As it announced it would last summer (reported by CEE Legal Matters on July 8, 2015), Clifford Chance’s Kyiv office has now formally been re-established as an independent law firm and begun operating as Redcliffe Partners.
Redcliffe is managed by Partner Olexiy Soshenko, former head of Clifford Chance Kyiv’s finance practice, and the firm’s leadership includes Partner Dmytro Fedoruk (who was Head of M&A at Clifford Chance Kyiv), recently-hired Partner Rob Shantz, and newly-promoted Partner Sergiy Gryshko.
According to a Redcliffe Partners statement, the firm "will maintain a Best Friends Agreement with Clifford Chance, one of the world's pre-eminent law firms, to enable us to combine local market knowledge, technical excellence and international reach and thereby deliver to clients what they value most.”
The firm also announced that it will focus primarily on Antitrust, Banking & Finance, Corporate/M&A, Debt Restructuring, and Insolvency, while "investing into capabilities in International Arbitration and Litigation.” Its sector-focused groups will include Agribusiness, Financial Institutions, Energy, Pharmaceuticals, FMCG & Retail, TMT, and Infrastructure.
Shantz, an American attorney, joins Redcliffe to lead its Corporate Practice. He has more than 19 years of experience in Central and Eastern Europe, most recently as the Head of the Legal Practice at PwC Ukraine, and, before that as a tax and legal Partner with KPMG Ukraine. He graduated from the University of Michigan Law School.
Gryshko will lead Redcliffe’s Dispute Resolution team. He joined the firm from CMS Cameron McKenna and has over 13 years of experience in Dispute Resolution and International Arbitration.
Other new additions of significance include Corporate/M&A lawyer Zoryana Sozanska-Matviychuk and Finance/Capital Markets lawyer Dmytro Orendarets, both of whom join as Counsel.
“this is an exciting step for us and for our team,” said new Redclliffe Managing Partner Olexiy Soshenko. “We see plenty of opportunities to further expand our capabilities and create rewarding long term career paths for our people. Building on terrific client relations and an excellent team, we fully intend to remain a top legal practice in Ukraine.''
As reported previously, Clifford Chance’s departure from Ukraine makes it the third international firm in recent years to withdraw from the country, following Schoenherr’s decision to do so earlier this year (reported on by CEE Legal Matters on February 2, 2015) and Chadbourne's departure in 2014 (reported on August 11, 2014). In addition, just last month the Kyiv office of Gide Loyrette Nouel jumped to new CEE entrant Jeantet (as reported by CEE Legal Matters on November 3, 2015), leaving Gide’s plans for Ukraine unclear.
