Category: Poland

CMS has advised Axpo Polska on the acquisition of a biogas plant producing green energy primarily from agricultural waste.

According to CMS, “located in Stare Slepce in the voivodeship of West Pomerania, the biogas plant has been operational since 2020 and processes approximately 20,000 tons of agricultural substrates annually. The facility produces 6,640 megawatt-hours of green electricity each year, as well as zero-carbon organic fertilizer, which is used by local farmers. In line with Axpo Group’s strategic goals of introducing green gas to European markets, the company plans to further expand its operations in the country, particularly in the biogas sector.”

The CMS team included Partner Lukasz Szatkowski, Counsels Olga Czyzycka-Szczygiel, Wojciech Szopinski, and Paulina Karpinska-Huzior, Associates Michal Serwa, Bartlomiej Glabinski, and Maciej Brezden, and Lawyers Karolina Kosinska, Marta Tarkowska-Losik, and Filip Zielinski-Andrysiak.

Linklaters has advised Tauron Polska Energia on obtaining financing through two credit agreements with a total value of PLN 2.9 billion with BGK, PKO Bank Polski, and ICBC. Taylor Wessing advised PKO Bank Polski and ICBC. Deloitte Legal reportedly advised BGK.

According to Linklaters, “the first credit agreement, valued at PLN 2 billion, was concluded with Bank Gospodarstwa Krajowego, while the second, valued at PLN 900 million, was signed with a consortium of banks comprising PKO Bank Polski and Industrial and Commercial Bank of China. The funds will be allocated for financing and refinancing investments related to renewable energy sources, the development of distribution networks, the construction of energy storage facilities, the transformation of heating infrastructure, and the acquisition of companies undertaking RES projects.”

In 2022, Linklaters advised on PLN 4 billion financing for Tauron (as reported by CEE Legal Matters on July 25, 2022).

The Linklaters team included Partner Marta Domino, Senior Associate Katarzyna Lesinska, and Associate Michal de Bialynia Woycikiewicz.

The Taylor Wessing team included Partner Zbigniew Korba and Counsel Michal Kulig.

Kondracki Celej has advised vLayer Labs on its USD 10 million pre-seed round with the participation of a16z crypto CSX, Credo Ventures, Blocktower VC, and others. Latham & Watkins reportedly advised a16z.

vLayer Labs develops an infrastructure layer that allows developers to extract, verify, and integrate real-world data into Ethereum smart contracts.

The Kondracki Celej team included Partner Rafat Celej, Senior Associate Arkadiusz Klejnowski, and Associate Weronika Dabrowska.

Eversheds Sutherland has advised Quad/Graphics on the sale of its European operations to Capmont.

Quad/Graphics is an international marketing services and commercial printing company headquartered in Sussex, Wisconsin, USA. It is a public company listed on the New York Stock Exchange.

Capmont is a German alternative asset management platform.

The Eversheds Sutherland team included Poland-based Managing Partner Ewa Lachowska-Brol, Partners Ewa Szlachetka and Michal Smolny, Of Counsel Adrian Ziolkowski, Counsel Grzegorz Barszcz, Senior Associates Dariusz Aziewicz and Pawel Lasota, Associates Piotr Sloniowski, Marta Zajac, Ewa Bugajska, Grzegorz Witczymiszyn, Marcin Gruszka, and Jakub Domagala, and Lawyer Laura Szewczak as well as lawyers in the UK and France.

Eversheds Sutherland could not provide additional information on the matter.

Rymarz Zdort Maruta has advised the bankruptcy trustee of Getin Noble Bank on the sale of Noble Securities to Skarbiec Holding.

Noble Securities is one of the first non-bank brokerage houses on the Polish capital market, having commenced operations in 1994.

Skarbiec Holding is the parent of Skarbiec Towarzystwo Funduszy Inwestycyjnych, a company engaged in the management of investment funds and management services for portfolios of financial instruments on a contract basis.

According to Rymarz Zdort Maruta, the closing of the transaction is subject to “obtaining clearance from the President of the Polish Antimonopoly Office and the Polish Financial Supervision Authority, as well as the bankruptcy trustee obtaining consent to the sale from the relevant bankruptcy authority – a judge-commissioner. The proceeds from the sale will go to the creditors of the bankrupt bank. It will be possible to determine the final sale price of the shares after the annual general meeting of Noble Securities approves its financial statements for 2024 and adopts a resolution on the distribution of profit.”

Earlier this year, Rymarz Zdort Maruta advised on the sale of Noble Funds TFI to VeloBank (as reported by CEE Legal Matters on October 31, 2024).

The Rymarz Zdort Maruta team included Partners Filip Lesniak, Katarzyna Lukaszewicz, Lukasz Gasinski, and Zbigniew Okon, Counsel Piotr Zawacki, and Senior Associates Diana Sofu, Lukasz Karasek, Mateusz Palian, and Tomasz Kordala.

