A position, not a survey
Advice states what we think you should do and why. Where the law is genuinely unsettled we say that too, and give you the probabilities rather than leaving the judgement with you.
A Ukrainian firm built for cross-border work
We have advised international business in Ukraine since 2003 — through three currency regimes, two revolutions, a pandemic and a full-scale war. Clients stay because the advice holds up.
Andrii Lytvynchuk
Managing Partner · Attorney-at-law
A graduate of Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv, practising principally in corporate and commercial law. He supervises the firm's key matters personally and answers for the quality of every mandate the team takes on.
Named Lawyer of the Year in commercial law by the Ukrainian Bar Association, 2025.
Who we are
Respect Law Company is an independent Ukrainian law firm based in Kyiv. We act for foreign companies and investors doing business in Ukraine, and for Ukrainian businesses with international operations.
The firm was founded in 2003 and has practised continuously since. That continuity matters more in Ukraine than it might elsewhere: the regulatory environment has been rewritten repeatedly, and knowing how a rule was applied before it changed is frequently the difference between a workable answer and a theoretical one.
We are deliberately a mid-sized firm. Large enough to run an acquisition, a merger control filing and a litigation portfolio at the same time; small enough that the partner who takes your first call is the partner who does the work. Clients tell us this is the single thing they value most, and it is the thing we protect when deciding whether to grow.
How we are different
Ukraine has capable law firms. What is less common is a firm that writes the way an international board needs to read — a position stated plainly, the risk quantified, the recommendation made. We do not deliver advice that lists every possibility and declines to choose between them.
Part of that comes from where our managing partner trained. He spent years at PwC — as head of market entry, labour and immigration law, and as a subcontractor to the firm — and brought that working standard back with him: structured analysis, documentation an auditor would accept, and deadlines treated as commitments rather than intentions. It is the standard the whole team now works to. Clients used to Big Four service get it here — without a Big Four fee structure, and without losing the partner who knows the file.
23+Years of practice
100+Corporate foreign clients
12Practice areas
200+Businesses registered
Principles
How we work
Four commitments that shape every engagement. They are not aspirations — if we cannot meet them on a particular matter, we say so before taking it on.
01
02
Fees agreed in advance
An estimate before work begins, fixed fees where the scope allows, and a call before any budget is exceeded. Invoices contain no line item you have not been told about.
03
One responsible partner
Matters are not passed down a chain. A named partner owns the engagement, attends the calls and signs the advice.
04
Written in English
Advice, reports and correspondence in English as a matter of course, drafted to be usable by directors and counsel who do not read Ukrainian.
Working with foreign clients
What international clients usually need from a Ukrainian firm
Three things, in our experience. First, translation in the real sense — not of words, but of how a Ukrainian rule maps onto a decision the client's board already understands. Second, realism about timing: Ukrainian procedures have published deadlines and actual ones, and knowing the difference lets a client plan properly. Third, someone who will say no.
That last point matters. A firm that agrees to everything is not managing your risk. Where a proposed structure will not survive scrutiny, or a claim is not worth bringing, we say so at the outset — even where saying so means a smaller engagement.
English · Ukrainian · Russian
Ukraine today
Doing business here now
Ukraine remains open for business, and for several sectors the opportunity is larger than it was before 2022. It is also a jurisdiction where currency controls, martial law measures and reconstruction-related regulation change with little notice.
We track those changes because our clients cannot. Where a rule has moved, we tell you before you rely on the old one.
- Currency control and cross-border payment rules under continuous revision.
- Martial law measures affecting mobilisation, employment and property.
- EU accession alignment reshaping competition, procurement and data rules.
- Reconstruction programmes with their own procurement and financing regimes.
- Sanctions regimes with extraterritorial reach for international groups.
Next step
Let us tell you whether we are the right firm
A short call costs nothing and usually clarifies more than an exchange of emails. If the matter is outside our expertise, we will say so and point you to someone better placed.