“We plan to offer the boutique and niche principle of our law firm to large businesses,” — Altelaw & Sempra Partners Discuss the Brand Merger.

Source: pravo.ua

Altelaw & Sempra is a new legal brand that unified the teams of Olha Savchenko and Olha Sydorchuk, enhanced by the expertise of Ihor Retivov. “The legally specialized expertise we possess (Energy and Construction) is what the market primarily needs, and what we can offer the country within the needs of reconstruction,” the firm emphasizes. The partners of Altelaw & Sempra discussed the preconditions and synergy of the merger, as well as the main goals, prospects, and strategic priorities, in an interview with Yurydychna Praktyka (Legal Practice).

— How would you categorize your collaboration: a merger, an acquisition, or a consolidation? Why?

Olha Savchenko: Given our professional bias, we consider the terms “merger” and “acquisition” to have somewhat negative connotations. In our case, it is a consolidation. I have collaborated with Olha for quite some time. She has her own law firm and was a consultant on construction matters for Altelaw. Ihor and I are also long-time professional colleagues in the market. We are all professionals in our respective fields, so we decided to join forces because the market currently demands it, and we understand exactly how, together, we can meet the existing need.

— Currently, the legal market is quite challenging and, like all sectors, is going through difficult times. What prompted you to consolidate now?

Ihor Retivov: We are aware that the legal market is complex and highly competitive. But we see potential because we position ourselves as an industry-focused law firm providing services directly in the Energy and Construction sectors. Due to the war, recovery in these sectors will be paramount for our country, and our comprehensive legal expertise is and will remain relevant. This was the driving force behind the consolidation now.

— What is your new identity?

Olha Sydorchuk: First and foremost, we must emphasize the firm’s specialization. In our interpretation, this means that if a business operates in the Energy or Construction sector, we can provide support for every stage in that segment—from opening the company to operational support for the business in the future. Why is this important? Because even opening a company that will operate in construction, development, etc., immediately requires specialized knowledge—say, regarding certain documentation nuances or experience for correctly structuring the business at the company formation stage. Our knowledge and experience in construction and energy are significant enough that we are confident in our ability to provide high-quality support to the client. Moreover, when a client turns to us, they always feel the team’s full dedication and maximal engagement, because their issue is important.

Regarding identity: we want the benefits of working with a niche firm to be felt by Ukrainian businesses and foreign investors. This means that when an investor enters Ukraine, they are immediately advised on existing risks at every step and are shielded from them. And large-scale businesses operating or intending to operate in energy or construction should understand that they are speaking not just to lawyers, but to people who understand the industry, its needs, know the nuances, and that a whole team of such people is ready to simply take away their headache and resolve the issues.

— What practices or services, new to you, became possible only through this consolidation?

Ihor Retivov: We currently plan to launch new practices in GR (Government Relations) and Business Development. The product we want to develop and offer the client is a comprehensive service from idea to project implementation, covering not only legal knowledge but also economic, financial, and technical expertise. We will expand our network of partnerships and offer the client a holistic approach.

Furthermore, we have experience building relationships with state and local government bodies through our activities in industry associations, where business and the professional community collaborate to address problems and propose corresponding solutions. We believe this is our social mission—through participation in associations like UWEA, UBA, the Confederation of Builders of Ukraine, and the European Business Association—to communicate with business and government representatives and market colleagues, understand problems, know what solutions are being proposed, and contribute to resolving those problems. This is intrinsically linked to the work of a lawyer. After all, if you are simply a lawyer, you are governed by the law. If you seek change, you exert efforts to ensure that legislation evolves and improves.

— How do you plan to retain the trust of existing clients while opening the door for new ones?

Olha Savchenko: Since our work is niche, the clients who come to us typically stay with us, and we are very proud of that. Given that Olha and I have worked together and are known as a team for supporting the construction of energy projects, the news of the consolidation will not surprise our joint clients. On the contrary, we are confident that our clients will receive this news positively.

