Oksana Varakina

Counsel

T: +38 044 277 22 22
E: oksana.varakina@equity.law

Oksana Varakina joined EQUITY in 2019. Her main focus is cross-border litigation and criminal proceedings with foreign element. Also Oksana has a successful track record of representing clients before Ukrainian domestic courts. 

Counsel regularly develops defense strategies in cross-border criminal proceedings and advises clients on blocking and seizing foreign assets, processing data in Interpol databases, and the extradition process at Ukraine's request.

Oksana has experience in international arbitration and has been involved in arbitral proceedings under the UNCITRAL, ICC, LCIA, SCC, CIETAC and ICAC at UCCI Arbitration Rules. 

She is admitted to the Ukrainian bar. In 2019, counsel successfully passed the art. 100 exam in France, allowing her to take the oath as Avocat à la cour.

Actively engaged in public activities. She is the Chairman of the International Cooperation Subcommittee of the Ukrainian Advocates' Association (UAA). Also Oksana is an advisor in the Young ICCA Mentoring Program. According to her successful foreign experience, in 2020 Oksana co-founded the mentoring program of the Ukrainian Bar Association (UBA). Prior to joining EQUITY, she worked at leading law firms in Ukraine and France

Recent experience (projects)

• Represented a famous foreign businessman before the Interpol Control Commission (CCF) in an appeal process of an Interpol Green Notice. As part of a comprehensive defense strategy, won two cases challenging the refutation of distributed inaccurate information about the client in the Internet media.
• Represented a Ukrainian citizen before the Commission for Control of INTERPOL's  Files (CCF). She convinced the Commission to take action and block cooperation with Interpol NCB in Ukraine until the end of additional data verification with the participation of the client.
• Represented a French transport company, which is one of the largest container shipping companies in the world, as a victim in criminal proceedings for the misappropriation of funds by the former management of a subsidiary in Ukraine.
• Represented a foreign client in a case of confiscation of funds in Switzerland. In cooperation with Swiss colleagues, the legality of the money origin was proven in pre-trial proceedings and the money was returned to the client
• Acted as co-counsel for the Ukrainian producer of cardboard (respondent) in the CIETAC arbitration involving the claims for the amount of USD 11+ mln
• Acted as co-counsel for the US leading engineering company (respondent) in the SCC arbitration involving the claims for the amount of USD 8+ mln

Education

• Bachelor’s degree, Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv
• Master’s degree, Kyiv International University
• LL.M. in International Dispute Settlement (MIDS), Geneva University and Graduate Institute of International and Development Studies
• UNIT School of Business, BUILD programme (2020)

Membership in professional organisations

• Ukrainian Advocates' Association (UAA)
• Young ICCA
• ICC Young Arbitrators Forum (YAF)
• LCIA Young International Arbitration Group (YIAG)
• Ukrainian Arbitration Association (UAA)
• Ukrainian National Bar Association

Recognition

• recommended in WCC, The Legal 500 2024; 
• Attorney of the Year in International Law and International Arbitration, Attorney of the Year 2023; 
• TOP-30 under 30 Lawyers, Yurydychna Gazeta 2023;
• recognized in arbitration and mediation, Best Lawyers 2022;
• recommended in litigation, The Legal 500 EMEA 2021;

Bar admission

• Ukraine
• France (art. 100 exam passed in 2019, oath ceremony pending)

Publications

• Ukraine: Pioneering the Analytical Approach to the Enforcement of Emergency Arbitrator Awards (2016), EIAR
• Enforcement in Ukraine of Interim Orders Issued by Foreign Courts and Arbitral Tribunals (2016), ULF: A Handbook for Foreign Clients (co-authored)
• Evidentiary Privilege in Commercial Arbitration (2015), Yuridicheskaya Praktika (in Russian)

Languages

• English
• Ukrainian
• Russian
• French