Head of International Corporate Law and Fintech Practice
Expert in fintech, crypto, and international corporate law with over 20 years of experience. Specializes in crypto licensing (VASP/CASP), iGaming business support, and international structuring, asset protection, and OSINT analytics for risk assessment and due diligence.
Legal Opinion Letter
Legal Opinion (also known as a Legal Opinion Letter) is a written legal opinion prepared for the benefit of a specific client (legal entity or individual) regarding a clearly defined issue: type of activity, transaction, corporate structure, or regulatory restrictions.
In 2025, EU banks, payment institutions, and fintech providers request a Legal Opinion Letter in more than 70% of cases as an alternative or supplement to enhanced due diligence.
Get a consultation on preparing a legal opinion
When a legal opinion is required
Most often, a Legal Opinion / Legal Opinion Letter is requested in situations where it is necessary to provide a bank, payment institution, or another party with a clear and well-reasoned legal position.
1) Financial monitoring and banking operations 🏦
A Legal Opinion Letter is submitted to:
- banks;
- payment institutions (EMI, PSP);
- regulators in fintech sectors.
Purpose: to confirm the legality of the source of funds, the nature of the activity, and the absence of conflicts of interest or regulatory prohibitions in the relevant jurisdiction.
2) Gambling, fintech, crypto 🎰
In 2025, a significant portion of our legal opinions related to regulated industries:
- gambling business (online casinos, betting, dating);
- crypto exchanges and crypto exchangers;
- forex brokers;
- DeFi, tokenisation, and Web3 projects.
In such cases, a Legal Opinion confirms: whether the relevant activity is permitted in a specific country, whether a licence is required, and whether AML/CFT requirements are met.
3) Cross-border transactions 🌍
In M&A transactions, investments, and holding structures, a legal opinion makes it possible to assess:
- the validity of corporate documents;
- their recognition in another jurisdiction;
- existing regulatory risks.
4) Real estate and large assets 🏢
A Legal Opinion Letter is used to assess:
- risks of loss or restriction of ownership rights;
- restrictions applicable to non-residents;
- tax consequences of the transaction.
It is important to understand: the same legal opinion cannot be neutral for all parties. A Legal Opinion is always prepared in the interests of the client and is based solely on information provided by the client and verified by lawyers.
Why a Legal Opinion ≠ a roadmap
An important point: a legal opinion does not replace legal support.
A Legal Opinion:
- assesses risks;
- confirms the permissibility of actions;
- forms a legal position.
However, project implementation and interaction with banks, payment institutions, and regulators require further legal support, which is also provided by our team.
Calculate the cost of obtaining a legal opinion
How we prepare a Legal Opinion
At “Prikhodko & Partners”, we follow an international standard structure for legal opinions accepted by banks and regulators.
1) Background
- factual background;
- list of client documents;
- applicable law (depending on the jurisdiction).
This is critically important: any inaccuracy in the background automatically undermines the value of the opinion.
2) Documents reviewed and inquiries made
- which documents were reviewed (constitutional documents, agreements, licences);
- whether lawyers worked with originals or copies;
- which registers and authorities were checked.
Banks increasingly verify whether actual inquiries were made rather than a purely formal review.
3) Legal analysis
- analysis of statutory provisions;
- case law;
- regulatory guidance.
This is where the legal position is formed, which the addressee may rely on as an argument.
4) Assumptions
Assumptions are permissible hypotheses on which the opinion is based. A high-quality Legal Opinion:
- clearly distinguishes facts from assumptions;
- does not contain vague wording;
- does not shift responsibility to the reader.
Countries where we prepare Legal Opinions
The law firm “Prikhodko & Partners” prepares Legal Opinions on activities, transactions, and corporate structures across various jurisdictions. Most frequently, we work with the following countries and regions:
- European Union;
- United Kingdom;
- Switzerland;
- United States;
- Canada;
- other international and offshore jurisdictions — depending on the client’s objectives.
We take into account not only formal legal rules, but also the practices of banks, payment institutions, and regulators that will ultimately assess the Legal Opinion Letter.
Practical results for clients
- in most cases, our Legal Opinions were accepted by banks without additional requests;
- reduced account opening timelines by an average of 30–45 days;
- helped clients avoid blocks and penalties in regulated sectors.
If you require a professional, well-reasoned, and bank-acceptable legal opinion, the team at “Prikhodko & Partners” is ready to prepare a Legal Opinion taking into account the specifics of your jurisdiction, business model, and risk profile.
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Do you need to analyze the law of more than one country?
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