U.S.-Ukraine Business Council (USUBC) Project: White Paper on Legal and Governance Reform in Ukraine: Strategic Priorities / Business and Economic Sector
For more than three years the USUBC Legal Committee, composed of international and local law firms and in-house counsel of the USUBC corporate members, has carried out an on-going pro bono project on the White Paper on Legal and Governance Reform in Ukraine: Strategic Priorities / Business and Economic Sector. The previous editions of the White Paper were prepared in cooperation with various distinguished organizations and experts. In 2017 we are working on the Third Edition of the White Paper - this time jointly with the newly established UkraineInvest (Ukraine Investment Promotion Office), an independent institution tasked with substantially improving the ease of doing business in Ukraine and promoting Ukraine globally.

The White Paper editions, and the conferences that follow each release, indeed made a substantive contribution to the reform process in Ukraine: many of our ideas have been reflected in the reform agenda of the Supreme Rada, the Cabinet of Ministers and Presidential Administration, have been cited in multiple publications and at conferences, and were relied upon by the civic society, business community, think-tanks, international institutions, diplomatic community, and many other stakeholders.

The White Paper has always focuses on the systemic high-level view of the entire reform process in two aspects: fundamental and key sectors. In preparing the First and Second Edition of the White Paper we made our reform proposals based on the analytical approach. For the Third Edition, however, we agreed to work from the practical angle first, in cooperation with UkraineInvest, later summarizing this practical experience in combination with analytical thinking in the White Paper. As our work progresses, more information about the Third Edition of the White Paper will be posted at Legal Reforms Publications

The Second Edition of the White Paper was presented at the second Conference on Legal and Governance Reform on 30 October 2015 at the Kyiv School of Economics (KSE). Approximately 100 representatives of the legal, business and diplomatic community, civic society, academia, the Government, the National Bank and the Presidential Administration of Ukraine gathered to discuss the proposed reforms. You may download the White Paper in English and Ukrainian. You may also view the Conference Program in English and Ukrainian. The conference can be watched on YouTube

The First Edition of the White Paper was presented at the first Conference on Legal and Governance Reform on 15 October 2014 at the Kyiv School of Economics. The conference can be watched (starts with 30:30) on https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MDerRFMCKeY. The final Program is available here. The media coverage by Yurydychna Gazeta is available in PDF format here. The English and Ukrainian versions of the White Paper are at USUBC Web site.

ECA (Europe-Caucasus-Asia) Legal Forum

In 2006 our law firm founded the ECA (Europe-Caucuses-Asia) Legal Forum, which has evolved into the main platform in the ECA region for the wide-scale gathering of leading business lawyers, becoming as of 2015 a part of the International Bar Association (IBA).
It was highly symbolic that the first Forum of the new reincarnation - the 2016 IBA Europe-Caucasus-Asia Forum (IBA ECA Forum) - was successfully held in Ukraine, where is started more than ten years ago. On 15-19 June 2016 it brought together over 100 leaders in the legal profession from 27 countries.
The Forum was hosted by Kiev and Lviv, which are among the most exciting cities in Europe, bustling with business and cultural activity.
Detailed information about the IBA ECA Forum 2016 is at
http://www.ibanet.org/Conferences/
conf741.aspx
A video about ECA Forum coming to Ukraine can be watched at
https://vimeo.com/165113825
and a short film summarizing results of the Forum can be watched at
https://vimeo.com/176326210

News Alerts

15 October 2014
Kyiv School of Economics: 1, Ivana Mazepy Str., Kyiv, 01010

U.S.-Ukraine Business Council (USUBC) - Kyiv School of Economics (KSE) Conference on Legal and Governance Reform; Presentation of the USUBS White Paper on Legal Reform

Sponsoring law firms: Asters, Avellum Partners, Clifford Chance, CMS Cameron McKenna, Dentons, DLA Piper Ukraine, KM Partners, RULG-Ukrainian Legal Group, Squire Patton Boggs, Volkov & Partners.

The White Paper on Legal and Governance Reform, which was jointly developed by ten leading law firms on a pro-bono basis in the course of three months, was released on 22 September under the auspices of U.S.-Ukraine Business Council (USUBC). The English and Ukrainian versions of the White Paper are at http://www.usubc.org/site/recent-news/legal-reform-in-ukraine-strategic-priorities Tellingly just three days after the release of the White Paper, President Poroshenko in his first major press-conference on reforms called for total dismantling of the current system, exactly what our White Paper stood for! Indeed it is high time to change both the mind-set and the rhetoric now because the Ukraine story is no longer about the agony of fixing the unfixable, but about building a brand new modern and fair service-based system for Ukrainian citizens and businesses. We are happy to invite you to the half-day conference on 15 October at Kyiv School of Economics (KSE) to discuss the White Paper and the proposed reforms. This will be a half-day conference, starting with lunch at 1 PM, followed by the workshop from 2 to 6 PM, followed by reception. The Program is available at the registration page. Registration for the conference is free of charge, but mandatory. Please register electronically at http://www.kse.org.ua/en/about/kse-news/?newsid=480 The registration will be carried out on the first-come/first-serve basis and space is limited. The registration will close when we reach capacity, but in any event COB 13 October 2014.

