In books and films litigation looks straightforward: the parties speak, the judge listens, the truth prevails. In a real court the outcome turns on whether the defence was filed in time, whether the evidence was put in properly, and whether a deadline that cannot be restored has been missed. Being right is not enough for that.
Every case begins with three numbers. You have been sued: the court allows at least 15 days from service of the order opening the case to file a defence (Art. 178 CPC). You lost at first instance: you have 30 days from the drawing up of the full judgment to appeal (Art. 354 CPC). You lost on appeal: cassation is also 30 days (Art. 390 CPC). The 2026 court fee on an individual’s monetary claim is 1 % of its value, but not less than 1,331.20 UAH.
Court representation by Svarog’s lawyers covers the whole road: from assessing the prospects and drafting the claim or the defence through to seeing the judgment enforced. We appear in the courts of Kyiv and other regions, and run much of our work through the Electronic Court and by video link.
When you cannot manage in court without a lawyer
Article 59 of the Constitution guarantees everyone the right to professional legal assistance, and Art. 131-2 of the Constitution together with Art. 60 CPC provide that, as a rule, only an advocate may represent a party in court. The exceptions are narrow: minor cases (claims up to 100 subsistence minimums, that is 332,800 UAH in 2026), employment disputes and a few other categories, where any adult may act as representative.
You may represent yourself in any case. In practice it ends the same way: the defence is filed after the deadline and the court disregards it; the evidence is never called for because the party did not know about Art. 84 CPC; the application for an expert report is made after the preparatory hearing has closed, when it is no longer possible. Any one of these mistakes can decide the case, and putting it right on appeal is far from always possible: the appellate court admits new evidence only exceptionally (Art. 367(3) CPC).
You need a lawyer when what is at stake exceeds the cost of representation, when the other side already has one, when the case has been through first instance and the deadline for appealing is running, and in any dispute with a state body, a bank or an insurer: they have in-house lawyers and know the process better than you do.
What court representation covers
The scope of work
- assessing the prospects with reference to the law and the Supreme Court’s case law, and a written legal opinion where needed;
- gathering evidence before filing: lawyer’s requests, register extracts, instructing valuers and experts;
- drafting the claim, the defence, the reply, objections, applications and requests for interim relief;
- representation at first instance, on appeal and in cassation;
- filing submissions and evidence on the client’s behalf, taking part in the examination of evidence, questioning witnesses;
- inspecting the case file and obtaining copies of judgments and rulings;
- preparing appeals to the appellate and cassation courts;
- obtaining the writ of execution and handling enforcement through the state service or a private enforcement officer.
A lawyer can come in at any stage, including after a first-instance judgment or when the case has already reached enforcement. The earlier that happens, the more procedural tools remain available.
The deadlines that shape a case
| Step | Deadline | Provision |
|---|---|---|
| Defence to the claim | at least 15 days from service of the order opening the case | Art. 178 CPC |
| Appeal against a judgment | 30 days from the drawing up of the full judgment | Art. 354 CPC |
| Appeal against a court ruling | 15 days from the drawing up of the full ruling | Art. 354 CPC |
| Cassation appeal | 30 days from the drawing up of the appellate court’s full judgment | Art. 390 CPC |
| Application to review a default judgment | 30 days from its pronouncement | Art. 284 CPC |
| Presenting the writ of execution for enforcement | 3 years | Art. 12 of the Law “On Enforcement Proceedings” |
A court may restore a missed procedural deadline only for a valid reason (Art. 127 CPC): illness, never having been notified of the case, receiving the judgment late. Not getting round to it, or not knowing the deadline, is not a valid reason. So the first thing we do at the consultation is check the dates of service against the calendar.
How long a case takes, and what affects it
Claims worth up to 332,800 UAH and certain others are heard in simplified proceedings, within 60 days of the case being opened (Art. 275 CPC). In ordinary proceedings the preparatory stage must end within 60 days of opening (Art. 189 CPC), after which the court moves to the merits. In practice first instance takes 6–12 months, and an appeal adds another 3–6.
