The legal business can increasingly no longer afford to operate solely within the domestic market. Major capital, investment decisions and international partnerships that will shape the economy of the next decade are largely formed outside the country. Many of the most significant and financially substantial projects originate in Brussels, London and Berlin, in the corridors of Davos and during meetings with leading EU financial institutions. It is there that consortia are formed, legal counsel is selected and financing structures are agreed. A law firm that is not present in these rooms simply cannot be considered for the mandate on such a project, regardless of how well it might be able to execute it. Funding for infrastructure development and reconstruction also comes predominantly from these sources. That is why a strategically minded law firm cannot limit itself to the domestic market.

Projects are born where the capital is

The truly large transactions are in infrastructure, energy, logistics, industry, defence and MilTech. Advisors who are present on these platforms and have established relationships gain preferential access to mandates. The European investment and financial architecture is effectively becoming a key engine of development. Large projects should therefore be sought not only in local offices.

From an economic-dynamics perspective, joint projects with Ukraine have the greatest potential. Romania is actively strengthening its role as a leading logistics and industrial hub for Ukrainian businesses. Romania’s strategic importance to Ukraine is clear: a shared border, the Black Sea, convenient and extensive logistics, energy, the Danube, agribusiness and established regional supply chains create natural points of intersection between business interests.

Relations with financial institutions are equally important – EIB, EBRD, IFC and national development banks. Any serious project requires financing and guarantees. The best protection of a client’s interests is to have a globally recognized institutional investor involved in the transaction. Accordingly, for a law firm, the question is no longer whether it needs an international practice, but how professionally it manages it.

The role of a Foreign Desk

The role of a Foreign Desk is to ensure that a law firm is known to partners in leading jurisdictions, that they understand its capabilities, and that they think of the firm when a client’s transaction requires a local component. In an international transaction, the local counsel is often not selected independently. It is recommended or engaged by a major international law firm, an international bank, an investment fund, a consultant or a corporate client. A local firm’s reputation abroad therefore translates directly into pipeline.

An international network is part of the product

A serious international project is almost never purely legal. It requires financing, risk insurance, guarantees, investment instruments and, in some cases, the involvement of government or international financial institutions.

This is clearly demonstrated by the mechanisms of the Ukraine Investment Framework. The institutions involved in its implementation include the EIB, EBRD, IFC, KfW, BGK, AFD and other leading European financial organisations. In March 2025, the European Commission and the EIB concluded a €2 billion guarantee agreement to support Ukraine’s recovery. In 2026, the EU continued to scale up such mechanisms: a new €1.5 billion programme package is intended to unlock a further €3.4 billion in investment.

For a law firm, this means understanding more than Ukrainian law. It needs to know who may finance projects, which guarantee instruments are available, who makes the investment decision, and which advisors are already at the negotiating table – what their areas of strength are, whom they work with, and which Ukrainian projects may be of interest to them. This is precisely why relationships with leading law firms in key European centres have become strategically important.

A lawyer can be the architect of a deal

There is another reason why a Foreign Desk matters. A law firm can do more than win a project – it can help bring the project into existence. For example, an international company may be considering entering the Ukrainian market. An investment fund may be looking for opportunities in energy and infrastructure. A foreign business may want to establish a manufacturing supply chain with a Ukrainian partner. A European bank may be assessing the possibility of financing an infrastructure project. At an early stage, this is not yet legal work. It is merely an idea, an intention, a preliminary discussion.

Yet this is precisely where a law firm can connect potential partners, explain the regulatory environment, propose a transaction structure, bring in a financial institution, introduce the parties and help turn an intention into a project. In this model, the lawyer is no longer merely an advisor brought in after the business decision has already been made. The lawyer becomes the architect of the transaction.

International business requires a systematic approach

Systematic international business development requires continuous engagement: concise overviews of the country’s economic situation; analysis of key legislative changes across major sectors; investment opportunities; privatisation; M&A; infrastructure and PPP projects; government programmes and grants; and potential transactions that are still at the stage of announcements and intentions. This is followed by personal communication: calls, meetings, targeted updates and invitations to discuss specific projects. Conferences come only afterwards.

The key question is: with whom and why?

An effective international business trip begins not with buying a ticket, but with a table of objectives. Which foreign partners does the firm need? Which specific practice area might be of interest? What client or project could arise from the meeting? Which partners have relationships with banks or funds? With whom could the firm make a joint pitch? Which companies are currently looking to enter the relevant market?

This is no longer networking for the sake of networking. It is business development with measurable results. Major international events also require preparation months in advance. The objective is not to travel simply to ‘see what happens’, but to arrive with a portfolio of specific local projects, prospective clients and partnerships, together with a meeting schedule arranged well in advance.

Foreign desk as an investment in scaling the business

Local businesses are increasingly looking abroad. Consequently, a law firm focused exclusively on domestic demand is effectively limiting its own growth potential.

The alternative is to build a Foreign Desk as a dedicated business-development function, with responsible and experienced partners, clearly defined priority jurisdictions, a database of international contacts, regular content, meeting planning and a systematic follow-up process. This does not necessarily mean opening offices in London or Berlin. What matters far more at the outset is establishing the firm’s presence in international professional communications. Foreign law firms should clearly understand who you are, where your strengths lie, what experience you have, which projects you can handle and why you can be trusted with the domestic component of an international transaction.

Executive summary

The next stage of development of the legal market will be determined by a firm’s ability to be part of the international deal flow. Funding for major development, renovation and reconstruction projects comes to a significant extent through the European financial system. Investment decisions are often made in Brussels, London or Berlin. International partners seek trusted local counsel through their own networks.

In these circumstances, a Foreign Desk is no longer merely a prestige function or an additional marketing element. It is infrastructure for scaling a legal business and gaining access to international projects. Its primary purpose is not to bring in a few contacts from abroad, but to ensure that the Ukrainian law firm is consistently present where capital, partnerships and transactions emerge – before they become legal projects. It is a systematic investment in visibility, relationships and trust that determines whether the firm will have a seat at the table where truly major transactions are conceived.

Oleksandr Lypskyi
Head of the Entrepreneurs committee, Kyiv Chamber of Commerce & Industry