For invitation click here

25 March 2013
In February 2013 The Center for International Legal Studies jointly with Juris Publishing Inc. published an update for the book "International Product Liability - 2nd Edition" covering 20 major jurisdictions, including Ukraine, originally issued in 2011.

We are proud that the Ukraine chapter was authored by our Counsel Yaroslav Shkvorets and Iryna Ostapenko, based on product liability legislation as of 1 May 2012. They also authored the chapter regarding Ukraine for the original version of the book. The text includes a discussion on such matters as theories of liability, contractual and non-contractual liability, choice of law and form, defenses, proximate cause, liability of others in the chain of distribution, remedies, obligations to recall, disclaimers and limitations on remedies, statutes of limitation, liability of corporate successors, role of insurance in product liability matters, and the role of the court and attorneys.

You can order electronic and loose-leaf versions of the book here.

The Chapter regarding Ukraine can be downloaded from our site here.

5 March 2013
Irina Paliashvili's Article "Overview of Ukraine’s Legal Regime for Upstream Oil & Gas Sector in 2012-2013"

The period of 2012 - the beginning of 2013 has been marked by an avalanche of developments in the upstream sector, culminating on 24 January 2013 in signing the Production Sharing Agreement (“PSA”) with Shell. The signing, which symbolically took place at the World Economic Forum in Davos, signifies a new era in Ukraine’s energy sector ensuring exploration and production of domestic natural resources, most importantly Unconventional Resources (Shale Gas, Tight Gas, Shale Oil, etc.), as well as Black Sea development. A number of PSAs are expected to follow, both for onshore and offshore development.

18 January 2013
Irina Paliashvili’s Op-Ed on Production Sharing Agreements and Unconventionals published in Kyiv Post and is available online
http://www.kyivpost.com/content/business/production-sharing-agreements-vital-to-energy-sector-319003.html or in PDF format.

Our English translation of the latest amended version of Ukraine’s Law "On Production Sharing Agreements" posted at http://www.rulg.com/documents/PSA_Law_2012_Oct16vrs_eng.pdf

10 December 2012
Irina Paliashvili's Article, "Ukraine: Production Sharing Agreement (PSA) Law & Recent Amendments so Important"

What is so special about the Production Sharing Agreements (“PSA”)? Why the PSA Law and the recent Amendments to the PSA Law are so important? The answer is simple: PSA is the most modern, stable and attractive legal and fiscal instrument available to investors in the natural resources sector of Ukraine. Considering Ukraine’s quest for energy independence and diversification, which after 20 years finally seem to evolve from declarations into real actions, this legal instrument is vital for attracting direct foreign investment ("FDI").

23 July 2012
CIS LCN Published Second Edition of CIS Antitrust Guide "Comparative Summary of Antitrust Laws in the CIS Economic Region"
http://www.rulg.com/documents/Antitrust_Guide_CISLCN_2Edition2012.pdf

We are very pleased to announce that CIS Leading Counsel network (LCN) http://www.cislcn.com, in which our law firm represents Ukraine, published the second edition of its popular "Comparative Summary of Antitrust Laws in the CIS Economic Region" (CIS Antitrust Guide).

31 May 2012
We are pleased to share the English and Russian pre-view versions of Dr. Irina Paliashvili’s most recent article on the dynamic developments and new investment projects in the oil & gas upstream sector.

The article will be published in English in OGEL http://www.ogel.org/about-author-a-z-profile.asp?key=593 and in Russian in OilGasLaw Journal/Russia and OilGasLaw Journal/Kazakhstan http://www.lawtek.ru/dossier/persons/28079.html, as well as posted on our website at http://www.rulg.com/publications_resources.asp

Oil & Gas and Production Sharing Agreements have been one of our core practices for twenty years, and we are very pleased that after many years of passive, and sometime hostile, attitude by the Government of Ukraine (“GOU”) towards investment in upstream sector, the developments are moving ahead incredibly fast! In fact so fast that after the article went to publication a week ago, we already need to provide very important updates in this News Alert. Analyzing the latest development in the oil & gas sector Irina observed that it was the most dynamic in the past 20 years: a new, less attractive, regime with expressed preferences for national companies is offered by GOU, but compared to previous years it carries real investment opportunities. Although the traditional Licensing Regime is still suppressed by the archaic and burdensome legal and regulatory regime and the lack of Subsoil Licenses offered by GOU, the Production Sharing Agreements (“PSA”) opportunities are offered at back-to-back tenders.