What lengthens it: expert reports (construction, handwriting, valuation — one to several months each), non-attendance by parties and witnesses, obtaining evidence from third parties, and a change of judge. Some of these delays can be headed off: make every application at the preparatory hearing, file the evidence with the claim or defence, and ask for hearings by video link (Art. 212 CPC) so that they are not derailed by a work trip or illness.
Categories of case
We provide court representation in:
- civil cases: debts, contracts, compensation, succession, family disputes, property;
- commercial cases: disputes between companies and sole traders, debt recovery, corporate conflicts;
- administrative cases: challenges to the decisions and inaction of state bodies, tax disputes, recruitment centre and medical board cases;
- criminal cases: defending suspects and accused persons, representing victims;
- administrative offence cases: challenging decisions of the police, recruitment centres and other bodies.
An overview of all our litigation practice is on the page Litigation lawyer.
A case from our practice
In 2025 the owner of a Kyiv flat came to us after the neighbours below sued him for 180,000 UAH in flood damage. The record of the flooding had been drawn up without him, and the valuation was done by a valuer the claimants chose. We filed the defence within the period set by the court, applied for a court construction report and obtained the building manager’s log of repair requests. The report established that the cause was damage to the building’s common riser, for which the manager is responsible, not the flat owner. The court dismissed the claim against our client; first instance took about eleven months, and the court awarded our client’s legal costs against the claimants. (details changed)
Cost of services
Court fees in 2026 (subsistence minimum 3,328 UAH): an individual’s monetary claim costs 1 % of its value, but not less than 1,331.20 and not more than 16,640 UAH; an individual’s non-monetary claim 1,331.20 UAH; a company’s monetary claim 1.5 % of the value, with a minimum of 3,328 UAH; an appeal costs 150 % and a cassation appeal 200 % of the fee paid on the claim. Filed through the Electronic Court the rate is multiplied by 0.8. If you win, the court fee and the legal costs are recovered from the other side (Arts. 137, 141 CPC).
Calculate the court fee on a claim
The rate for an individual. For a company it is 1.5 %, with a minimum of 3,328 UAH.
Questions and answers (court representation)
Can I bring in a lawyer if the case has already been lost at first instance?
Yes, and it happens often. All that matters is the deadline: 30 days from the drawing up of the full judgment to appeal. The lawyer analyses the judgment and the file, prepares the appeal citing the breaches of substantive or procedural law, and, where the judgment reached you late, applies to restore the deadline.
Can the case be run remotely, without attending court in person?
Yes. The lawyer files through the Electronic Court, and hearings can be attended by video link (Art. 212 CPC) from your own device or from another court. The client needs to attend in person only when the court calls them to give evidence, or in family matters where the court wants to hear the party itself.
What if I learned of the judgment only from the enforcement proceedings?
If it was a default judgment, you can apply to the same court to review it within 30 days (Art. 284 CPC). If it was an ordinary judgment, you file an appeal together with an application to restore the deadline, evidencing that you received neither the summonses nor the judgment. At the same time you can ask the court to stay enforcement.
Who pays the court fee, and is it returned if I win?
The fee is paid by the party filing the claim or the appeal; without the receipt the court leaves the document without movement. On giving judgment the court allocates the costs in proportion to the claims upheld: the winning party recovers the fee and the legal costs from the opponent (Art. 141 CPC). That requires the engagement letter and proof of payment, which we put in order from day one.
How many hearings does a case take, and is each paid for separately?
A simple case takes 2–4 hearings; one with an expert report 6–10 or more. Paid hearing by hearing, the rate is from 3,000 UAH each; under full representation the number of hearings does not affect the fee. Which suits you better becomes clear once the case has been assessed at the consultation.
Contact Svarog about court representation
Send us the claim, the court order or the judgment: we will check the deadlines against the dates of service, assess the prospects and propose a plan for the next few days. In the first week after papers arrive from the court that matters most.