EQUITY

EQUITY lawyers provide comprehensive advice on how to reduce business risks associated with intellectual property of a company and how to improve the efficiency and profitability of the portfolio of underlying assets.

Our services include legal support to clients in the phase of creation, operation and transfer of intellectual property rights, including:

• registration of intellectual property;
• drafting license agreements, franchise schemes, sponsorship agreements;
• support in the transfer of exclusive rights in intellectual property within M&A agreements;
• resolution of disputes in the domain of intellectual property regarding patents, commercial signs, copyright, database rights, as well as confidential information.

In addition, the company is building a complex system of protection of intellectual property and of management of portfolio of related assets.

The EQUITY team includes the best specialists in the domain of land relations. Numerous Ukrainian and foreign companies entrusted to us their projects in real estate and land law. Lawyers of our company can boast of expertise and experience in solving complex issues, many of which are unique in the history of independent Ukraine (for example, a project to build Ukraine's first trans-regional pipeline).

In particular, EQUITY lawyers provide the following services within the practice area of land law:

• legal support of registration of land rights for mining companies and other industrial companies;
• protection of land rights of legal entities and individuals in courts of various jurisdictions;
• legal support of development of urban planning documentation of districts, villages and towns.
• the team of lawyers who specialize in land law is headed by Vyacheslav Kraglevych, a partner.

Recognition:

• EQUITY was recommended in Land Use and Zoning Law practice, Real Estate practice, Best Lawyers 2022
• EQUITY was recommended in Energy and Infrastructure law, IFLR 1000 2018-2016

Working with troubled assets, particularly within the framework of insolvency and restructuring is one of the key practice areas dealt with by EQUITY lawyers. We advise and represent clients in negotiations on restructuring loans and changing terms of security. We develop comprehensive strategies combining judicial and extra-judicial methods, conduct difficult negotiations on debt restructuring, in particular, in the process of supporting of insolvency proceedings.

Simultaneously, this practice is not limited to advising lenders, but also includes advising debtors as to restructuring their debts. In particular, we provide an effective protection of clients’s interests in the following areas:

• recovery of bad debts;
• restructuring of debt;
• insolvency proceedings, including the defense of creditors' rights in courts;
• development and implementation of a rehabilitation plan;
• development and implementation of a plan for moving an insolvent banks of the market;
• criminal proceedings relating to insolvency;
• judicial restructuring - beyond insolvency proceedings.

Recognition:

• EQUITY - TOP-1 in bankruptcy practice, Market leaders 2023
• EQUITY - TOP-1 in bankruptcy, TOP-50 Law Firm in Ukraine 2022-2021
• EQUITY is recognized in bankruptcy and restructuring, Chambers Europe 2022-2016
• EQUITY  is noted in Restructuring and Insolvency, IFLR 1000 2022
• EQUITY - TOP-3 in the practice of debt restructuring, Leaders of the Market 2019
• EQUITY - law firm of the year in bankruptcy, Legal Awards 2021, 2019, 2016
• EQUITY - TOP-3 in bankruptcy practice, Market leaders 2021-2019
• EQUITY - TOP-2 in bankruptcy practice, ULF 2022-2018: a Handbook For Foreign Clients
• EQUITY - is recommended in bankruptcy and restructuring, Legal 500 EMEA 2020-2018
• Bankruptcy disputes, which were accompanied by EQUITY lawyers, were included in the TOP-50 largest litigations in Ukraine in 2021 according to the publishing house "Legal Practice"

«Ukrainian dispute resolution heavyweight EQUITY is highly-experienced in dealing with distressed assets. The firm possesses a strong track record in insolvency litigation, banking resolution, non-performing loans (NPLs). The firm is a long-standing legal counsel for large industrial-financial groups, financial companies, and accompanied high-profile bankruptcies in various sectors of the economy with the participation of leaders of the banking sector in Ukraine». (ULF 2022: a Handbook For Foreign Clients)

Dispute resolution has become an integral part of our legal practice, bringing together more than 50 lawyers and lawyers with different sectoral specialization. Based on the experience and knowledge of our lawyers in the practices of corporate law, banking and finance law, tax law, criminal law, competition law, bankruptcy, labor law and intellectual property, we develop and implement effective Litigation strategies for legal disputes of the following categories:

• debt collection disputes;
• corporate disputes;
• tax disputes and disputes on other administrative matters;
• contractual disputes (sale, rent, lease, etc.);
• rehabilitation and insolvency;
• privatization disputes;
• disputes over intellectual property rights;
• disputes in real estate and construction.

Meanwhile, EQUITY law firm is aimed at achieving a comprehensive outcome: we secure not only a positive decision of the court, but also its enforcement.