12 April 2012
CIS LCN to Present a Panel at the ABA International Spring Meeting in New York
http://www2.americanbar.org/calendar/section-of-international-law-2012-sprint-meeting/Pages/default.aspx

We are very pleased to announce that CIS Leading Counsel Network (LCN) http://www.cislcn.com in which our law firm represents Ukraine, on 20 April 2012 is presenting a panel at a very important American Bar Association’s upcoming meeting in New York. This meeting will bring together more than a thousand prominent lawyers from the United States and from all around the world.

14 February 2012
Dr. Irina Paliashvili was the featured guest of the 14 February 2012 issue of Yurydychna Gazeta (Legal Newspaper), a leading legal publication in Ukraine.

Dr. Paliashvili’s interview was devoted to three topics: the CIS Local Counsel Forum as the main platform for legal community in the CIS economic region; recent trends of Ukraine’s legal market and developments in our law practice; and dynamic developments and new investment projects in the oil & gas sector.

1 February 2012
RULG attorneys, Yaroslav Shkvorets and Iryna Ostapenko, author a Chapter concerning Ukraine in International Product Liability - 2nd Edition, a book published by The Center for International Legal Studies jointly with Juris Publishing Inc.

The Ukraine Chapter is based on product liability legislation as of 1 March 2011. It discusses such issues as concepts of manufacturers' liability, contractual and non-contractual liability, choice of law and forum, available defenses and remedies, proximate cause, liability of other persons in the chain of distribution, obligations to recall, disclaimers and limitations on remedies, statutes of limitation, liability of corporate successors, insurance in product liability matters, and other topics.

20 December 2011
Dr. Irina Paliashvili's Comments on the International Bar Association's (IBA) 5th Annual Law Firm Management Conference in Moscow on 24-25 November 2011

RULG President, Dr. Irina Paliashvili, who was a panelist in the main plenary session of this Conference, shares her impression and comments on the 20 years of developing the legal market and professional community in Ukraine and in the broader CIS economic region. This Conference is one of the key annual events for legal practitioners, and it is presented by the IBA Law Firm Management Committee and supported by the IBA European Regional Forum in cooperation with LegalStudies.RU.

Результати 5-ої Ювілейної Міжнародної конференції «Управління Юридичною Фірмою» Міжнародної Асоціації Юристів (IBA)

Президент RULG, Ірина Паліашвілі у Юридичній Газеті поділилась результатами участі у 5-ій Ювілейній Міжнародній конференції «Управління Юридичною Фірмою» Міжнародної Асоціації Юристів (IBA). Конференція проводилась Комітетом IBA Управління Юридичною Фірмою та за підтримки IBA Європейського Регіонального Форуму у співпраці з LegalStudies.RU.

You may read Dr. Paliashvili's comments published in Yurydychna Gazeta, No. 51-52 (294) on 20 December 2011 in Ukrainian and a full version of the comments in English and Russian.

20 December 2011
Mid-Size Law Firms are Better Adaptable to Rapid Changes

RULG Counsel Ms. Lilia Gokieli shares her vision on current trends at Ukraine’s legal market and summarizes the results for our firm of 2011 - which was another busy and successful year - emphasizing the development of new practice areas, such as personal data protection and compliance, as well as active development of our established practice areas, such as oil & gas.

Середні фірми є найбільш пристосованими до швидких змін

Юрист RULG Лілія Гокієлі поділилась власним поглядом стосовно сучасних тенденцій юридичного ринку в умовах економічної кризи та підсумовує результати 2011 року для RULG - Ukrainian Legal Group як вдалого року за багатьма показниками.

You may read Ms. Gokieli's comments published in Yurydychna Gazeta, No. 51-52 (294) on 20 December 2011 in Ukrainian and a full version of the comments in English

14 November 2011

CIS Leading Counsel Network shortlisted for the British Legal Awards 2011 in the category European Legal Team of the Year

Nomination for the prestigious British Legal Awards reflects the outstanding professional level of the CIS Leading Counsel Network (CIS LCN), a pan-CIS network of the leading law firms that demonstrated their excellence advising on the Danone-Unimilk merger.

The British Legal Awards, hosted by a leading British publication Legal Week, set out to recognise the achievements of those law firms, teams and individuals who have performed most successfully during the last year. The shortlist and winners were chosen by an independent panel of judges made up of in-house lawyers, managing and senior partners and other senior business figures.

