliable attorney.’
Aequo has been top ranked in Intellectual Property. It has ‘a first-rate IP offering’, the directory notices, and adds that ‘the firm handles the full range of contentious IP work, as well as advising on IP registration and portfolio management.’ Clients praise Aequo’s IP team for its ‘excellence’ and ‘exceptional attention to detail. They quickly grasp the instructions and are very passionate about the work.’ The directory recommends co-heads of practice, counsels Nataliya Dryuk and Tetiana Kudrytska, a head of IT practice counsel Mykyta Polatayko, of counsel Mykola Kovinya, as well as a senior patent attorney Nataliia Nesterenko and senior associate Alina Podolyak.
Aequo’ multidisciplinary Private Client practice encompasses family law, disputes, philanthropy, art, estate planning, immigration, tax planning, reputation management and real estate transactions, among other matters. Source says, the firm demonstrates 'high standards of decision-making and impeccable professional ethics'. Another source noticed Anna Babych, who leads the practice alongside Denis Lysenko, has 'both a great sense of business acumen and outstanding legal expertise'. They are ably supported by counsels Oksana Krasnokutskaya and Vasyl Mishchenko, who garner praise from clients and have been named the Next Generation Partner and a Rising star, respectively.
Aequo has ‘strong knowledge of Ukrainian energy markets, the gas market in particular', and it has 'some of the deepest experience in the field out of all Ukrainian law firms', sources say. Its work spans major projects in the oil and gas, power, nuclear and renewable energy sectors. The energy and natural resources practice, led by Denis Lysenko and Anna Babych, ‘draws together expertise from the firm's finance, litigation, corporate, regulatory, and tax groups.’ Litigators Pavlo Byelousov and Myroslava Savchuk are heavily involved in energy matters, the directory notes. Clients praise Pavlo’s ‘sharp strategic mind’ and his ‘focus on the issues that truly matter to a case’. Myroslava is described by a client as ‘a hard worker and a strong English-language writer’.
A top-ranked Real Estate and Construction practice is consistently involved in high-value transactions. Also, it handles the real estate aspects of large M&A transactions, as well as real estate finance, distressed asset sales, litigation, and development projects. ‘The specific of regulations and court practice make the real estate and construction practice in Ukraine unique,’ a client says. Source praise a team head Yulia Kyrpa for ‘good attention to detail’. She has been named a Leading individual. While counsel Bohdan Dmukhovskyy and senior associate Mykhaylo Soroka have been recognized as the Next generation partner and a Rising star, respectively.
International Trade practice has gained an impressive recognition. According to the directory, Aequo has 'a very strong international outlook and the ability to give clear and operational advice without too many caveats. The firm has an excellent reputation for trade remedies, customs and tax matters, export control, sanctions, and cross-border distribution agreements.’ A significant amount of its recent work has focused on anti-dumping and safeguard investigations, as part of its prominent presence in trade defence matters. Denis Lysenko, Anna Babych and a senior associate Oleksandr Tereshchenko are praised for their 'high standards of decision-making and impeccable professional ethics'. Denis and Anna have been recognized as Leading individuals in International Trade, while Oleksandr has been named a Rising star.
In Tax area Aequo ‘is efficient, competent, and helpful in all aspects,' the directory emphasizes. Clients praise the 'in-depth knowledge and highly professional attitude' of the team, led by Denis Lysenko. It assists major banking and corporate clients on transactional tax projects, as well as advises on customs, wealth management, litigation, and cross-border tax structuring. It has particular expertise in tax issues in the retail, finance, agriculture, consumer goods and energy sectors. The research highlights an increasingly important role of Vasyl Mishchenko and names him a Rising star. Counsel Myroslava Savchuk is recommended for contentious tax matters.
For more than 30 years, The Legal 500 has been analysing the capabilities of law firms across the world, with a comprehensive research programme revised and updated every year to bring the most up-to-date vision of the global legal market. The Legal 500 assesses the strengths of law firms in over 100 jurisdictions. The ranking is based on a series of criteria, highlighting the practice area teams who are providing the most cutting edge and innovative advice to corporate counsel. The research is based on feedback from 300,000 clients worldwide, submissions from law firms and interviews with leading private practice lawyers, and a team of researchers who have unrivalled experience in the legal market.