Olena L. Omelchenko

Education

• Yaroslav Mudryi National Law University (Specialist Degree in Laws)
• V.M. Koretsky Institute of State and Law of National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine (PhD in Law)
• The Institute for Training and Technical Co-operation of the WTO (Trade Remedies and the WTO course)

Experience

Olena Omelchenko is a leading Ukrainian expert in international trade, trade defence, WTO law, and customs regulation. Drawing on more than 25 years of high-level experience in both the public sector and private legal practice, she provides strategic advice to international corporations, Ukrainian industrial groups, industry associations, and state institutions regarding the impact of trade barriers on business operations, market access, and representation in trade investigations.

Olena helps clients anticipate, navigate and shape the trade and regulatory environment affecting their global operations. Her practice covers the full spectrum of international trade issues, including anti-dumping, anti-subsidy and safeguard investigations, sanctions and export controls compliance, customs audits and disputes, optimization of customs procedures, HS classification and rules of origin analysis, the development of supply chain traceability systems, and legal support for entering new foreign markets. She also conducts trade and customs due diligence in cross-border transactions and supports both Ukrainian and international companies during regulatory inspections and enforcement actions.

Over the past decade, Olena has acted as lead counsel in many of the largest trade investigations in Ukraine and has headed the only Ukrainian legal team that represented the State of Ukraine in an intergovernmental trade dispute. She regularly defends investors in disputes concerning unlawful trade barriers, advises on trade-related aspects of investment projects, and develops strategic legal solutions that enable clients to mitigate sanctions risks, improve compliance, and achieve long-term competitiveness in global markets.

Before joining Ilyashev & Partners, Olena held senior positions in several Ukrainian governmental institutions, where she was responsible for aligning national legislation with EU law, developing Ukraine’s trade policy, conducting investigations into unfair trading practices, and representing the state in international negotiations. She served on Ukraine’s negotiating teams for the EU-Ukraine Association Agreement and free trade agreements with Canada, Turkey, Serbia and other jurisdictions, directly contributing to the country’s international economic integration.

Her professional experience spans metallurgy and mining, agricultural exports, the chemical sector, construction materials and consumer goods. She also provides ongoing support to governmental bodies on reforms in trade policy, prepares draft regulatory acts, and participates in expert working groups of international institutions.