Senior Associate, Corporate and M&A – Ukraine
We are seeking an experienced and highly driven Senior Associate to join the Corporate and M&A service line in our Kyiv office.
The successful candidate will independently lead complex domestic and cross-border transactions and act as a key advisor to clients on a broad range of corporate and commercial matters. The role involves working closely with partners and managing workstreams across mergers and acquisitions, joint ventures, restructurings, and private equity deals.
This position is ideal for a lawyer with 5+ years of post-qualification experience, strong technical expertise in transactional work, and the ability to supervise junior colleagues while maintaining exceptional quality and client service standards.
Key responsibilities:
Transactional work & deal leadership
- Lead and manage full-cycle M&A transactions, including due diligence, structuring, drafting, negotiation, and closing;
- Draft, review, and negotiate complex commercial and corporate agreements, including SPAs, SHAs, JV agreements, investment agreements, vendor and services contracts, and corporate restructuring documentation;
- Coordinate all workstreams across a transaction (corporate, regulatory, tax, antitrust, employment, finance), ensuring seamless project delivery;
- Provide strategic advice on transaction structure, risk allocation, and commercial implications.
Corporate advisory
- Advise on sophisticated corporate governance, shareholder arrangements, corporate reorganisations, cross-border group structuring, and regulatory compliance matters;
- Draft high-level legal opinions, memoranda, and client risk assessments;
- Provide day-to-day corporate advisory support to multinational and local clients.
Team management & supervision
- Supervise and mentor Associates, Junior Associates, and Interns, ensuring quality control of their work and supporting their professional development;
- Allocate tasks, monitor progress, and provide constructive feedback;
- Contribute to internal knowledge development, templates, and best practices.
Client management & business development
- Act as the primary point of contact for clients on assigned matters and maintain strong, trust-based relationships;
- Prepare client deliverables, project summaries, and presentations with a high degree of independence;
- Support partners with business development initiatives, pitches, and thought leadership.
Key skills and experience required:
- Master’s degree in Law (Ukrainian law);
- 5+ years of relevant experience in corporate/M&A at an international or top-tier Ukrainian law firm;
- Proven track record of managing or co-leading M&A or corporate transactions;
- Strong command of Ukrainian corporate, commercial, and contract law; familiarity with regulatory and cross-border aspects;
- Advanced skills in legal drafting (UA/EN), negotiation, and project management;
- Excellent written and spoken English;
- High level of autonomy, responsibility, and ownership of workstreams;
- Strong leadership abilities, attention to detail, and capacity to work under multiple deadlines;
- Proactive, commercially minded, and committed to excellence in client service.
Only candidates who meet all the requirements set out above will be considered for the position.
What we offer
At Kinstellar, we prioritize your goals. We begin by understanding your strengths and ambitions as an employee and strive to create opportunities that unlock your full potential. By joining our team of exceptional talents, you become part of our high culture where we are committed to your personal and professional growth. We offer:
- High-level corporate culture: Our culture comes to life through our five core values: Excellence, Insight, Integrity, Team Spirit and Drive. At Kinstellar, we place a premium on integrity and are the only regional law firm with a dedicated risk and compliance team, along with a comprehensive anti-corruption compliance program.
- Learning & development: Benefit from professional development and training in a leading Central and Eastern Europe (CEE), Southeast Europe (SEE) and Central Asia (CA) law firm, engaging in interesting work for reputable local and international clients.
- Wellbeing: Experience comprehensive benefits tailored to individual needs, fostering your mental and physical wellbeing. We prioritize your work-life balance with firm-wide days off and offer competitive compensation, including future salary growth and an annual performance bonus.
- Social impact: Engage in Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) initiatives for both local and global impact. Our employee-driven Community Investment program includes pro bono work, volunteering, donations, and sponsorships.
Why Kinstellar?
At Kinstellar, we provide premium legal services and pride ourselves on having a collaborative, team oriented, future looking culture providing unique development opportunities to grow in a highly supportive working environment throughout all stages of your career. At Kinstellar you will have the opportunity to work with outstanding lawyers of Central and Eastern Europe (CEE), Southeast Europe (SEE) and Central Asia (CA) and of the world’s greatest referring law firms on highly complex cases. We are a purpose-driven organization, with outstanding sector and service line expertise, knowledge and commitment to client service and innovation.
We know our people value flexibility around when and where they work. So, we are committed to offering a more adaptable way to work, balancing the way you work and your lifestyle with hybrid working options.
We will support your career aspirations by offering access to mobility programs such as intra- office secondments and secondments with referring law firms where possible. These programs give you the chance to travel to other countries, engage with international clients, lawyers and develop your networks.
Equal opportunities
Kinstellar provides equal opportunities to all employees and applicants and strictly prohibits discrimination based on ethnicity, religion, age, sex, national origin, disability status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, or any other protected characteristics.
Joining Kinstellar means working with some of the finest legal minds in CEE, SEE & CA on the region's most challenging mandates. We attract the best and brightest talents to help us continue our stellar growth.
Do you consider yourself Stellar? Apply now!
At Kinstellar we welcome direct applications. Please send your application (CV and cover letter) in English to Kateryna Kryvozub, HR Manager, at . We will then be in touch with you once we have reviewed your application. Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted.
By submitting your application, you agree to provide us with your personal data for the purposes of the recruitment process at Kinstellar. Your personal data will be processed with utmost confidentiality by Kinstellar solely for the purposes of selection and recruitment and will not be transferred to other data controllers unless required by law.
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