An Introduction to the British Ukrainian Law
Association
and
Working with International Firms
Yuri Botiuk
Grosvenor Law
60 Grosvenor Street
Mayfair
London
The British Ukrainian Law Association (BULA)
The purposes of the Association are to:
• Encourage and assist professional relationships between lawyers in the United
Kingdom and Ukraine;
• Assist the development of the legal profession in Ukraine by all appropriate
means, including (but not limited to) mutual exchanges, placements and training
programmes, the supply of information and advice, promoting workshops and
seminars in Ukraine and the United Kingdom on topics of mutual interest;
• To provide advice and assistance in connection with the administration of justice
in Ukraine; and
• Establish a forum for lawyers from the United Kingdom who wish to be involved
in and with Ukraine and vice versa.
BULA www.bula.org.uk
• BULA is a voluntary organisation;
• Full membership is open to qualified lawyers from the UK and/or Ukraine;
• Associate membership is open to law students and also toany non-legally
qualified person or organisation interested in promoting the objects of BULA can
apply to be an associate member;
• Corporate Membership (up to 10 representatives): £150;
• Individual Membership: £25;
• Students: Free;
• Please do become involved – further information is available at our website.
Grosvenor Law
• Grosvenor Law (www.grosvenorlaw.com) is a litigation boutique
which specialises in all forms of English law disputes, including (but
not limited to):
• High Court actions;
• Fraud;
• Construction;
• Defamation;
• Commercial disputes;
• Shareholder actions
Grosvenor Law
• Enforcement of Foreign Judgments (including from the Former
Soviet Union);
• Interim Measures – freezing orders, disclosure orders etc.;
• Arbitration (LCIA, ICC, and ad hoc arbitrations);
• Matrimonial/Family/Children;
• Employment; and
• White Collar.
Grosvenor Law
• We are creative, competitive and without conflicts and have
experience in working with lawyers on matters arising from the
Former Soviet Union over the past 20 years.
• We are also entrepreneurial and innovative when it comes to the
business of law. We are happy to pay referral fees but more
importantly work together with international firms to ensure mutual
benefit to each other and the client.
• To put it simply, we fight to win for our clients.
What will we cover today
• Cooperating with international firms
• Honesty and ethics as a brand
• Areas of cooperation with international firms
• Referral fees and/or sharing the work
• Innovation - what is on the horizon
Cooperating with international firms
The legal market today is international
Finance and trade were at the start of matters
Those who have the money write the rules
The bank writes the terms of the mortgage/loan not the customer
That has led to the dominance of English law on commercial matters
Further issues arise through the globalisation of life and assets
Debt recovery
International matrimonial issues
White collar - Internpol notices
Honesty and ethics as a brand
This is a key fundamental that international firms and
partners will look for in you (and never in themselves);
This is because international firms assume that they
have it already;
Ukraine’s reputation for corruption across all levels of
society and especially in the justice system means that
there is a serious issue to be addressed;
Areas of cooperation with international firms
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Litigation/Arbitration/Asset tracing
Privatisation/M & A/Floatation
Agriculture
IT
Private wealth:
•
•
•
•
Immigration;
Matrimonial;
Property;
trusts etc.
Referral fees and/or sharing the work
 How do we share the proceeds:
 Referral fees – simple, effective and can be strongly disliked by clients;
 Sharing the work:
 For Ukrainian lawyers;
 The facts happened in Ukraine so local lawyers are best placed to collect them;
 Disclosure/discovery/due dilligence – the documents most likely are in Ukraine and are
in Ukrainian/Russian;
 In commercial matters there will be local law issues;
 International firms will:
 Draft/sign off on International law;
 Need to be there because of lender/funder;
 Present the matter in foreign courts;
 Assist foreign counsel/experts.
Innovation - what is on the horizon
• Funding arbitration/litigation – Third Party Funding/Contingency fees;
• Boutique of full service?
• Use of artificial intelligence / automation;
• Change of government policy;
• English Law Day in Kyiv – week of 20 March 2017.