Civil cases have one thing in common: it is not the party who is right that wins, but the party who proved it. The court does not establish the truth of its own motion; it weighs the evidence filed in time and in the proper form.
That is why a civil lawyer is most useful before the claim is filed: while documents can still be gathered, lawyer’s enquiries sent, the defendant’s assets frozen and the relief properly framed. A claim whose relief is framed so that the court cannot grant it is lost even where the right exists.
We run civil disputes for individuals: inheritance, debts, compensation for harm, housing and land matters.
Areas of work
Inheritance
- Challenging a will: the testator’s capacity, pressure, breach of form, the compulsory share
- Dividing an intestate estate: classes of heirs, shares, disputes between them
- Inheritance lawyer: accepting an estate, extending deadlines
Damage and compensation
Debts
- Debt recovery: court order, claim, enforcement proceedings
- Recovering a debt on an IOU
Procedure
- Settling civil disputes out of court
- Court representation: every instance, from claim to enforcement
Also: protection of property rights, housing and land disputes, protection of honour and dignity, setting transactions aside.
Four things that decide the outcome
The deadline
The general limitation period is 3 years (Art. 257 of the Civil Code), but many claims have special periods: 1 year for penalties and liquidated damages (Art. 258(2)), and separate rules for employment disputes (Art. 233 of the Labour Code). Separately: limitation, suspended for the quarantine and martial law, resumed on 4 September 2025. For old debts and disputes that means time is running again.
Interim relief
If there is a risk the defendant will move assets out, the application for attachment goes in with the claim, not after the win. Otherwise you get a judgment and no money.
Evidence
The court weighs what was filed in time. The appeal court does not admit new evidence without good reason (Art. 367 of the Civil Procedure Code), so “we will add it on appeal” does not work.
How the relief is framed
The commonest mistake in self-drafted claims: the right exists, but the relief is framed so the court cannot grant it. The classic case is a claim only to declare a deed of gift invalid, with no claim to recover the flat and cancel the registration of title: there is a judgment for the claimant, but the home is still registered to the donee, and a second case is needed.
What litigating costs
The subsistence minimum for working-age people in 2026 is 3,328 UAH. The court fee is calculated from it.
| Type of claim | Rate | Amount in 2026 |
|---|---|---|
| Monetary claim (individual) | 1 % of the value | 1,331.20–16,640 UAH |
| Non-monetary claim (individual) | 0.4 subsistence minimum | 1,331.20 UAH |
| Application for a court order | 0.1 subsistence minimum | 332.80 UAH |
| Appeal | 150 % of the claim rate | — |
| Cassation appeal | 200 % of the claim rate | — |
Calculate the court fee for a monetary claim
Non-monetary claims carry a flat fee of 1,331.20 UAH.
Filing through the Electronic Court gives a 20 % discount: the rate is multiplied by 0.8. If you win, the court fee and the legal costs are recovered from the defendant in proportion to the relief granted (Art. 141).
How long a case takes
The civil case calendar
- simplified (small) proceedings — up to 60 days from the day they open (Art. 275);
- ordinary proceedings — a preparatory stage of up to 60 days (Art. 189) plus 30 days for the hearing on the merits (Art. 210);
- in practice — 6–12 months at first instance, and up to 18 months where there is an expert report;
- appeal — 30 days to file (Art. 354), several months to hear;
- enforcement — a separate stage that often takes longer than the case itself.
When you do not need a lawyer
You may always represent yourself in a civil case: Art. 58 of the Civil Procedure Code allows it. In small claims the law goes further and allows a representative who is not a qualified lawyer (Art. 60(2)). Where the amount in dispute is small this is sensible: when the cost of the defence exceeds the claim, litigation rarely pays.
A civil lawyer is needed when:
- what is at stake is comparable to the cost of the defence, or greater;
- on the other side there is a bank, an insurer, a public authority or a lawyer;
- the deadline is running out, or it is unclear when it started;
- there is a risk that the defendant will move assets out;
- an expert report is needed: valuation, psychiatric, construction, handwriting;
- the case was lost at first instance;
- there is a judgment but no money is coming in.
A case from our practice
In 2025 a man came to us who already had a judgment in his favour: a deed gifting a share in a flat, signed by his mother six months before her death, had been declared invalid. That judgment did not get the home back, because the claim had contained no request to cancel the state registration of title, and the share was still registered to the donee. We filed a fresh claim, obtained an extract from the property rights register, showed that the relief was consequential, and had the registration entry cancelled. The second case took about seven months and cost the client another court fee plus our fee from 10,000 UAH. All of it could have been avoided had the relief been framed in full the first time (details changed).
How we work
- We assess the prospects: what evidence there is, what will have to be proved, what the realistic outcome is, and how the cost compares with what is claimed.
- We gather the evidence: lawyer’s enquiries to registers, banks, medical institutions and archives.
- We block asset-stripping: the application for interim relief is filed together with the claim.
- We draft the documents with relief the court is able to grant.
- We appear in court at every instance, including without you attending.
- We see it through to the result: enforcement proceedings, registration of title, receipt of the money.
Cost of services
The line about working without an advance means this: 100,000 UAH is the minimum amount in dispute for which that model is possible, and the fee under it is paid once the agreed result is achieved. The court fee from the table above is added to the fee: 1,331.20 UAH for an individual’s non-monetary claim, from 1,331.20 to 16,640 UAH for a monetary one, 332.80 UAH for an application for a court order, and 20 % less through the Electronic Court.
Questions and answers (Civil lawyer)
Can a claim be filed through the Electronic Court without a lawyer?
Yes. An individual registers their own electronic cabinet and files the documents themselves, with the same 20 % discount on the court fee. The system checks the format of the filing, not the substance of the claim, so an error in the relief sought or in jurisdiction does not disappear: the case will still be returned or dismissed on the merits.
The defendant has gone abroad. Is there any point in suing?
Yes. The court hears the case in the defendant’s absence provided they were properly notified, and the judgment can be enforced against property, accounts and income in Ukraine. Notification is the harder part: depending on the country it goes through diplomatic channels or under a treaty, and that adds several months which should be planned for from the outset.
Can the lawyer’s fees be recovered from the defendant?
Yes. If you win, the court recovers the cost of professional legal assistance from the other side, checking that it is proportionate to the complexity of the case. For that, before the hearing ends you file the engagement letter, a detailed description of the work and the payment documents; without them the court will not award costs even if the claim succeeds in full.
Is the court fee refunded if the parties settle?
Yes. If a settlement is reached, the claim withdrawn or admitted before the hearing on the merits begins, the court refunds the claimant 50 % of the fee paid (Art. 142). It is refunded in full where the claim was returned, leave to proceed was refused, or you withdrew the application before it was decided.
The original contract or IOU has been lost. Can anything be proved?
Documentary evidence is filed in the original or a certified copy, and the court may require the original (Art. 95). Losing the document does not end the case: the copy is supported by correspondence, bank statements and witness evidence, and where necessary the fact is first established in separate proceedings. We assess whether that approach will work before the claim is filed.
Contact a Svarog civil lawyer
Describe the situation: we will assess the prospects, calculate the deadlines and the full cost (fee, court fee, expert reports) and show you what litigation would cost against what a settlement would. You get that assessment at the consultation, before any engagement letter is signed.