Vance Center Launches Ukraine Project

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The War in Ukraine has galvanized the world, including the legal profession.  Important and novel questions of public international law and domestic US law have arisen and warrant discussion and careful consideration.  Numerous NGOs and humanitarian organizations are increasingly engaged in supporting Ukraine and Ukrainians and need and deserve legal assistance.

Capitalizing on its strengths in leveraging the legal profession and rallying lawyers to a common cause, the Vance Center has launched the Ukraine Project.  This initiative furthers the Vance Center’s historic mission of advancing the rule of law and access to justice and supporting civil society.

Taisa Markus, longtime Vance Center Committee member and Ukrainian American, has volunteered as Special Counsel to the Vance Center for the Ukraine Project.  She retired from White & Case in 2021 where she focused on Latin American capital markets and has actively supported Ukrainian civil society organizations since the war started.

The Ukraine Project will follow the model of the Vance Center’s engagement in Latin America and sub-Saharan Africa.  Its three principal activities will be: supporting NGOs focused on Ukraine through pro bono legal representation; hosting panels and roundtables to raise awareness and promote dialogue; and publishing reports on legal topics related to the war.  The Ukraine Project has placed its first pro bono matter with a member firm and in early 2023 intends to hold a panel on public international law issues arising out of the war.