Lawyer’s fees in Kyiv

Fees for a lawyer’s services are the first thing people ask about at the start of a telephone conversation. The law allows an advocate and a client to agree on any form of payment: a fixed sum for a specific service, an hourly rate, or a fee linked to the outcome. This is expressly provided for in Article 30 of the Law of Ukraine ‘On the Bar and the Practice of Law’, and the terms themselves are set out in writing by the parties in a contract for the provision of legal assistance (Article 27 of the same Law). A verbal agreement on fees is not legally binding, and this protects the client above all.

In practice, a person might visit five websites and find fees varying by a factor of several times. The reason is not greed: the single term ‘divorce’ can cover everything from a declaration that a couple signs in twenty minutes to a two-year dispute involving the division of a business, the valuation of assets and forensic expert evidence. The same applies to debt recovery: one case involves an undisputed debt based on a promissory note; another involves a debtor who has been transferring assets to relatives for three years. Therefore, any figure in the price list is a ‘starting point’—the lower limit from which negotiations begin, rather than a final bill.

We calculate the cost after reviewing your documents. During the consultation, you will receive not only an answer to the substance of your query, but also a cost estimate: a list of actions, an approximate timeframe and the cost. If circumstances arise during the process that were not apparent at the outset — such as the court ordering an expert assessment or the defendant filing a counterclaim — we will agree on any additional charges separately and in writing, rather than simply including them in the final bill without prior notice.

Call us to get a quote for your situation: +38 (095) 554-54-24. Mon–Fri, 09:00–18:00, Kyiv, 7 Khoriva Street (Podil).

Updated September 2026.

Cost of services (advocate’s fees)

Below are the same rates broken down by specific service. In every table, ‘comprehensive representation’ means the work within a single court instance.

Family law: divorce, child maintenance, division of property

Claimants in cases concerning the recovery of maintenance, an increase in its amount, penalties and additional expenses for a child are exempt from court fees — clause 3, part 1, Article 5 of the Law ‘On Court Fees’. The same applies to an application for a court order.

Inheritance matters

Military advocate: TRC, medical board, mobilisation, AWOL

Servicemen, persons liable for military service and reservists are exempt from court fees in cases relating to the performance of military duty — clause 12, part 1, Article 5 of the Law ‘On Court Fees’. Combat veterans are exempt in cases concerning violations of their rights (clause 13).

Property and construction

Land matters

Housing matters

Road traffic accidents and motoring law

A case under Article 130 of the Code of Administrative Offences is heard by a court, not by the police, and it can be dismissed on limitation grounds or because the sobriety testing procedure was breached. That is the most common reason such a report falls apart.

Loans, debts and insolvency

In personal insolvency proceedings, the insolvency practitioner’s remuneration is payable separately: it is not part of the advocate’s fee and must be paid into the court’s deposit account in advance.

Criminal cases

An advocate called out to an arrest or a search attends outside office hours — which is why these items cost more than drafting documents. You need to call before the investigative action begins, not after it.

Civil disputes

Commercial disputes and services for business

Tax, customs and administrative disputes

The law allows 10 working days from receipt for an administrative appeal against a tax assessment notice, and 6 months for a court challenge. Missing the ten-day deadline does not remove your right to go to court, but it does remove the chance of resolving the matter without one.

Employment, pension and immigration matters, maritime law

Claimants in cases concerning the recovery of wages and reinstatement do not pay court fees — clause 1, part 1, Article 5 of the Law ‘On Court Fees’.

What determines the cost of an advocate’s services

Five factors influence the cost more than anything else.

