Baker McKenzie stands with our people in Ukraine and the whole Ukrainian nation against the widespread devastation and growing humanitarian crisis caused by the Russian invasion.
The Ukrainian people, and all people, have an inalienable right to a future free from war. Our first and main priority is the safety of our people and we are doing everything possible to support our colleagues in Ukraine and any colleagues with family in the country.
This includes the provision of accommodation, transport, financial support – whatever is required to get them to safety, and keep them safe.
Many of our European colleagues are also providing support and assistance to those who have left the country, including in Poland, Hungary and Germany.
We are maintaining daily contact with all of our Ukrainian colleagues. So far, thankfully, our people remain safe, but their situation is perilous.
To the extent feasible, our teams are also working with clients impacted to provide essential legal assistance elsewhere, including through our network of offices across Europe.
We have also been reviewing our Russia-related operations and client work. We confirm that, irrespective of sanctions, we will not act for any individuals or entities that are controlled by, or directly linked to, the Russian state and/or current regime, whether that work is in Russia or elsewhere in the world. We will not accept any new mandates that fall into this broad category, and subject to our legal and professional obligations, we will wind down any such existing work.
We remain unequivocally opposed to the invasion, and we urge the global business community to unite in the critical humanitarian effort required to support all of those affected.