Egorov Puginsky Afanasiev & Partners (Russia), Vlasova, Mikhel & Partners (Belarus), Aequitas (Kazakhstan), RULG (Ukraine) and FINA (Azerbaijan) provided cross-border legal advice in the course of the Danone - Unimilk merger. Other members of the CIS LCN, namely Kalikova & Associates (Kyrgyzstan), Turcan Cazac (Moldova) and Ameria (Armenia) were also involved in the transaction providing merger control and compliance check in the respective jurisdictions.

"Shortlist for this prominent award is an evident result of our excellent team work which demonstrates highly effective cooperation between the CIS LCN alliance members sharing the same philosophy of professional standards both on the local and international level", said Dimitry Afanasiev, Co-Chair of the CIS LCN, Chairman of Egorov Puginsky Afanasiev & Partners.

CIS Leading Counsel Network – финалист премии British Legal Awards 2011 в категории "Юридическая команда года в Европе"

Номинация на престижную международную премию British Legal Awards 2011 стала заслуженным признанием высокого профессионального уровня объединенной команды ведущих юридических фирм СНГ, входящих в состав сети CIS Leading Counsel Network (CIS LCN) и принимавших участие в сопровождении сделки по слиянию активов Danone и Юнимилк в России и
СНГ.  

10 October 2011
RULG-Ukrainian Legal Group to Extend its International Connections

On 10 October 2011, RULG-Ukrainian Legal Group signed a cooperation memorandum with Cercle Economique France-Ukraine (CEFU), a French non-profit organization.

Cercle Economique France-Ukraine (CEFU) (French-Ukrainian Business Club) is a non-profit organization based in Alsace and Lorraine (France), founded in 1996, and cooperating with small and medium enterprises, government and non-government organizations.

The mission of the organization is to develop and promote business relations between France and Ukraine.

The organization focuses its mission to three directions:
  • Ukrainian market studies;
  • Economic an legal monitoring of Ukrainian market;
  • Organization of university conferences, meetings of the entrepreneurs, small and medium enterprises of the two countries.
For more details about the organization visit CEFU's official Web site in French and in Ukrainian.

23 September 2011
CIS Leading Counsel Network (LCN) to Act as the CIS Partner of International Awards Best Legal Departments - 2011

On October 28, 2011, the Renaissance Monarch Hotel in Moscow will host an awards ceremony of the International Awards Best Legal Departments - 2011. This year CIS Leading Counsel Network (LCN), a network bringing together leading law firms in the CIS, in which RULG represents Ukraine, will act as the contest's partner representing the CIS.

The Best Legal Departments - 2011 is an annual contest organized by leading legal publication The Corporate Lawyer and Wolters Kluwer. It assesses the work of legal departments in various categories. Over the past six years the contest has become the most prestigious professional award in the legal community. This year the contest will be attended not only by Russian nominees but also companies from the CIS countries.

The winners will be selected by the Expert Board members consisting of heads of legal departments, including last year's winners, and partners from the CIS leading law firms.

For more details about the contest please visit the event's web-site.

23 сентября 2011 г
CIS Leading Counsel Network (LCN) выступит партнером международного конкурса "Лучшие юридические департаменты – 2011"

28 октября 2011 года в отеле Renaissance Monarch в Москве состоится торжественная церемония награждения победителей международного конкурса "Лучшие юридические департаменты – 2011". В этом году в качестве СНГ-партнера Конкурса выступит CIS Leading Counsel Network (LCN) – сеть, объединяющая ведущие юридические фирмы в СНГ, в которой RULG представляет Украину.

Конкурс "Лучшие юридические департаменты – 2011", организованный ведущим юридическим изданием "Корпоративный юрист" и компанией Wolters Kluwer, ежегодно отмечает лучшие юридические департаменты в различных категориях. За 6 лет своего существования Конкурс стал самой престижной профессиональной наградой юридического сообщества. В этом году участие в конкурсе принимают не только российские номинанты, но и компании из стран СНГ.

Победителей определят члены Экспертного Совета, в который вошли руководители юридических департаментов, в том числе прошлогодние победители, а также партнеры ведущих юридических фирм СНГ.

С более детальной информацией о Конкурсе можно ознакомиться на сайте мероприятия.

9 August 2011
On September 7th in London The Lawyer, important British legal publication, supported by CIS Leading Counsel Network http://www.cislcn.com will welcome the legal market leaders from the CIS (Commonwealth of Independent States) economic region. The event will offer unique local insight and legal advice on doing business in key jurisdictions across the CIS region. Read it in English and Russian

9 August 2011
We are very pleased to announce that CIS Leading Counsel Network (LCN) http://www.cislcn.com in which our law firm represents Ukraine, was shortlisted for the European Law Firm Network of the Year Award by the prestigious The Lawyer European Awards 2011, which will be held on 28 September 2011 in Geneva

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