Shaping the future of the legal profession: ARIO and KSE launch a partnership

ARIO and the Kyiv School of Economics (KSE) have signed a memorandum of understanding to support the professional development of future lawyers, combining academic study with hands-on experience on real legal matters.

The partnership’s first initiative is an internship programme. Three students on KSE’s undergraduate law programme have already joined ARIO’s Corporate & M&A and Dispute Resolution teams.

Supporting the next generation of lawyers has long been a priority for ARIO’s corporate social responsibility strategy. By helping young professionals enter the profession, we contribute to the legal community and help shape the environment in which we will all work in the years ahead. ARIO partners with the Ukrainian Bar Association’s Students’ League, runs educational events and offers its own professional development programmes for students. Six students completed internships through our “Start with ARIO 2.0” programme. Three stayed with the firm and are already delivering strong results on complex matters across our Criminal Law, White Collar Crime, Anti-Corruption and Corporate & M&A practices.

The memorandum with KSE provides a framework for a much broader partnership. Plans include work placements and internships, joint educational and public events, employment opportunities for students and graduates, collaboration on curriculum development, and joint research and grant-funded projects.

Interns will follow individual development plans under the guidance of ARIO lawyers. Their mentors will help them settle into a professional environment, put theory into practice and tackle real assignments, with structured feedback throughout.

KSE brings together education, research and policy analysis through its university, business school, KSE Institute, KSE Foundation and vocational training centre. In the 2025–2026 academic year, KSE University has around 1,700 students across five faculties. It also participates in the international academic alliances CIVICA and GHEA21.

Anna Sydorovych, an ARIO partner and law lecturer at KSE, oversees the firm’s involvement in the internship programme.

“This partnership is particularly meaningful to me because I see these students both in the classroom and working on real cases. Even the strongest academic grounding needs to be backed by practical experience, accountability for results and an understanding of how to work in a team,” said Anna Sydorovych.

“Walk into our open-plan office today and you will find that almost a third of the team are students or recent graduates. ARIO has a long tradition of bringing young professionals into the firm and helping them grow. We give them a solid professional foundation, trust them and involve them in complex matters early in their careers. KSE students will be actively involved in real work from the outset, guided by our lawyers.”

“A work placement is often a student’s first real experience of the legal profession. It is essential that this happens in an environment where young lawyers are respected and people are willing and able to share their knowledge and skills. ARIO offers exactly that. I would like to thank the firm, and Anna Sydorovych personally, for supporting our programme through both teaching and the development of our students’ professional skills,” said Stepan Berko, Academic Director of KSE’s Law Programme.