Denys

DENYS BAKAIEV
PhD | LL.M (United States) | International Commodity Trade & Shipping Lawyer
Warsaw, Poland | [відкрити контакти](див. вище в блоці «контактна інформація») | [відкрити контакти](див. вище в блоці «контактна інформація»)

PROFESSIONAL SUMMARY
Results-driven international lawyer with 6+ years in commodity trade, shipping arbitration and cross-border
dispute resolution, now heading the contracts, arbitration and litigation function of a major agri-holding group.
Deep expertise in GAFTA, FOSFA, LMAA, LCIA, SCC and VIAC arbitration and English law sale of goods, with
USD 8.5 million+ recovered or secured across 100+ contentious matters through arbitration, decisive claims
handling and cross-border enforcement — including asset tracing and award enforcement in China. Also
experienced in in-house M&A support, coordinating external counsel and SPA drafting across deals totalling
~USD 39 million.
KEY ACHIEVEMENTS
• Recovered USD 6 million in full for a seller of 30,000 MT of milling wheat (GAFTA 49 / FOB) —
neutralised the buyer's quality claims and parallel shipowner pressure through decisive pre-arbitration
claims handling; full payment achieved, no discount, no arbitration.
• Enforced a GAFTA arbitral award in China — located hidden assets of a defaulting counterparty and
recovered USD 1 million+ through local enforcement proceedings.
• Resolved a USD 40 million+ multi-vessel deadlock involving three vessels in the Persian Gulf,
spanning demurrage, bill of lading title, LOI structuring, mortgage security and cargo detention.
• Defeated a FOSFA claim exceeding USD 500,000 by identifying a fundamental jurisdictional and
procedural defect in the counterparty's case.
• Defended 47 out of 50 force majeure non-delivery claims arising from the Port Yuzhne disruption,
protecting clients from substantial liability under English law contracts.
• Managed 4 M&A transactions (~USD 39 million combined) as sole in-house legal coordinator at
Ukrlandfarming PLC, overseeing SPA negotiations and external counsel teams.
• Designed and implemented a group-wide standardised contract system (general terms of business) for
Avangard/Ukrlandfarming, reducing external legal costs and accelerating execution timelines across
group entities.
• 100+ arbitration and pre-arbitration matters managed across GAFTA, FOSFA, LMAA, LCIA, SCC,
VIAC and ICAC forums — written and oral proceedings, including appellate stages.
EMPLOYMENT HISTORY
Head of Contracts, International Arbitration & Cross-Border Litigation Jan 2026 – Present
AVANGARDCO IPL | Warsaw, Poland (on-site)
Avangard group company — one of the world's largest producers of shell eggs and dry egg products (part of the
Ukrlandfarming group).
• Lead the group's contracts, international arbitration and cross-border litigation function, reporting to senior
management and advising commercial leadership on legal and commercial risk.
• Own the full contract lifecycle for international sale, supply and logistics agreements — drafting,
negotiation, risk allocation and group-wide standardisation.
• Manage the company's international dispute portfolio through proactive, decisive claims handling and pre-
action strategy, escalating to VIAC arbitration or cross-border litigation only where necessary; instruct and
coordinate external counsel across jurisdictions.
• Direct cross-border enforcement and asset-recovery strategy against defaulting counterparties, including
arbitral award enforcement in foreign jurisdictions.
• Oversee and continuously improve the group-wide standardised contract system (general terms of
business), reducing external legal spend and accelerating deal execution.
• Advise on English law and international trade law risk, sanctions screening and counterparty due diligence
across the contract portfolio.
Legal Advisor — Shipping, Trade & M&A Sep 2024 – Dec 2025
Ukrlandfarming PLC | Warsaw, Poland (on-site)
One of Europe's largest agri-holding companies (grain, oilseeds, poultry, eggs). Group includes Avangard — world's
largest egg producer.
• Coordinated external legal teams across 4 M&A transactions (~USD 39M combined), managing SPA
drafting, data room review and due diligence.
• Full-cycle arbitration representation in GAFTA, FOSFA and LMAA proceedings; disputes exceeding USD
1 million per case.
