The flag of Ukraine
Clifford Chance is to open a new office in Kiev later this year, in the latest state of the Magic Circle giant's expansion into Central and Eastern Europe (CEE).
Clifford Chance unveiled its plans to launch in the Ukraine capital Friday, with current Warsaw Chief Nick Fletcher in line to lead the new office.
The firm also plans to relocate a four-lawyer real estate team and counsel Tomasz Stasiak from Warsaw to the Kiev branch, which will initially focus on property, corporate and finance work. It is not yet known whether Fletcher will continue at the helm of the Warsaw branch.
Commenting on the move, regional managing partner Michael Cuthbert, who heads up the firm's Moscow office, said: "Our new office in Kiev will enable us to handle the increasingly large volumes of work in the region, strengthen existing regional client relationships and extend our ability to serve global clients as they expand into growth markets."
He added: "A presence in Kiev will also help to develop further our successful CEE operation, which is... one of the fastest-growing regions for the firm."
Clifford Chance launched its CEE practice in 1991 by opening in Moscow. The firm now has 34 partners in the region and around 170 lawyers in total across further offices in Prague, Budapest and Bucharest.
Fletcher said: "Ukraine is the next big market to develop. It is a very large market and changing rapidly. Capital markets, banking and real estate work has significantly increased over the last two years since the 'Orange Revolution.'"