• The court level. First instance, appeal and cassation are three separate processes with different legal frameworks. A cassation appeal does not require a retelling of the facts, but rather a demonstration that the court misapplied the law, and it takes longer to draft than a claim.
• Number of hearings. A civil case rarely concludes in a single hearing: a typical dispute over the division of property involves 4–8 hearings over a period of 8–14 months.
• Expert evidence. As soon as a case involves construction and technical, commodity or handwriting expert evidence, motions, questions for the expert and, often, a review of the expert’s report are added.
• Jurisdiction. If the case is being heard by a court in another region, travel costs are included in the price.
• Time-sensitive work. Arrest, search, the five-day deadline for appeal — work that needs to be done tonight costs more than work for which there is a month.

Comprehensive legal representation involves handling the case from the initial consultation through to the decision of the court of first instance: gathering evidence, legal enquiries, the claim, all hearings, applications and objections. Appeals and cassation proceedings are not included in this fee and are charged separately, as these are independent processes with their own timeframes.

A separate note on the last line. Working without an upfront payment does not mean ‘free until we win’: until a result is achieved, the advocate bears the entire risk of the case. Therefore, the entry threshold is high, and this format only makes sense in major property disputes with a predictable outcome. In most cases, the client is better off with standard payment in stages.

What is not included in the cost of the service

Court fees, notary services, and costs for expert reports, property valuations or medical examinations are payable by the client. We calculate these costs in advance and inform you of them transparently.

Court fees and third-party costs in 2026

Below are the actual figures, so that you can work out an estimate yourself. Court fee rates are tied to the subsistence minimum for able-bodied persons as at 1 January of the year in which the claim is filed (part 1, Article 4 of the Law ‘On Court Fees’). In 2026 that figure is 3,328 UAH and it does not change until 31 December.

If a claim or appeal is filed electronically through the Electronic Court, the rate is multiplied by 0.8 (part 3, Article 4 of the Law ‘On Court Fees’): a non-pecuniary claim by an individual costs 1,064.96 UAH instead of 1,331.20 UAH. We file documents electronically, so this reduction applies automatically.

SM stands for the subsistence minimum for able-bodied persons, 3,328 UAH in 2026. In cases concerning the protection of social, employment, family and housing rights, the cap is 3 SM for an appeal and 5 SM for a cassation appeal.

The third-party costs mentioned above look like this in a specific case — all of them are charged at the rates of the relevant institutions and are not included in our fee:

• notary services — certification of contracts, applications and powers of attorney, issue of a certificate of inheritance;
• a valuer’s report on the market value of the property — needed both to set the value of the claim and to calculate a share;
• forensic expert evidence: construction, commodity, handwriting or medical — paid for by the party that requested it;
• extracts and information certificates from the state registers;
• translation of documents, notarial certification of the translation and apostille — in cases with a foreign element.

Who pays for the advocate if the case is won

The costs of professional legal assistance form part of the legal costs and are allocated between the parties according to the outcome: Articles 137 and 141 of the Civil Procedure Code, Articles 126 and 129 of the Commercial Procedure Code, Articles 134 and 139 of the Code of Administrative Procedure. In practice this means that the losing party reimburses the winner’s legal fees.

There are two conditions worth knowing in advance. First, the court assesses whether the costs are proportionate to the complexity of the case, the volume of work and the value of the claim (part 4, Article 137 of the Civil Procedure Code), and it may reduce the amount on the other party’s application. Second, recovery requires documents: the contract for legal assistance, a detailed description of the work carried out, a statement of work and proof of payment, all filed before the closing submissions. We prepare this bundle in every case, but we do not promise that the court will reimburse the fee in full: the case law varies, and it depends on the individual judge.

When you do not need to pay a advocate

Some matters are resolved without a representative. If a couple has no minor children in common and both agree to divorce, the marriage is dissolved by the civil registry office on a joint application — Article 106 of the Family Code, with no court and no advocate. An application for a court order for maintenance as a share of income can be filed personally using a standard form, and the claimant is exempt from court fees. Nor is a representative required to obtain a register extract, to register title under an undisputed contract, or to file a standard complaint against an enforcement officer.

