April 7, 2011

On April 7, 2011, Alex Frishberg organized and moderated a roundtable entitled, “M&A in Ukraine Today: Building Business on Shifting Sands.” Invited speakers included:

Alexander Savchenko, who twice served as Deputy Chairman of the National Bank of Ukraine, was the designated representative to EBRD of Russia, Ukraine and Belorussia, and was an advisor to all of the Presidents of Ukraine; 

Brian Best, co-founder of one of the largest Ukrainian investment banks, Dragon Capital, and in charge of their M&A group; and 

Jon Queen, who used to work for Phoenix Capital, and has recently established his own boutique investment bank in Ukraine.

Mr. Iwashko, a partner in Horizon Capital, one of the largest foreign-owned investment funds in Ukraine.

The speakers provided their views on the current state of M&A activities in Ukraine today, following the 2008 economic crisis, and predictions for the near future. The question-and-answer session addressed problematic areas, including raiding, political and administrative risks inherent in investing in Ukraine. 

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February 9, 2011

On February 9, 2011, Frishberg & Partners hosted a roundtable with its Of Counsel, Mr. Alexander Paskhaver, who gave his assessment of the first year of Yanukovich’s Presidency. As a long-time political insider, and advisor to former Ukrainian Presidents, Prime Ministers and the State Property Fund, Mr. Paskhaver is one of the best known and most sought-after commentators on Ukrainian economy and politics. His presentation at this roundtable explained not only who is governing Ukraine, but perhaps more importantly, puts into historic perspective today’s events. 

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February 8, 2011

Incoterms Rules were developed more than 70 years ago by the International Chamber of Commerce in Paris and have long been accepted by numerous governments, legal authorities and traders worldwide as the definitive interpretation of the most commonly used terms in international trade. The International Chamber of Commerce has recently adopted a new edition of Incoterms Rules – Incoterms 2010, effective as of January 2011. Tatiana Dzyadok, senior associate with Frishberg & Partners, prepared an article that describes the principal features of Incoterms 2010 and their enforceability in Ukraine.

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January 17, 2011

On January 17, 2011, senior partner Scott Brown published an article about the law “On Protection of Personal Data,” which came into effect in 2011. This law is based on the framework EU Directive 95/46/EC on the protection of individuals with regard to the processing of personal data and on the free movement of such data. The good news is that by implementing the PDP Law, Ukraine is bringing its legislation into closer compliance with European standards, perhaps with the eventual hope of European integration. The bad news is its unusually broad application, covering all legal entities and, specifically, licensed doctors, lawyers and notaries.

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