Recognition:

• EQUITY  - TOP-1 in Litigation, Leaders of the Market 2021, 2023
• EQUITY  - TIER 2 in Litigation, Legal 500 2023-2022, TIER 3 in Litigation, Legal 500 2021
• EQUITY  - TOP-1 in Litigation, TOP-50 Law Firm in Ukraine 2022-2020
• EQUITY  - TOP-2 in Litigation, ULF 2021: A Handbook For Foreign Clients, TOP-3 in Litigation, ULF 2020: A Handbook For Foreign Clients
• EQUITY  - law firm of the year in Litigation, Legal Awards 2020
• EQUITY  - noted in Litigation by Benchmark Litigation
• EQUITY is recognized in Litigation, Chambers Europe 2020, 2019, 2018, 2017

«EQUITY, a Ukrainian dispute resolution one-stop-shop, boasts a solid track record of complex high stake domestic and multijurisdictional disputes, with additional support from white-collar crime attorneys. The team is a constant legal counsel for big domestic industrial heavyweights and business groups, as well as high net worth individuals. The litigation practice stands out for its strength in debt recovery and enforcement, insolvency disputes and non-performing loans enforcement». (ULF 2022: A Handbook For Foreign Clients)

Corporate law is one of the key practices of our company within which we provide services of formation, reorganization, liquidation of legal entities, as well as represent shareholders’ interests in resolving corporate disputes. Lawyers of our company are actively involved  in M&A, carry out transactions in stock exchange markets, including the IPO.

EQUITY specialists enjoy impeccable  reputation as professional advisers on corporate law issues, including:

• preparation of corporate documents (articles of association, shareholder agreements, local regulations);
• development and optimization of corporate governance structure;
• legal due diligence;
• formation of legal entities, including that in foreign jurisdictions;
• support of joint ventures and investments;
• reorganization of legal entities;
• liquidation of legal entities;
• protection of shareholders' rights, including that using integrated legal strategies;
• preparation for the placement of financial instruments;
• advising on labor, financial and contract law.

Our lawyers have a unique experience of creation of corporate management structures in major companies, including participation in the main listing at London Stock Exchange, defense of shareholders' rights, including appeals of ownership of large stakes in leading companies of Ukraine, the appeal of privatization auctions and purchase of corporate rights of companies in different jurisdictions in Europe and Asia.

Recognition:

• EQUITY was recommended in Corporate and M&A, Best Lawyers 2022 
• EQUITY was recommended in Corporate and M&A, The Legal 500 EMEA 2016

One of the advantages of EQUITY is the availability of highly skilled team of lawyers - experts on criminal law matters in the area of ​​economic and service activities ( «White-Collar Crime»). Since its foundation of our Company in 2002, our lawyers have gained an unparalleled experience in client protection in criminal proceedings.

The practice of criminal law covers the following services:

• legal due diligence of internal procedures, agreements and other legally significant actions for compliance with the requirements of the criminal legislation of Ukraine;
• representation of clients’ interests in bodies of pre-trial investigation, including appeal of actions of an investigating body, prosecutor, or judge;
• acting as a counsel in the courts of all instances;
• representation of clients in international criminal courts.

During the years of practice our lawyers have defended the interests of more than 100 officials of enterprises in various fields of business.

Recognition:

• EQUITY - TOP-1 in Criminal Practice, White-Collar Crime and Business Protection, Market Leaders 2023
• EQUITY - TIER-1 in White-Collar Crime, Legal 500 2023-2022
• EQUITY - TOP-1 in Criminal practice, TOP-50 leading law firms in Ukraine 2022-2021
• EQUITY is recognized in Criminal Defence, Best Lawyers 2022
• EQUITY - ТОР-1 in Criminal Law and White-Collar Crime, Leaders of the Market 2021
• EQUITY - TOP-3 in Criminal practice / White-Collar Crime, ULF 2022-2021: A Handbook For Foreign Clients
• EQUITY - company of the year in the practice of Criminal Law, Legal Awards 2021
• EQUITY is recognized in the field of White-Collar Crime, Chambers Europe 2020
• EQUITY is company of the year in practice of White-Collar Crime, Legal Awards 2020

«The dispute resolution heavyweight EQUITY possesses an impressive portfolio of landmark representations of officials from the government sector and business leaders, as well as business owners. In 2021 the firm launched a new sub-practice called international criminal defense, and represented a famous foreign businessman before the Interpol Control Commission in an appeal process of an Interpol Green Notice». (ULF 2022: A Handbook For Foreign Clients)

«Oleksandr Lysak of EQUITY regularly advises on white-collar crime matters. He represents high-profile clients in matters including alleged misappropriation of funds, fraud and embezzlement». (Chambers 2022)