What Sayenko Kharenko does

Sayenko Kharenko is a privately held Ukrainian full-service law firm founded in 2004, headquartered in Kyiv at 32/2 Kniaziv Ostrozkykh Street, with an international office in London. The firm employs 20 partners and 100+ lawyers organised across 18 practice areas (including Banking & Finance, Capital Markets, Corporate and M&A, International Arbitration, Tax, Intellectual Property, Data Protection & Cybersecurity, Energy, and a newly launched Defence & Dual-Use Sector practice) and 13 industry sectors. It serves an enterprise client base of approximately 2,500 clients across 60+ countries, including 70+ Fortune 500 companies, international financial institutions such as EBRD and EFSE, Ukrainian state-owned banks (Oschadbank, Ukreximbank), and major energy and telecom corporates (DTEK, Naftogaz, Energoatom, Kyivstar, Trans-Oil).

The firm's core product is partner-led legal advisory delivered across advisory, transactional, and contentious workstreams. Its technical / digital footprint is modest but distinctive for the legal sector: a proprietary trademarked document-automation product called QuickDraft™ that generates agreements compliant with the Diia City Legal & Tax Regime for IT contracts, and an integration with Ukraine's state digital services portal Diia enabling electronic submission of claims to the Register of Damage for Ukraine (RD4U). The firm has also built an arbitration and dispute resolution practice recognised in the GAR 100 for eight consecutive years, with reported track record of 60+ arbitrations in 10+ jurisdictions and representation before ICSID, LCIA, ICC, SCC, and МКАС at the Ukrainian CCI.

Revenue is generated through professional-services fees on a quote-based, per-engagement model. The firm has reported 270+ M&A transactions with an aggregate deal value of USD 60bn+ since 2004, 900+ merger clearances obtained worldwide in the last ten years, and approximately USD 110bn+ of investment facilitated into Ukraine. It does not disclose revenue and operates as an independent partnership with no parent company, subsidiaries, or external investment evidenced. Recognition includes ten IFLR Ukraine Firm of the Year titles, 30+ "Best Law Firm in Ukraine" awards, top rankings across Chambers Europe, Legal 500, IFLR1000, IAM Patent 1000, and Benchmark Litigation, and inclusion in the FT Innovative Lawyers Europe Top 50 (2025).

Name

Sayenko Kharenko

Legal name

Sayenko Kharenko

Website

https://sk.ua

Company type

Private

Founded year

2004

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

Sayenko Kharenko is a privately held Ukrainian full-service law firm founded in 2004, with 20 partners and 100+ lawyers across offices in Kyiv and London, serving 2,500+ enterprise clients in 60+ countries across M&A, capital markets, arbitration, and defence-sector mandates.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Legal Services

NAICS

Offices of Lawyers (541110), Legal Services (5411)

SIC

Services-Legal Services (8111)

akta.pro primary industry

Litigation Support & Expert Witness Services (BPAHALAG)

Keywords

• Legal advisory services
• Corporate M&A law
• International arbitration
• Banking and finance law
• Capital markets law

Headquarters

HQ city

Kyiv

HQ country

Ukraine

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Legal Services - Professional Services: Sayenko Kharenko generates revenue through providing comprehensive legal services to domestic and international clients on complex commercial, regulatory and dispute matters. Services span corporate/M&A, banking & finance, capital markets, litigation, international arbitration, and other practice areas.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Sayenko Kharenko is a full-service Ukrainian law firm providing comprehensive legal advisory services across 18 practice areas and 13 industry sectors, including corporate/M&A, banking and finance, capital markets, international arbitration, litigation, tax, intellectual property, data protection, energy, and defence. The firm advises domestic and international clients on complex cross-border transactions, financings, regulatory matters, and disputes, and also offers a proprietary digital tool (QuickDraft™) for constructing Diia City-compliant IT agreements.

