News

Together with the English Law Society, BULA hosted the webinar series ‘English Law Day in the Ukraine’.
The industry experts explored English law and how legal links and business between practitioners have developed from both countries.
Recordings of all three webinars are available here:

The British-Ukrainian Law Association received a delegation of the Ukrainian judges visiting London. The judiciaries from all regions of Ukraine arrived to the UK with the purpose to study the English legal system. In particular, the Ukrainian judges were interested how the judiciary system works in this country and why Ukrainian businessmen prefer to resolve their disputes in English courts.

BULA had its annual general meeting on the 11th of July followed by networking drinks in the City open air restaurant. The AGM approved the financial report prepared by Brian McClure, the Treasurer, and the activity report prepared by Eugenia Rebotunova, the Chair, and discussed the priorities for the coming year.

For the third year, BULA helped to organise the English Law Day in Ukraine, which brought together many a professional of English and Ukrainian law.

On the 15th of May BULA had networking drinks reception with the visiting Ukrainian lawyer Oleksandr Droug, as well as a delegation of Ukrainian legal scientists, lawyers and judges.

BULA members attended a meeting at the House of Lords on the topic of legal challenges for Ukrainian Small and Medium Business. Eugenia Rebotunova, the Chair of BULA, spoke on legal challenges to Small and Medium Business.

British Ukrainian Law Association organised a breakfast briefing on the introduction of the new High IP Court in Ukraine. The roundtable presentation by the senior judiciaries and judicial administrators from Ukraine was followed by lively and thought provoking discussion. The Ukrainian delegation included Mr Igor Benedysiuk, the Chairman of the High Council of Justice; Mr Bogdan Lvov, Vice President of the Supreme Court, Dr Olena Orliuk, the Head of the Department of Intellectual Property at the National Academy of Science; Ms Olena Pryvalova, Communications Counsellor at the Presidential Administration; and Mr Konstantin Krasovsky, the Chief of the President’s Judicial Reform Department.

The event was a great success, with Antonina Volkotrub from the Anti-Corruption Action Centre in Ukraine providing a fresh view on the progress of the reforms and the ways to challenge the remaining obstacles. We are very grateful to Antonina for joining us on a short notice and making the evening so lively. It was a rare chance to get a view from someone on the forefront of fighting corruption.

In July 2018, BULA hosted a dinner for its members with the Ukrainian Minister for the Natural Resources and Ecology, Mr Ostap Semerak. Minister Semerak told BULA members about the prospect for the renewables in Ukraine, revival of the Chornobyl zone and opportunities in the energy sector for the foreign investors. BULA thanks to the Minister Counsellor at the Embassy of Ukraine to the UK Mr Taras Krykun for help with organising the dinner.

We thank all members and friends of the British Ukrainian Law Association who attended the evening devoted to the future of the rule of law in Ukraine and Herbert Smith Freehills for providing the venue. We also thank to the brilliant speakers we had this evening, namely, Robert Brinkley CMG, the former British Ambassador in Kyiv, Ian Clark from White & Case in London and Vladimir Sayenko from Sayenko Kharenko in Kyiv, all of whom have a profound experience in Ukraine.