Regarding new clients, it is important to remember that these industries are quite specialized, where everyone knows everyone else. I believe that when the consolidation becomes known, it will already be a signal that we are ready for large-scale projects and greater volume within our combined expertise, and we look forward to welcoming our new excellent clients. We aim to build a strong partnership and a new culture of interaction, especially with businesses. We want clients to receive not just a law firm, but true partners who apply maximum effort for the development of their business.

— What was the easiest, and what was the most difficult, aspect of the decision to consolidate?

Olha Sydorchuk: The most difficult part was deciding to consolidate, as each of us is already a formed personality accustomed to working individually. The easiest part of making this decision was that we share values, a common vision for certain processes and development, and, crucially, very similar approaches to client work. As Olha mentioned, we treat the client as our partner, and we approach their projects as our own. We genuinely care about their realization and are happiest when we see the positive result we contributed to.

Olha Savchenko: For me, the hardest part was deciding to propose the partnership, and the easiest was discussing how we would work, distribute responsibilities, and financial flows. If you use the analogy of a family, concluding a prenuptial agreement is the most difficult process. For us, it was the easiest because we have common goals and are ready for maximal interaction to achieve them.

— What is most important to you in a partnership?

Olha Savchenko: Shared values, trust, and the human qualities of each of us, reflected in our work and attitude toward clients. It’s one thing to trust a person, another to know you can rely on them.

Ihor Retivov: It’s our shared vision of what we strive to achieve and the joint understanding of what we can offer. My colleagues have experience in the legal business, and I have experience in the corporate sector. Thanks to this, we can offer the important elements that the client truly needs. Essentially, we want to build our client relationships in such a way as to become partners for life, however ambitious that may sound. That means from the idea of one project to its implementation, and then to the next project. Furthermore, we can propose such new projects to our partners and implement them together.

— Lift the veil a bit: how long did the discussions about consolidation last?

Olha Savchenko: The thought that I needed partners emerged at the beginning of the year. It crystallized into concrete proposals probably in May, and we have effectively been working together as partners since June. However, we did not announce the consolidation immediately because we were aligning and establishing the positioning that would resonate with each of us.

— What strengths of the partners and key lawyers do you consider defining for success?

Olha Savchenko: Firstly, as Ihor mentioned, it’s the understanding of internal business processes. That’s important. We process client issues in a way that allows us to practically provide solutions, recommendations, and ideas, and then we always discuss them with the client. Secondly, it’s the desire to achieve a good (excellent) joint result for our company and our clients’ companies. And thirdly—it’s the sense of humor. Our team has it. And I’ll be frank: laughing together and figuring out how to navigate a situation is very important, especially now.

— How many employees currently work at the firm?

Olha Savchenko: Currently, thirteen. And if any young, ambitious, and smart person reads this interview and shares our values and development directions, they should write to us.

— Do you plan to expand the staff, and which specializations will you primarily seek?

Olha Sydorchuk: We highly value our current team, as we have selected lawyers who are humane, decent, and possess profound legal expertise that strengthens us as partners. Regarding expansion, given that we plan to grow our practices, we will actively seek new specialists.

— What strategic priorities have you set for the next two years?

Ihor Retivov: We will deepen and expand our expertise through synergy and consolidation. We will also launch new practices and form new services. This is a priority for us. As Olha Savchenko mentioned, we want to establish a culture of client interaction where it’s not a one-time service but a long-term, strategic partnership, extending beyond the scope of a simple request to a deeper understanding of the business.

Olha Savchenko: We want to build a persistent association: Energy or Construction – come to us. I believe that thanks to our combined experience and deep practical understanding of all aspects, we will be able to offer optimal solutions to clients. So, our strategy is to demonstrate the successful support of global clients “from idea to action.”

Olha Sydorchuk: It is also important for us to maintain communication with clients, ensuring that each of them knows they can call any of us at any moment if a question arises. We will strive to preserve and multiply our sincerity and openness in communication.

Olha Savchenko: We want every one of our clients to know they are important and prioritized for us. And I also don’t want our company to turn into a ‘galley,’ so to speak, where everyone rows just for earnings. I want this element of sincerity to remain both within the team and for our clients, so that when they come to Altelaw & Sempra, they know they are special to us and that we will exert maximum effort to ensure their projects are successful.