Clifford Chance
For over 30 years, Clifford Chance has been deeply engaged with Ukraine, fostering strong relationships with key businesses, regulatory bodies, and local law firms.
Since 1991, Clifford Chance has been at the forefront of advising on Ukrainian transactions, demonstrating our long-standing commitment to supporting the Ukrainian economy. Our long-standing presence has provided us a deep understanding of the local business culture and legal landscape, allowing us to offer a service that is legally sound and commercially aware. We have profound experience and strong relationships with the leading local law firms while working with our international and local clients on some of the most important and complex transactions in the market.
Following the Russian full-scale invasion, Clifford Chance has been among the first firms to leave Russia. Our team has been advising clients and started regularly travelling to Ukraine in August 2022 to support our international and local clients. Our team members provide pro bono legal advice to organizations assisting those affected by the war and engage in fundraising activities and donations to support humanitarian efforts.
Global Ukraine Group
Since August 2022, a dedicated team, Global Ukraine Group, initially co-led by the former managing partner of our Kyiv office, Jared Grubb, and our Special Counsel, Olga Hamama, started regularly travelling to Kyiv and Lviv to meet our clients from the public and private sector and have a first-hand understanding of challenges and solutions needed. Systematic and global approach of the Global Ukraine Group, building upon the firm's previous expertise and presence in Ukraine, provides Clifford Chance with an exceptional strategic advantage when it comes to supporting clients' Ukraine-related activities in the extremely challenging geopolitical context.
The Global Ukraine Group consists of the leading experts in all key areas of law, including international and European law, infrastructure projects, M&A, finance, construction, sanctions and disputes, spanning across the country's most critical industry sectors, such as banking, energy and resources, technology, insurance and defence. This dedicated team has extensive experience of representing the government and public-sector bodies, Ukrainian and international businesses, financial institutions, developers, funds and investors in a range of Ukraine-related matters.
Clifford Chance had an office in Kyiv from 2008 till 2015. Closing its office in Kyiv in 2015, leading members of the local team transferred to then established law firm Redcliffe Partners, whom Clifford Chance has been closely cooperating with, as well as with other leading law firms in Ukraine.
A selection of our solutions and expertise
- Project finance and restructuring
- Energy and infrastructure projects
- EU integration and regulatory advice
- Insurance
- Investment arbitration
- Recovery of damages
Recent highlights
- Advising EBRD and IFC on the landmark financing of the acquisition and merger of Lifecell, Ukraine’s third-largest mobile operator, and Datagroup-Volia, a leading provider of fixed broadband and PayTV services;
- Invest International on a €27 million loan to leading Ukrainian construction material company Kovalska Group;
- IFC and EBRD in connection with a USD 74 million senior secured loan to MV Cargo LLC for the greenfield development of an oil and vegetable terminal in Yuzhny seaport in Ukraine;
- Straco BVBA (Belgium) in connection with the acquisition of the Ukrainian subsidiaries of Greenyard NV engaged in the mycoculture business;
- FMO, Green for Growth Fund and the Norwegian Guarantee Institute for Export Credits (GIEK) with respect to financing of the construction, maintenance and operation of a 54 MWp solar PV plant in Bohuslav, Kyiv region;
- J.P. Morgan, EBRD and other lenders on providing of an up to EUR 262 million financing to SyvashEnergyProm for the construction of 250 MW wind farm in Ukraine sponsored by NBT AS and Total Eren.
Directory and client comments
- Clifford Chance receives 15 awards at the IFLR Europe Awards 2025 IFLR Europe Awards 2025
- Clifford Chance achieves 66 Band 1 rankings in Chambers Europe 2025 Chambers Europe 2025
- Clifford Chance named 'International Law Firm of the Year' IFLR Europe Awards 2024
- Clifford Chance retains top spot in Chambers Europe 2024 rankings: more Band 1 rankings than any other firm Chambers Europe 2024
- Clifford Chance named 'Law Firm of the Year for Dispute Resolution' JUVE Awards 2024
Pro Bono
We also provide pro bono legal advice to organisations assisting those affected by the war and engage in fundraising activities to support humanitarian efforts in the region. Clifford Chance committed US$1.7m to support humanitarian efforts in response to the Russian invasion of Ukraine in February 2022 and offices and regions pledged an additional US$274k. Some of the organisations that we supported include:
- UNHCR, International Red Cross, Save the Children Romania, People in Need in the Czech Republic to support urgent humanitarian response and provide support to displaced people;
- Ukrainian House and the Association for Legal Intervention to provide support to displaced people in Poland, including with obtaining legal residency and connect to medical, social and housing services;
- Hope and Homes for Children to prevent families and children displaced by the war from being separated and to create the conditions for a better child protection system after the war;
- Save the Children to provide social enterprises and purpose-driven women-led businesses that are focused on rebuilding and restoring Ukraine with loans, grants and mentoring and pro bono support;
- United for Ukraine Association to launch its Economic Recovery Platform to enable angel-donor funding to small and medium-sized enterprises as means to restart economic growth and jumpstart recovery in communities across Ukraine;
- The Free Courts Association in Poland to assist Ukrainians who are bringing claims at the European Court of Human Rights against the Russian government in connection with human rights violations committed by Russian forces;
- Foundation RTL Wir helfen Kindern e.V. towards funding a project to open twelve day centres providing psychological, socio-educational, financial and educational support to 5,400 orphans in Ukraine.
