Law firms in Ukraine have started closing their offices, as President Volodymyr Zelenskyy imposes martial law and declares a state of emergency following the incursion of Russian military.
The 30-day martial law imposes heightened security measures, such as curfews and limits on the movements of certain people.
Baker McKenzie said in a statement on Thursday: “In light of the military action underway in Ukraine, we have closed our office in Kyiv until the situation stabilizes. We are closely monitoring developments at all times and are doing everything possible to support our people during these challenging circumstances.”
The firm’s Kyiv office comprises 15 lawyers and 100 staff in total, a spokesperson for the firm said.
“Their safety and wellbeing is our number one priority and our thoughts are with them and everyone affected at this extremely difficult time. To the extent feasible, our partners are working with clients affected to determine the options for continuing to provide legal assistance elsewhere, and we are providing further support through our network of offices across Europe.”
CMS, which has more than 30 lawyers in the region, has also closed its Kyiv office and is offering relocation options to affected staff. A spokesperson said in a statement: “Although our communication lines remain open, we have made the decision to close our Kyiv office until further notice. Our thoughts are with our colleagues, clients and friends during this difficult time. We, like many, hope for a peaceful resolution to this conflict.”
They added: “We are concerned and deeply saddened by the situation emerging in Ukraine. The safety and wellbeing of our people is our utmost priority and we have been doing everything over recent weeks and months to support our colleagues, including providing relocation options within the EU.
“We have a dedicated team that has been working to assist colleagues in Kyiv for some time, particularly as issues started to emerge, and we continue to explore arrangements in what is a fast moving situation.”
Dentons joins them in closing its Kyiv office, and has established a taskforce to “monitor and manage the crisis situation”, a spokesperson said. They added: “Our primary concern remains the safety of our people in both Ukraine and Russia. We are in regular contact with our team in Kyiv and are providing our colleagues with any assistance they need, including relocation assistance in the neighboring countries.”
One prominent Kyiv-based law firm, which comprises over 100 lawyers in Kyiv and asked to remain anonymous, said that it had told its staff to stay at home and work remotely during the 30-day period and “until further notice”.
A second major Ukrainian law firm which counts over 100 lawyers in its ranks, which also did not want to be identified, said it would not return to its offices until it was “safe to do so”.
Meanwhile, in an automatic email response, Kinstellar, one of Ukraine’s biggest firms said: “Due to the martial law being introduced in Ukraine, [from] February 24, 2022, our Kyiv office is closed temporarily, but we continue to work remotely.” The firm has 60 lawyers, including 10 partners, in Kyiv.
President Zelenskyy signed a decree on February 24 after declaring that Russia had launched a military operation “against our state”. In a televised message, he urged citizens to stay at home, and told citizens living in Russia to return without delay.
“This is an unjustified, deceitful and cynical invasion”, Zelenskyy added. “Whether at least something of the force of international law remains will depend on the world’s fair and just response to this aggression.”
As fears of a Russian incursion mounted in recent weeks, lawyers in Kyiv had largely taken a “wait and see” approach, with several doubting that an invasion was even possible “in the 21st century”.
Several firms, including major Kyiv firm Sayenko Kharenko, had started delivering advice to clients on how to deal with sanctions against Russia and other safety concerns.
Commenting on the invasion, Law Society of England and Wales president I. Stephanie Boyce said in a statement: “We are gravely concerned by the news from Ukraine. A clear principle of international law is that a state is prohibited from the use or threat of force against another state. We hope for a swift end to hostilities and our thoughts are with all those affected.”