Free secondary legal aid is a separate matter. The Law of Ukraine ‘On Free Legal Aid’ entitles low-income individuals, war veterans, persons with Group I and II disabilities, internally displaced persons, children and a number of other categories to a advocate at the state’s expense. If you fall into one of these categories, contact a free legal aid centre — it is your right, and in that case you do not need to pay us. We say so plainly during the consultation.

Questions and answers (advocate’s fees)

Why does the price list say ‘from’ everywhere?

Because a single service name covers cases of very different complexity. A claim to divide a single flat and a claim in which assets have to be traced, three gift deeds challenged and a valuation commissioned involve very different amounts of work under the same heading. The lower figure in the table is the price of a straightforward case, not a marketing device. We quote the specific amount after reviewing the documents and fix it in the contract.

Is the consultation chargeable?

Yes, from 1,500 UAH. During it we review your documents, assess the prospects and prepare an estimate. If you then instruct us to handle the case, the cost of the consultation is credited against the overall fee.

Do court fees form part of the advocate’s fee?

No. The court fee is a payment to the court’s account, paid separately before the claim is filed, and its amount is set by Article 4 of the Law ‘On Court Fees’, not by the advocate. The same applies to notary, valuer and expert fees. We set out the full list of payments at the consultation so that there are no surprises in the second month of the case.

Can I pay in instalments?

Yes. For comprehensive representation we divide the fee into stages: analysis and preparation of the claim, work in the court of first instance, and the appeal. Each stage is paid for before it begins, so you can see exactly what you are paying for.

What does ‘work without an upfront payment’ mean, and who is it for?

It is an arrangement under which we run the case and receive our fee after the money has actually been recovered. It does not work in every case: it requires predictable prospects, a solvent debtor and a claim of at least 100,000 UAH. Where there is no one to recover from, the arrangement makes no sense for you or for us, and we decline it.

How much does a single hearing cost if I run the rest of the case myself?

From 3,000 UAH per hearing. But bear in mind that a advocate attending a single hearing without having prepared on the case will achieve little. We normally take on such instructions together with a review of the case file — that is a further 5,000 UAH or more.

Will the cost increase if the case goes to appeal?

Yes. The representation prices cover work within one court instance. An appeal means a new pleading, new arguments and new hearings, so it is charged separately. The court fee for an appeal is also payable afresh — 150% of the rate for the original claim.

What happens to the fee if we lose the case?

The fee for work already carried out is not refunded: you are paying for the work, not for the outcome, and the law expressly prohibits a advocate from guaranteeing a win. That is precisely why we do not take on hopeless cases: at the consultation we will tell you if the prospects are poor, and why.

Can I recover my legal costs from the defendant?

You can, if the case is won: Articles 137 and 141 of the Civil Procedure Code. This requires a complete set of supporting documents — the contract, a detailed description of the work, a statement of work and proof of payment — filed before the closing submissions. The court may reduce the amount if it finds it disproportionate to the complexity of the case.

Do you work with clients from other cities and online?

Yes. We advise via Zoom, Telegram, Viber and WhatsApp, accept documents as scans and sign the contract remotely. We travel to courts outside Kyiv — travel costs are agreed separately before the work begins.

How is payment documented?

By a contract for the provision of legal assistance setting out the services, the fee and the payment arrangements — as required by Article 30 of the Law ‘On the Bar and the Practice of Law’. Once you have paid, you receive a statement of work carried out. These are the very documents later filed with the court to recover costs from the opposing party.

Request a fee estimate from Svarog Law Firm

To give you an exact figure we need the documents: the contract, the authority’s decision, the report, the correspondence, the certificates. In a 20-minute conversation we will tell you what the prospects are, what the work will cost, what other payments there will be and how long everything takes. If the matter can be resolved without going to court, we will tell you that too.

7 Khoriva Street (Podil), Kyiv. Telephone: +38 095 554-54-24, +38 096 554-54-25 — Telegram, Viber and WhatsApp on the same numbers. Email: [email protected]. We work Mon–Fri, 09:00–18:00.