Legal fees in Kyiv: what the price actually depends on
Law firms rarely publish a price list, and there is a reason: tasks with the same name differ several times over in effort. This page sets out what makes up the fee, which billing formats exist and what raises the cost, so you can compare proposals on more than one number.
- The work in hours, not a guess at complexity
- Who works on it: an associate, a partner or both
- Whether an auditor or accountant is needed alongside
- The language of the documents and correspondence
- The timeline and whether an external deadline applies
Short answer
What legal fees for business in Kyiv depend on and which billing formats exist
The fee is built from the hours of work, the team (associate, partner, an auditor alongside), the language of the documents and the deadline. Three formats: a one-off task with a fixed price upfront (a contract, a demand letter, a registration, a review of one document), a project billed stage by stage (buying a business, a tax dispute, a restructuring) and a retainer with a monthly block of hours, where an hour costs less and unused hours roll over. Urgency, a foreign counterparty and bilingual documents, a dispute heading to court and missing source documents raise the fee. The estimate is free and comes within 1 business day; in disputes part of the fee can be tied to the result.
Three ways to pay, and when each one wins
A contract, a demand letter, a registration, a review of one document. The fee is fixed upfront because the scope is visible from the start. Right when the question is isolated and does not pull others behind it.
Buying a business, a tax dispute, a restructuring. The fee is set stage by stage: first the analysis and an assessment of the prospects, then the decision whether to go on. You do not pay for the whole road before you see the first result.
A monthly block of hours at a fixed price. It pays off when every month brings contracts, HR orders and correspondence with the authorities. An hour on a retainer costs less than a one-off hour.
What raises the fee and what lowers it
Urgency and weekend work. A foreign counterparty and documents in two languages. A dispute likely to reach court. Missing source documents that have to be reconstructed. More than one jurisdiction. The amount at stake: supporting a deal worth a million and one worth a billion are different responsibilities and different work.
A complete set of documents in reasonable order. A standard rather than a bespoke deal structure. Time in hand. A retainer instead of one-off requests. And the fact that we already keep your books: the lawyer does not have to work out how the company is built from scratch.
Which legal services we provide
Setting up a company or a representative office of a foreign firm, changes to the charter and to the ownership.
A contract built around how you actually work, or a review of the other side’s draft before you sign.
Objections to the assessment, administrative appeal, court. Together with the auditor who works the numbers.
Demand letters, litigation and enforcement.
Legal support for the deal together with pre-acquisition review of the target.
Preparing the company for sale, the deal structure and the documents.
For foreign shareholders and parent companies: documents and correspondence in English.
Required for bidders in large tenders and for donor partners.
The full list with a description of each service.
What clients ask about fees
Why can you not just quote a price over the phone?
We can, when the task is standard: a registration, one contract, one demand letter. There we give a range straight away. But “a tax dispute” or “deal support” without the documents is a direction, not a task. Half an hour spent on your papers saves both sides weeks of misunderstanding.
How much does a retainer cost?
It depends on the monthly block of hours, and that is worked out from your actual history: how many contracts and requests came up over the last three months. After that conversation we name a fixed monthly amount and what it covers. Unused hours normally roll into the next month.
Do you take success fees in disputes?
Partly. A base fee covers the work regardless of outcome, and a bonus is tied to the amount actually saved or recovered. We agree the split before starting and put it in the engagement letter.
What is the benefit of a lawyer and an auditor in one firm?
In tax disputes and in sale and purchase deals half the work is numbers, not law. With both in one team there is no translating between them and no paying two contractors to review the same documents.
Which types of legal services does a small or medium business need?
Eight types usually cover it: advice and written opinions, contract work, corporate changes and registrations, employment law and HR documents, tax disputes, debt recovery and court representation, legal due diligence before a deal, and anti-corruption programmes and policies for donors and tenders. A retainer suits a steady flow of small questions; a fixed price suits one-off tasks.
How much does a contract review cost?
It depends on the length and language of the contract, the number of annexes and whether negotiations with the other side are needed. A standard supply or services contract of a few pages is reviewed in 1 to 3 working days; we give a range after seeing the document, usually the same day.
Get an estimate
Describe the task in three sentences. We give a range or ask follow-up questions within 1 business day.