Ukrainian business has lived through various crisis situations over the last decades. However, this one is, without doubt, the most serious test for resilience which we have ever seen. It has therefore shaped the demand for legal services accordingly. Almost all major businesses were forced to go through corporate & financial restructuring, downsizing and adoption of new business models, as well as to revise their supply chains, customer & distribution channels, look for new markets and business opportunities abroad.
Timur holds an active civic position and puts efforts to raise awareness on the war-related issues by assisting in raising funds to support the Ukrainian army and refugees. Timur evacuated a large part of his staff to Lviv and started to support public and private clients, who have suffered material war-caused damage, with their future international claims against russia.
Already at this stage we see numerous serious requests from both public & private sectors related to future rebuilding of Ukraine. We are confident that services provided by major diversified law firms will be very much in demand in the new post-war Ukraine. Property & Construction, Public-Private Partnership, Project Finance, Capital Markets, M&A, Employment, International & Domestic Tax and other expertise will be in great demand in the years to come. Needless to say, that significant emphasis will be in the area of damages, russia will have to pay for all crimes & atrocities committed in Ukraine and this process will keep lawyers from all over the world very much busy for the next decade or two.
The post-war legal services market will most probably look very much different since not all existing players will survive the war. Having said this, those firms, which will be able to swiftly adopt and adjust themselves to the new reality, and therefore survive the war, will be the actual winners. I believe that the world will be very much interested in a new and strong Ukraine. New / old foreign investments will arrive, market shares in all sectors of the economy will be redistributed, new strong players will emerge in every industry and we will see the economy growing dramatically. This will require proper legal support, which shall be provided according to the best international standards.