As Ukraine focuses its facilities towards globalization, local enterprises see the need to not only adapt their business practices, but also their image, in order to compete.

Kyiv law company Shevchenko Didkovskiy & Partners changed the company name to Asters last month, while another local law firm Magister & Partners is just Magisters, spelled only by Latin letters.

Oleksiy Didkovskiy who with his partner Igor Shevchenko was the founder of the company in 1995, proclaimed that for foreigners, who are their main clients, it's very difficult to pronounce 'Shevchenko Didkovskiy'.

The quintessential Ukrainian name, Shevchenko, played a positive role in the firm's growth but is done serving its purpose, Didkovskiy mentioned, adding that eliminating his surname from the firm's name wasn't necessarily easy either.

The name of Asters is more easy and palatable however, he added, reflecting the firm's maturity, growth, and international status.
The renaming, a pioneering decision both for the firm and Ukraine's legal services present in the country, was officially announced on 21, February at a gala party held at the Hyatt Regency Kyiv.

Another local firm, Magister & Partners, announced the start of its own renaming by trimming its name and redesigning its signature spiral logo. The name will officially be changed by the end of March.

"What we've seen for the last few years in the West, and now in Europe and Eastern Europe, is that a lot of large companies are moving towards the simplification of their brand name and identity to allow for easier identification in the marketplace," said Jason Bruzdzinski, the firm's chief manager.

"Kraft Foods is simply known as Kraft now, and Kentucky Fried Chicken is KFC. It has abbreviation now." Asters decided on its new name regarding other practical reasons.
"A in all alphabets is a nice letter - it is the start, it's the beginning, it is located on the top," said Armen Khachaturyan, an Asters major partner.

Asters is also versatile, written in English, Ukrainian and Russian in fundamentally the same way, he reported.
Meanwhile, Magister & Partners was aiming for their consistency.