Clifford Chance is to add to its highly successful Central and Eastern European offices by opening an office in Kiev in response to the growing demand for legal services in the Ukraine from both regional and international clients. The office will open later this year, initially offering international execution facilities while local capacity is built up. Over time it is expected that the office capabilities will grow to provide a full-service operation for clients in the region.

Central and Eastern Europe managing partner Michael Cuthbert commented 'Our new office in Kiev will enable us to handle the increasingly large volumes of work in the region, strengthen existing regional client relationships, and extend our ability to serve global clients as they expand into growth markets. A presence in Kiev will also help to develop further our successful Central and Eastern Europe operation, which is the leading legal practice in the region and one of the fastest-growing regions for the firm.'

The Kiev office will be managed by Nick Fletcher, currently managing partner of the Clifford Chance office in Warsaw. In addition to local lawyers, a team of four Ukrainian real estate lawyers and Tomasz Stasiak, counsel from the firm's Warsaw office, will relocate to Kiev.

Clifford Chance has had a presence in the region since 1991 when the office in Moscow was established. The regional presence has grown since to comprise 34 partners and over 170 lawyers in offices in Moscow, Warsaw, Prague, Budapest and Bucharest.

ENDS

For further information about this release contact Anne Groves on +44 (0)20 7006 1470 or Anna Ward on + 44 (0)20 7006 2988.