Product overview

Sayenko Kharenko is a leading Ukrainian full-service law firm offering a portfolio of legal advisory services rather than a unified software product. Its core offerings span more than a dozen practice areas including Banking & Finance, Capital Markets, Corporate and M&A, International Arbitration, Tax, Data Protection & Cybersecurity, Intellectual Property, Energy, and Defence & Dual-Use Sector. The firm also offers QuickDraft™ — a document constructor tool for generating compliant agreements under the Diia City legal and tax regime — as a supplementary digital tool. Practice areas are delivered as distinct service lines by specialist teams, each covering advisory, transactional, and contentious work.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Legal Advisory Services – Banking & Finance Full-service legal support spanning general and secured lending, corporate lending, project financing, financing from international financial institutions, and export credit agency-backed financing, for banks, borrowers, and international financial institutions.
• Legal Advisory Services – Capital Markets Legal counsel on capital markets transactions including IPOs, Eurobond issuances, and liability management exercises for issuers, underwriters, and investors.
• Legal Advisory Services – Corporate and M&A
• Legal Advisory Services – International Arbitration
• Legal Advisory Services – Tax
• Legal Advisory Services – Data Protection & Cybersecurity
• Legal Advisory Services – Intellectual Property
• Legal Advisory Services – Energy
• Legal Advisory Services – Defence & Dual-Use Sector
• QuickDraft™ Constructor of Agreements for Diia City Legal & Tax Regime

Quantifiable outcome

• USD 60bn+ in aggregate M&A deals value since 2004
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers13 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Diia (Ukraine State Digital Services Portal)coreTechnology or Integration · 29 April 2026Integration with Ukraine's state digital services portal Diia for electronic submission of claims to the Register of Damage for Ukraine (RD4U). The Diia portal provides the 'Digital Authorisation' service enabling legal entities to submit claims through authorized representatives.

Scale indicators12 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Asters: One of the largest Ukrainian full-service law firms headquartered in Kyiv. Direct competitor for M&A, banking & finance, dispute resolution, and international arbitration work serving Ukrainian and international clients.
• Avellum: Kyiv-based Ukrainian law firm specializing in M&A, capital markets, and dispute resolution. Closely comparable to SK in deal volume and clientele, frequently co-competing for top-tier Ukrainian transactional mandates.
• Redcliffe Partners: Ukrainian law firm (formerly the Kyiv office of an international firm) offering comparable full-service legal advisory across corporate, finance, and dispute resolution to enterprise clients.
• Integrites: Ukrainian law firm with international arbitration and dispute resolution focus. Comparable in practice areas and cross-border mandate handling, particularly in CIS-related disputes.

Broad incumbents

• Dentons: Global law firm with established Kyiv office serving Ukrainian and international clients on cross-border matters. Overlaps with SK in M&A, banking, and dispute resolution but as part of a much broader global portfolio.
• Baker McKenzie: Global law firm with Ukrainian practice serving multinational clients on inbound and outbound transactions. Comparable for cross-border M&A and tax work but operates as part of a worldwide network rather than Ukraine-focused specialist.
• CMS: International law firm with Ukrainian presence, providing cross-border legal services to multinationals. Comparable to SK for cross-border M&A, banking, and capital markets work serving the same enterprise client base.
• Clifford Chance: Magic Circle law firm handling Ukrainian-related cross-border M&A, banking, and capital markets work for global financial institutions and corporates. Competes with SK for mandates where international lead counsel is required.

Regional players

• Wolf Theiss: Austria-headquartered law firm with strong CEE presence and Ukrainian operations. Comparable for cross-border M&A, banking, and energy work across the CEE region, often competing for the same Ukrainian-related mandates.
• Kinstellar: CEE-focused law firm with offices across the region including Ukraine. Comparable for cross-border M&A, energy, and infrastructure work for international investors entering the Ukrainian market.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCh2WKnfqlv1ONeXZVzNttVQ
• Facebookfacebook.com/lf.sayenko.kharenko
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/sayenko-kharenko
• Instagraminstagram.com/sayenko_kharenko
• Xx.com/sayenkokharenko

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles19 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Sayenko Kharenko