Margarita Karpenko
DLA Piper Ukraine LLC

Margarita is Managing Partner of the Kyiv office of DLA Piper, a global legal services organisation. She is experienced in corporate law, M & A, antitrust legislation, intellectual property and labour law, and has advised extensively in the oil and gas, real estate and hospitality sectors, consumer products, financial services, media. Prior to joining the Kyiv office, she managed EY Law practice in Ukraine.
Margarita completed her Master's in Law at Moscow State University (1991). Since 2000, she is a member of the Kyiv City Bar Association. The Ukrainian Journal of Business Law and Business Weekly released several publications authored by her. Margarita is fluent in English, Ukrainian and Russian.

Major Transactions

• Conducting legal due diligence of a major Ukrainian retail chain for a foreign real estate investment fund;
• Providing legal support to the French Bel Group with regard to acquisition of Shostka City Milk Factory, a well-known Ukrainian cheese producer;
• Providing full legal support to BBH Holding, a leading beer producer, in expansion of its business in Ukraine;
• Acting for the US company in selling grain elevators located in Ukraine to a Hong Kong based company;
• Advising one of the largest Russian steel manufacturers on entering the Ukrainian market, including advice on the privatization of a major Ukrainian steel mill;
• Acting for an international exhibition company, in the acquisition of an exhibition business in Ukraine;
• Acting for a major Russian investor in the acquisition of the Ukraine's largest cement plant, including negotiations, due diligence, a privatization review of the plant, obtaining the prerequisite permits from the Antimonopoly Committee of Ukraine and assistance in completion and post-completion matters;
• Advising a major international food manufacturer on the acquisition of a plant in Ukraine;
• Acting for an international glass producer in its acquisition of a Ukrainian glass factory, including a preliminary legal audit, confirmatory due diligence, drafting the acquisition agreement, obtaining the prerequisite permit from the Antimonopoly Committee of Ukraine and other matters;
• Advising the leading international malt producer in the process of conducting legal due diligence and purchasing a malthouse in Ukraine;
• Providing full legal support to Landkom International PLC, a Ukrainian producer of oilseed rape (raw material for production of biodiesel), with regard to its pre-IPO financing and IPO on the Alternative Investment Market (AIM) of the London Stock Exchange (GBP 54 mln);
• Providing full legal support to Apollo Real Estate Advisors, a leading American real estate fund, and its partner 1849 plc, in several Ukrainian cities, including acquisition of land and construction projects;
• Providing full legal support for a project of collaboration between municipal authorities and BBH, the leading brewery holding, with regard to the stadium being in communal property. The work included preparation of complex agreement, as well as financing of municipal authorities, rebranding of the stadium, non-compete obligations from the side of municipal authorities, etc (more than USD 10 million);
• Supporting OBI Ukraine, a Ukrainian subsidiary of the leading German Do It Yourself (DIY) retail chain, on drafting preliminary and lease agreements and negotiations with landlords of the DIY store in several Ukrainian cities. This work was a part of general legal support provided by the team to OBI AG in entering the Ukrainian market and in expansion on it;
• Providing legal advice to Gasprom, the largest Russian gas company, on structuring of settlement of indebtedness of Ukrgasenergo LLC to Rosukenergo AG, including consultancy regarding regulatory, customs and tax issues, means of securitisation of obligations and drafting all the relevant agreements (USD 729 mln);
• Providing legal advice to a global oil and gas exploration and development company on acquisition of a company in Ukraine, owning license for exploration of oil and gas deposits in Ukraine; also - working on the corporate restructuring of the company, obtaining necessary permits from the regulatory authorities of Ukraine, including the Antimonopoly Committee of Ukraine;

Memberships
Kyiv City Bar Association (since 2000)
European Business Association – Legal Committee