Dr. Vasil I. Kisil, now Senior Partner of the firm, has been VKP’s managing partner for more than fifteen years.

Dr. Kisil is a professor of Private International Law at the Institute of International Relations within the National Taras Shevchenko University of Kyiv, which is known as one the best universities in Ukraine, being nationally the strongest in the greatest number of academic fields.

Mr. Kisil received an honorary Doctor of Laws degree and gained domestic and international recognition as a leading Ukrainian expert on Private International Law, Civil Law, and Investment Law. Professor Kisil is a legendary name among Ukrainian law practitioners and students. His legacy of a preeminent legal scholar is best illustrated by the number of his former students who went on founding successful national law firms, becoming managing partners, partners and/or well-known specialist. Dr. Kisil influenced generations of law students, lawyers, and academics, as well as the international legal community. A seasoned practitioner, Professor Kisil has sharpened his skills across jurisdictions, and in the classroom he has excited generations of students about the most fundamental theories underlying the rules of law.

Thanks to Dr. Kisil, the expression “The Art of Law” became not only a slogan of Vasil Kisil & Partners law firm but the embodiment of his approach to the profession shared by those whose lives he touched.

On November 2, 2009, the President of Ukraine by his Decree No. 867/2009 awarded Dr. Vasil Kisil with an Order of Merit of the 3rd Degree for substantial contribution to the development of higher education and training of licensed specialists in commemoration of the 175th anniversary of Taras Shevchenko Kyiv National University.

Vasil I. Kisil is a member of the Public Council with the Ministry of Justice of Ukraine, Chairman of the Supervisory Board of the Ukrainian Legal Foundation, a member of the Scientific Advisory Council of the Supreme Court of Ukraine, a member of the Scientific Advisory Council of the Higher Commercial Court of Ukraine, a member of the Scientific Advisory Council of the Higher Administrative Court of Ukraine. Mr. Kisil is also a member of the Permanent Court of Arbitration in The Hague.

Dr. Kisil advises Parliamentary Committee of Ukraine on development of legislation in field of concession, natural resources, production sharing agreements, rights of the foreign investors.

For many years, Vasil I. Kisil has been topping the ratings of best lawyers in Ukraine according to national and international publications. The PLC Cross-border Mergers & Acquisitions Handbook 2006/07 recognized Mr. Kisil as a Highly Recommended Mergers & Acquisitions Practitioner in Ukraine. In 2009 he received honorable mention from Chambers Europe for his impeccable reputation in the Ukrainian legal market. Best Lawyers 2010 named him “Kyiv Corporate Lawyer of the Year”. Ukrainian Law Firms (a Handbook for Foreign Clients) continuously places him among the best lawyers in Ukraine and recommends him as a leading expert in investment issues.

Vasil I. Kisil has been also rated among the best 50 lawyers of the country according to The Lawyers of Ukraine 2008 -Clients' Choice Rating (by Yuridicheskaya Gazeta). In 2010 Vasil I. has been listed among the Top 100 Lawyers in Ukraine based on the results of the All-Ukrainian survey Client’s Choice 2010.

He is recognized as one of the leading experts in Ukraine in the areas of Private International Law, Civil Law and investments legislation. Current edition of The PLC WHICH LAWYER? endorses Mr. Kisil as Corporate/Mergers & Acquisitions Practitioner in Ukraine.

Also he has been repeatedly mentioned by The International Who's Who of Business Lawyers among the world leading practitioners in Corporate Governance. Legal 500 2010: Dispute Resolution states: Vasil Kisil & Partners’ name partner Vasil Kisil is considered ‘a legend for litigation’.

Dr. Kisil authored numerous course-books, monographs and publications, including:
"Cancellation of Marriage in International Private Law", 1980;
"Foreigners and Soviet Law", 1982;
"Rights and Obligations of Parents and Children", 1985;
"International Private Law" (textbook), 1986;
"Civil Law: Questions & Answers", 1987;
"Legal Status of Foreigners in the USSR", 1987;
"Family Law for the Young", 1990;
"Implementation of International Legal Rules in Domestic Law", 1992;
"International Family Law" (student textbook), 1993;
"Protection of Foreign Investments in Ukraine (Theoretical and Practical Aspects)", 1994;
"Private International Law: Codification Issues," 2000;
"Applicable Law in Foreign Trade Contracts: Legislative Trends", Yurydychnyi Zhurnal (Legal Journal), No 2(20), 2004;
"Private International Law: Codification Issues", 2005.

Education:
National Taras Shevchenko University of Kyiv, International Law (1976); Doctor of Laws, International Private Law (2001). Professor of the International Private Law at the National Taras Shevchenko University of Kyiv

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