Paul Varul has an outstanding international reputation earned through many years of practice and his academic work on commercial law and insolvency.

He has advised a wide range of Estonian and international clients on all aspects of private law, including corporate and banking law. He has extensive knowledge and experience in the fields of banking and finance, mergers and acquisitions, financial regulatory compliance and insurance disputes. Paul Varul is renowned for his competence in dispute resolution, having represented clients in several high-profile actions, including international arbitration in Stockholm, London and Washington. Paul Varul has also served as an arbitrator for the Arbitration Institute of the Stockholm Chamber of Commerce and for the Arbitration Court of the Estonian Chamber of Commerce and Industry. He also acted as an expert witness in several international arbitration proceedings in Stockholm, London, Washington and the International Centre for Settlement of Investment Disputes.

As an internationally renowned insolvency expert, Mr Varul is an elected  member of the International Insolvency Institute (from 2007) and a member of the Supervisory Board of INSOL-Europe Academic Forum (from 2008). Mr. Varul has acted as a legal advisor in all the major bankruptcy cases involving credit institutions in Estonia.

In addition to his career as an attorney at law, Paul Varul was the Minister of Justice of Estonia 1995-1999 and currently holds a position of professor of civil law at the University of Tartu. He has been involved in drafting all the major legal acts of private law in Estonia (examples include: Law of Property Act, General Part of the Civil Code Act, Family Law Act, Law of Succession Act, Commercial Code, Law of Obligations Act, Bankruptcy Act, Reorganisation Act, Electronic Communications Act etc). He has also been an expert contributor to the drafting of the National Central Bank Act (Eesti Pank Act) and the legislation regulating the pursuit of business of a credit institution (including the Credit Institutions Act).

Since 2003, Mr. Varul has been a member of the head commission in the development of the European Civil Code. Mr. Varul is also a member of the Compilation and Reduction Team for the Common Frame of Reference, operating under the auspices of the European Commission. Since 2006, Mr. Varul has been a member of the Expert Commission on Insolvency Law within the Ministry of Justice. Paul Varul has been a member of the Academy of European Private Lawyers since 2000.

Mr. Varul is a celebrated lecturer and an author of numerous scientific publications, textbooks and legal commentaries.

Recognition

Legal 500 recognises Paul Varul’s expertise in banking & finance and clients highly recommend him for regulatory insight. He is also recognised as an expert in restructuring and insolvency by ‘PLC Which lawyer?’. He is also listed as the leading corporate and finance lawyer in Estonia by ‘European Legal Experts’ and recognised by ‘Best Lawyers’ for his corporate and M&A practice.

High-profile Paul Varul is ‘the father of Estonian bankruptcy law’.