Mergers & Acquisitions · Ukraine
Work with a mergers and acquisitions lawyer in Ukraine who reads the deal through local law
Buying, selling or reorganising a business with Ukrainian assets means working inside a codified civil-law system, with its own corporate, registration and court rules. We match you with a specialist who handles transactions of this kind. Comparing your options costs nothing and commits you to nothing.
- Advocates and firms practising Ukrainian corporate and commercial law
- Free matching, no obligation to instruct anyone
- First response usually within 24–48 hours
No charge for matching. You contract directly with the lawyer and agree fees with them.
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The service
How a mergers and acquisitions lawyer in Ukraine supports your transaction
If you are buying or selling a business in Ukraine, or restructuring a group that holds Ukrainian assets, you need a mergers and acquisitions lawyer in Ukraine who reads the deal through local law rather than through borrowed templates. Ukrainian commercial relations sit inside a codified civil-law system, where the Civil Code and the Commercial Code frame how companies are sold, how participating interests change hands and how disputes reach the commercial courts. A specialist can map the target’s obligations, prepare and negotiate the transaction documents, and coordinate the notarial and registration steps that make a transfer enforceable. Our role is narrower: you describe the transaction, we identify a lawyer whose practice actually covers that work, and you decide whether to engage them. Matching is free and the first conversation carries no obligation.
Ukraine in practice
What shapes M&A work under Ukrainian law
Ukraine is a continental civil-law jurisdiction where codified legislation, not judicial precedent, governs the transaction. Below are the practical features that most affect how a Ukrainian acquisition is documented, registered and, if necessary, litigated.
A codified framework, not case law
The legal system rests on the Constitution of 28 June 1996 and on comprehensive codes, including the Civil Code (2003) and the Commercial Code. Courts apply the Constitution and statutes and, where a relationship is not regulated by law, proceed by analogy of statute and analogy of law. Transaction documents therefore have to be drafted to fit written rules, and the Supreme Court’s role is to keep practice uniform rather than to create binding precedent.
Commercial courts and the cassation stage
Deal-related conflicts — unpaid consideration, warranty claims, challenges to corporate decisions — normally travel through the specialised commercial (economic) courts, then appeal, then cassation. Representation before the Supreme Court is reserved exclusively to advocates, and legal entities must also be represented by advocates in the higher instances. That shapes both the litigation budget and the timetable you should plan for.
Who is entitled to act for you
Membership of the Bar is compulsory in order to practise as an attorney (advokat). Candidates need a complete higher legal education, command of the state language and at least two years of legal experience, followed by a qualification exam, a six-month traineeship, the oath and a certificate. Every advocate is entered in the Single Register of Advocates of Ukraine, and advocates of foreign states may practise only under conditions set by the Law on the Bar.
Notarisation and registration in asset deals
Where the transaction includes immovable property — a plant, warehouse, office or apartment — the contract of sale, exchange or gift must be in writing, certified by a notary, and the resulting rights must be registered in the State Register of Real Property Rights. The notary verifies identity, capacity and legality of the transaction, and the agreement is unenforceable without notarisation. Share deals avoid that formality but shift attention to corporate records.
Costs and how fees are set
There are no official statutory tariffs for lawyers’ fees in Ukraine: remuneration is freely agreed in the contract on legal services, with no binding minimum or maximum. If a dispute follows the deal, court fees apply under the Law on Court Fee — for a property claim before a general court a legal entity pays 1.5% of the claim value, within a floor of 1 and a cap of 350 subsistence minimums, a figure set annually by the State Budget Law.
Martial law and procedural time
Martial law has been in force since 24 February 2022 and has been repeatedly extended. Justice continues to be administered, but only by courts established under the Constitution, and neither extraordinary courts nor accelerated proceedings are permitted; where courts cannot operate, jurisdiction may be transferred. Limitation periods were suspended during martial law and restored from 4 September 2025 by Law No. 4434-IX, which affects warranty and indemnity claims.
All country-specific statements above are taken from official sources — the European e-Justice Portal profile for Ukraine, legislation published on the Verkhovna Rada portal and the Ukrainian National Bar Association — consulted in 2025.
