The Legal 500 Europe, Middle East and Africa guide has recently released its 2012 edition. The new edition contains glowing reviews of all of Asters’ key practices and recommends six of the firm’s partners.

The firm rose in rankings for its Corporate and M&A practice, lead by Oleksiy Didkovskiy and Armen Khachaturyan, and is now recognized as a Tier 1 firm in Ukraine. The guide recommends the firm as providing ‘first-class advice, tailored to commercial needs’, and clients are quoted as calling Asters ‘the best commercial law firm without a doubt.’

Commenting on the firm’s Banking, Finance and Capital Markets practice, the guide rates Asters as ‘one of the best Ukrainian firms with a strong reputation for detailed and thorough advice’. Svitlana Poroschuk, Iryna Pokanay and senior partner Armen Khachaturyan are described as ‘experienced, well-qualified lawyers'. Dispute Resolution team lead by Oleksiy Didkovskiy is noted as ‘responsive and very good value for money’. The publication emphasizes the litigation team’s work on investors’ rights, import licensing and tax disputes.

The guide remarks that in Intellectual Property Asters delivers ‘excellent response times and practical advice’. Practice headOleksandr Padalka is recommended for his ‘excellent communication skills and an easygoing, personable style’. He and his team are described as ‘creative problem-solvers’. In Real Estate and Construction Asters is praised for its ‘fast and competent responses’, and Roman Kostenko is recommended for hisgood level of service.

Finally, the guide describes the firm’s Tax practice as providing ‘perfect advice and legal opinions’, noting its responsiveness, ‘fast turnaround’, and its work for such clients as Visa and Shell. It recommends practice head Oleksiy Didkovskiy and senior associate Kostyantyn Solyar as key names of the team.

Three partners, Oleksiy Didkovskiy and Oleksandr Padalka in Corporate and M&A, and Armen Khachaturyan in Banking, Finance and Capital Markets, also appear on the guide’s elite Leading Lawyers list.

Published for over twenty years, the Legal 500 Series provides the most comprehensive worldwide coverage on legal services providers, in over 100 countries. Used by commercial and private clients, corporate counsel, CEOs, and professional advisers, the series is based on independent editorial research and takes into account such factors as strengths and strategies of the firm, the quality of work handled, client feedback and the reputation of individual practitioners.