Martial Law in Ukraine | Expert Speaker Panel | Inner Temple
With thanks to our experts for their panel discussion on the political landscape and martial law in Ukraine. The discussion took place on 11 December 2024 at Inner Temple and was followed by a reception with drinks and canapes.
Thank you to all of our guests, clients and colleagues who attended this thought-provoking event, we value your support, energy and interesting questions and discussions.
Please see the selection of photos from the event and speaker details below.
The expert speaker panel consisted of:
Ben Keith, Barrister, 5 St Andrew’s Hill. Ben Keith is a leading barrister specialising in cross-border and international cases. He deals with all aspects of Extradition, Human Rights, Mutual Legal Assistance, Interpol, Financial crime and International Law including sanctions. He represents governments, political and military leaders, High Net Worth individuals, human rights defenders and business leaders in the most sensitive cases. He has dealt with numerous significant and Ukrainian extradition and Interpol cases.
Luke Harding is an award-winning foreign correspondence with the Guardian, and author of Invasion: Russia’s Bloody war and Ukraine’s fight for survival. He has reported from Delhi, Berlin and Moscow and has also covered wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, Libya and Syria. Between 2007 and 2011 the Guardian’s Moscow bureau chief. The Kremlin expelled him from the country in the first case of its kind since the Cold War and in summer 2022 put him on an official blacklist. He is the author of Mafia Estate and co-author of WikiLeaks: inside Julian Assange’s war on secrecy, The Liar: the full of Jonathan Aitken (nominated for the Orwell prize) and The Snowden files. Two of Harding‘s books have been made into films the fifth Estate and Snowden.
Liliia Kuznets is an attorney at VB Partners law firm. She specializes in defending clients at all stages of criminal proceedings involving economic and corruption-related offences. With substantial experience as a local counsel, Liliia manages complex cross-border cases and represents clients before international law enforcement bodies, including Interpol. Her expertise extends to disputes concerning property confiscation and nationalization. Among her clients are prominent figures and organisations such as UPD, a leader in the real estate market whose owner ranks among Ukraine's top 100 wealthiest individuals according to Forbes, the Chairman of the Board of PrivatBank, the Deputy Minister of Justice and others.
Yulia Kuznets is an attorney at VB Partners law firm. She specializes in complex criminal proceedings, anti-corruption investigations, and high-level court cases. She has substantial experience in extradition and INTERPOL matters and provides comprehensive legal assistance at all stages of cross-border investigations. Yuliia is an expert in sanctions practice. Her clients are Warner Music, BNP Paribas Group, Snel Energy Group (which owns over 100 gas stations and 4 oil depots in Ukraine), and TAS Group – one of Ukraine’s largest financial-industrial groups with assets in the agricultural sector, mechanical engineering, and banking. TAS Group is owned by Ukrainian businessman and politician Serhiy Tihipko (ranked among the top 11 wealthiest people in Ukraine by Forbes). Yuliia also represents former top managers of major banks such as Sense Bank, Nadra Bank, and others.
VB Partners is the #1 White-Collar Crime boutique law firm in Ukraine with a strong presence in Dispute Resolution, established 20 years ago. The team is also recognized for its expertise in corporate investigations, multinational investigations and police investigations, including those conducted by Interpol. The Firm and its top lawyers are highly regarded for their outstanding track record in business crime defence and litigation in all major international legal directories, including Chambers Europe, Legal 500, Best Lawyers, Index Lexology, etc. VB Partners` clients include leading national businesses, large multinational companies and high net worth individuals. Client base also comprises former state officials and senior top managers of banks and corporates.
James Yallop, Associate Director, PRISM Strategic Intelligence. James leads evidence gathering and asset tracing matters in jurisdictions across Eurasia. James joined PRISM from a London-based boutique investigations firm and previously covered the former Soviet Union for a political risk consultancy in London. James has also collaborated with academics on a range of issues, including sanctions and the identification of Russian assets in Western jurisdictions. He has a master’s degree focussing on Eurasian-origin illicit finance from King’s College London, and speaks Russian, French, Italian, and Arabic.
Chair:
John Lough, Chatham House/New Eurasian Strategies Centre. John Lough is an associate fellow of the Russia and Eurasia Programme at Chatham House. He began his career as an analyst at the Soviet Studies (later Conflict Studies) Research Centre focusing on Soviet/Russian security policy. He spent six years with NATO, and was the first Alliance representative to be based in Moscow (1995–98). He gained direct experience of the Russian oil and gas industry at TNK-BP as a manager in the company’s international affairs team (2003–08). From 2008 to 2016, he ran the Russia & CIS practice at BGR Gabara, a public affairs and strategy consulting company. Alongside his work with Chatham House, John is a consultant with Highgate, a strategic advisory firm.
To view our International Law & Extradition Team pages click here and if you would like to discuss instructing a member of the team, please contact Dave Scothern, Chambers Director: dscothern@5sah.co.uk or call 0207 332 5401.