- European e-Justice Portal — National justice systems: Ukraine
- Law of Ukraine ‘On the Bar and Practice of Law’ No. 5076-VI
- Civil Code of Ukraine — limitation periods
- Law of Ukraine ‘On Court Fee’ No. 3674-VI
- Law of Ukraine ‘On the Notary’ No. 3425-XII
- Law of Ukraine No. 4434-IX on renewal of limitation periods
- Law of Ukraine No. 389-19 — legal regime of martial law
- Code of Ukraine on Administrative Proceedings No. 2747-15
- Labour Code of Ukraine No. 322-08
- Ukrainian National Bar Association
Where deals go wrong
The three problems clients bring to us most often
None of these are unusual. They are the reason a local specialist is worth involving before signature, not after.
The target’s history is scattered
Corporate records, property titles and permits may sit in different registers and paper archives. Without a structured review you risk buying liabilities you never priced, and finding out only after completion.
Representation rules tighten at the top
First-instance work may be handled by in-house staff, but before the Supreme Court only advocates may represent a party, and legal entities need advocates in the higher instances too. Deal disputes often end there.
Time limits were distorted by martial law
Limitation periods were suspended during martial law and restored only from 4 September 2025. Warranty, indemnity and payment claims that looked stale may be live again — and the reverse deserves checking too.
What the lawyer does
Support we match you to, from term sheet to closing
A matched lawyer works on your instruction and under your contract; our matching service stays free of charge.
Transaction documents
Drafting and negotiating share purchase agreements, asset transfers, shareholder arrangements and the corporate decisions that surround them, aligned with the Civil Code and the Commercial Code rather than imported templates.
Due diligence and risk mapping
Reviewing corporate records, contracts, permits and property titles, and flagging the findings that should move the price, change the warranties or stop the deal altogether.
Notarial and registration steps
Coordinating notarial certification and state registration where immovable property is part of the transaction, since an agreement without notarisation is unenforceable under Ukrainian law.
Dispute readiness
Preparing for commercial court proceedings, appeal and cassation where a deal turns contentious, including advocate representation before the Supreme Court where it is mandatory.
Cross-border context
Frequently asked alongside Ukraine
Clients comparing options in the region often ask us about these jurisdictions at the same time. We match per country, so you can speak to a different specialist for each.
Questions
Mergers and acquisitions in Ukraine: common questions
Do I need a mergers and acquisitions lawyer in Ukraine for a share deal?
It is not formally compulsory to instruct one, since parties may act in person or through a representative in commercial proceedings at first instance and on appeal. In practice a deal needs someone who can draft against the Civil Code and Commercial Code, review corporate records and handle registration. Note that before the Supreme Court only advocates may represent a party.
Can my own foreign lawyer handle the Ukrainian side?
Advocates of foreign states may practise in Ukraine only under the conditions established by the Law ‘On the Bar and Practice of Law’ and by Bar Council decisions. The title and functions of advocate are reserved to persons admitted to the Ukrainian Bar, so the local elements of the transaction are normally handled by a Ukrainian advocate working alongside your counsel.
Is notarisation required if the target owns real estate?
Yes, where the deal itself transfers immovable property. Contracts of sale, exchange or gift of real estate must be in writing, certified by a notary, and the resulting rights registered in the State Register of Real Property Rights. The notary verifies identity, capacity and legality, and the agreement is unenforceable without notarisation. Share deals avoid this step but require careful corporate due diligence.
How are legal fees for a Ukrainian transaction calculated?
There are no official statutory tariffs for lawyers’ fees in Ukraine. Remuneration is freely agreed between the attorney and the client in the contract on legal services, without a binding minimum or maximum, so structures vary between fixed fees, hourly rates and success elements. Court fees are separate and are set by the Law on Court Fee.
Which courts hear a dispute arising from an acquisition in Ukraine?
Deal-related claims generally go to the specialised commercial (economic) courts as first instance, with appeal and then cassation before the Supreme Court, which ensures uniform judicial practice. The system is organised in three tiers, and the language of proceedings is Ukrainian, so documents and submissions must be prepared accordingly.
Do limitation periods still run during martial law?
Martial law has been in force since 24 February 2022 and has been repeatedly extended. Limitation periods were suspended during that period and restored from 4 September 2025 by Law No. 4434-IX. Justice continues to be administered by constitutionally established courts, and neither extraordinary courts nor accelerated proceedings are allowed.
Next step
Describe the transaction and get matched
Tell us what you are buying or selling, the size of the deal and the timing you are working to. We will identify a lawyer in Ukraine whose practice covers that work and put you in touch. There is no charge for matching and no obligation to instruct anyone.