• Designed and deployed a GAFTA/FOSFA-compliant standardised contract framework for the Avangard
subsidiary, standardising commercial operations across multiple group entities.
• Established a company-wide claims handling policy and pre-action protocol, enabling commercial teams
to manage disputes proactively and reduce escalation costs.
 • Advised on English law and international trade law aspects of physical commodity sale contracts (DDP,
DAP, FOB, CIF, CFR).
Associate — Commodity Trade & Arbitration Jul 2024 – Sep 2024
AGA Partners Law Firm | Kyiv, Ukraine (remote)
• Represented clients in GAFTA, FOSFA and LMAA arbitration proceedings — written memorials, oral
hearings and appellate submissions.
• Developed negotiation and settlement strategies resulting in favourable outcomes in high-value
commodity disputes.
• Drafted and risk-assessed English law sale of goods contracts for physical commodity transactions.
• Supervised junior lawyers; managed document production cycles and procedural deadlines under tight
arbitration timelines.
Lawyer — International Arbitration & Trade Feb 2023 – Jun 2024
Interlegal Law Firm | Odesa, Ukraine (remote)
• Full representation in GAFTA, FOSFA, SCC, LCIA and ITOTAM proceedings at first instance and appeal
level.
• Defended 47/50 force majeure non-delivery claims (Port Yuzhne disruption) through targeted legal
arguments and evidence strategy.
• Supervised junior lawyers; managed document production cycles and procedural deadlines under tight
arbitration timelines.
• Authored legal articles and trade law digests for firm marketing across international commodity trade
publications.
Paralegal Jun 2021 – Nov 2021
Miami Law Group P.A. | Miami, FL, United States (on-site)
• Drafted legal memoranda, procedural documents and court filings; conducted legal research and case
analysis in US litigation practice.
In-House Legal Counsel Jan 2019 – Dec 2020
UA Global Inc | Fair Lawn, NJ, United States (remote)
• Advised on international and domestic commercial contracts; led negotiations with clients and commercial
partners across jurisdictions.
• Conducted due diligence, risk analysis and counterparty reputation checks; managed and supervised
outsourced legal teams.
• Represented a client in multiple arbitration proceedings at ICAC (Ukraine).
Chief Specialist-Lawyer Jun 2017 – Nov 2018
Department of Education, Chornomorsk City Council | Chornomorsk, Ukraine (on-site)
• Full legal support to the department and ~30 subdivisions; public procurement compliance; court
representation across all jurisdictions.
EDUCATION
LL.M — St. Thomas University College of Law 2021 – 2022
PhD in Law — National University «Odesa Law Academy» 2017 – 2021
Master of Laws (LLM) — National University «Odesa Law Academy» 2011 – 2017
PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT
SQE1 (Solicitors Qualifying Examination), SRA — UK | Retake in progress (deadline: July 2030)
GAFTA Distance Learning Programme — Module 1 (Contracts)
Shipbrokers School — Greenhouse
LexisNexis Legal Research | Core Grammar for Legal Writing — St. Thomas University
SKILLS & EXPERTISE
Commodity Arbitration: GAFTA, FOSFA, LMAA, LCIA, SCC, VIAC, ICAC, ITOTAM — written & oral
proceedings, appeals
Physical Trade Law: English law sale of goods, GAFTA/FOSFA standard forms, DAP / DDP / FOB / CIF /
CFR, force majeure
Dispute Resolution: Pre-action strategy, claims handling, demand letters, settlement drafting, mitigation
Cross-Border Enforcement: Asset tracing, arbitral award enforcement, multi-jurisdiction recovery (incl.
China)
Shipping: LMAA arbitration, charterparty disputes, bills of lading, LOI structuring, P&I matters
M&A & Corporate: SPA drafting, data room review, due diligence, external counsel coordination
Contract Drafting: General terms of business, commercial agreements, risk analysis, negotiation
Languages & Tools: English (C1 — US LL.M), Ukrainian & Russian (Native); MS Office Suite, CRM systems
Open to relocation, remote and hybrid roles | EU work authorisation (Polish residence permit)