Founded in 2013, Onstan Law Firm is a full service internationally focused law firm located in Ukraine. The firm was initially formed by Yuriy Fedchyshyn, tax lawyer and NYU tax LL.M. graduate, Olena Marchuk, real estate lawyer, Andriy Fedchyshyn, corporate lawyer and litigator, and Nataliya Khorushko, banking lawyer and manager, who was previously a deputy director at a branch of a large international bank.

The firm is continually growing. At present there are 12 lawyers in the firm, each with a different background, complementing the diversity and proficiency of the firm. Onstan’s main areas of practice since formation are taxation, customs law, litigation, corporate law, finance and real estate. The firm also extensively covers IP, labor law and government relations.

Onstan’s lawyers take a commercially-minded approach. Taking into account the challenging business and political environment in Ukraine, the firm’s attorneys are committed to providing practical advice, considering the risks associated for each and every transaction. The firm’s corporate governance advice enables clients to make correct and timely business decisions.

Onstan provides comprehensive legal advice covering every side of commercial activity. The firm handles both the transactional and daily activities of clients.

The firm’s core areas of practice are taxation, customs law, real estate, banking/ finance, litigation, corporate law/M&A, labor law, IP law and government relations.

In taxation Onstan’s attorneys advise on each aspect of taxation and are efficient litigators and negotiators in tax matters. Onstan supported a handful of multi-million disputes with the tax authorities and was involved in structuring holdings for large multinationals. The team’s services cover advance payments, budget legislation, corporate taxation, due diligence, international tax planning, individual taxation, tax litigation, pre-trial disputes with tax authorities, excise tax, social security, business planning, taxation of natural resources and similar fees, permanent establishments, support in tax audits, transfer pricing (reporting, auditing, risk-assessment, litigation and negotiation with the tax authorities), Ukrainian and European VAT, withholding tax.

Onstan’s customs law team is well regarded among clients and is highly present in media. The team’s services cover pre-trial disputes with customs authorities, support in customs clearings procedures, post-audit support, assistance during customs audits; cross-border transactions planning; litigation with customs and other authorities.

The real estate team is well experienced and self-sufficient. Managed by Olena Marchuk, the supported some high-profile real estate and construction projects. The real estate team covers land allocation and land acquisition, support in construction permits and construction agreements, real estate due diligence, construction safety rules.

Litigation practice is supervised by Andriy Fedchyshyn. The firm demonstrates efficiency and effectiveness, addressing each case with due care and innovation. The team’s practice covers tax litigation, administrative litigation; commercial litigation, general courts litigation, national and international arbitration, support in enforcing court rulings.

The banking practice led by Nataliya Khorushko demonstrates good awareness of practical matters in Ukrainian banking business. Nataliya advises both banks and corporations, addressing the challenges clients face with the challenging financial system of Ukraine. The team also counsels corporate borrowers negotiating financing arrangements with banks and other financial institutions. The team is involved in structuring cross-border transactions, financings of mergers, acquisitions, recapitalizations and spin‑offs, working capital financings and various special‑purpose financings. It also has experience of rules on currency control restrictions and obtaining national bank permits and individual licenses.

The Corporate and M&A practice is led by Andriy Fedchyshyn, whose background and skills allow him to provide clients with practical and business-oriented advices. The team’s services cover due diligence, tailoring of complex agreements, pre-contract negotiations and mediation, support against hostile takeovers, M&A structuring and merger approvals from the AMCU.

Intellectual property and IT practice: due diligence of software developers and startups, NDA, rights protection, intellectual property audits, licence agreements, industrial property, patents, royalties and similar payments, registration of plant species, software end use, transfer and licensing of intellectual property, trademarks.

Labor: preparing by-laws of companies, job descriptions; support in the process of acquiring job permits, representation in labor mediation and litigations, labor disputes, labor safety

Government relations practice enables clients to build effective, clear and predictable relationships with government authorities.