Rymarz Zdort Maruta did not respond to our inquiry on the matter.

Editor’s Note: After this article was published, CEE Legal Matters learned that Act Legal Poland advised Skarbiec Holding. The firm’s team included Managing Partner Piotr Wojnar, Senior Associates Lukasz Swiatek and Katarzyna Krzykwa, and Associate Hanna Szczepanska-Rowicka.

Former CMS Partner Piotr Ciolkowski has joined Dentons as Partner and Co-Head of the Energy Sector Group in Poland.

He will lead the team alongside Partner Christian Schnell.

Before the move, Ciolkowski spent more than 20 years with CMS, first as a Trainee between 2004 and 2005, then as an Associate between 2008 and 2011. He became a Senior Associate in 2011, an Of Counsel in 2014, and a Partner in 2016. He became an Equity Partner in 2020 (as reported by CEE Legal Matters on April 21, 2020)

“Dentons has a longstanding reputation as a leading law firm in the energy sector in Poland and Central Europe,” Ciolkowski commented. “The firm’s collaborative approach provides the opportunity to work closely with top-tier professionals from a range of practice areas to address clients’ business needs. I am confident that, by leveraging our collective strengths, we will be the legal counsel of choice for clients in the sector.”

Clifford Chance has advised Airbus Defence and Space on a lease agreement for three UHF TACSAT satellite channels on a communications satellite with Polish Cyber Defence Forces.

According to Clifford Chance, the contract covers a period of 15 years, during which the telecommunications resources will be utilized by the Polish Cyber Defence Forces Component Command.

The Clifford Chance team included Partner Marcin Cieminski, Counsels Piotr Bogdanowicz and Krzysztof Hajdamowicz, and Associate Martyna Sieczka.

Former Dentons Partner and Co-head of the Banking and Finance team Piotr Nerwinski has joined Greenberg Traurig as Partner and Head of the Project and Structured Finance along with a team of six lawyers.

According to Greenberg Traurig, this will lead to the creation of a new Greenberg Traurig Project and Structured Finance Practice in Warsaw under Nerwinski’s leadership.

Before the move, Nerwinski spent the last ten years with Dentons where he co-led the Banking and Finance team (as reported by CEE Legal Matters on May 30, 2023). Earlier, he was a Managing Associate with Deloitte Legal in 2014, a Lawyer with Wardynski & Partners between 2010 and 2013, and a Lawyer with Rakowski & Partners between 2008 and 2010.

The team joining alongside Nerwinski includes Counsels Pawel Dlugoborski and Justyna Jamrozy, Senior Associate Jakub Walawski, Associate Malgorzata Czarnecka, and Junior Associates Weronika Lakoma and Aleksandra Grzeskowiak

“This significant lateral move and the addition of a highly respected Project and Structured Finance Practice to our Warsaw office underscores the commitment of Greenberg Traurig to our European presence and our dedication to collaborative growth across the region,” commented Greenberg Traurig Executive Chairman Richard A. Rosenbaum.

“We are thrilled to welcome Piotr and his accomplished team to Greenberg Traurig,” said Senior Partner Lejb Fogelman. “Their exceptional legal expertise will be instrumental in elevating our firm and our office, particularly as we anticipate further market changes and the growing demand for specialized legal services in financings of large-scale projects.”

“I would like to warmly welcome Piotr and our new colleagues to Greenberg Traurig,” added Managing Partner of Greenberg Traurig in Poland Jolanta Nowakowska-Zimoch. “Your arrival has already generated significant synergies within our team and has been met with enthusiasm by our clients.”

Former DZP Partner Rafal Grochowski and his team have moved to SSW Pragmatic Solutions.

Joining with Grochowski are Senior Managing Associates Joanna Sepkowska and Anna Kuczewska, Senior Associate Martyna Komorniczak, and Associate Monika Knothe-Pierwienis. According to SSW, the team primarily focuses on infrastructure financing and debt issuance.

Before moving to SSW Pragmatic Solutions, Grochowski was a Partner with DZP between 2021 and 2024 (as reported by CEE Legal Matters on March 4, 2021). Earlier, Grochowski was a Partner with Hogan Lovells between 2011 and 2021.

Greenberg Traurig has advised two shareholders of Elektromontaz-Poznan – Pawel Gricuk and Artur Cakala – on the sale of their shares to Spie Group. Baker McKenzie advised Spie Group.

Elektromontaz-Poznan is an electrical installation services company operating in Poland. It is also a contractor for sanitary and HVAC systems and a manufacturer of electrical power equipment.

Spie is a European multi-technical services company operating in the areas of energy and communications.

The Greenberg Traurig team included Partners Daniel Kaczorowski and Rafal Sienski, Counsel Agnieszka Stopinska, and Associate Michal Kuratowski.

The Baker McKenzie team included Partners Tomasz Krzyzowski, Lukasz Targoszynski, and Michal Glowacki, Counsel Mikolaj Piaskowski, Senior Associates Joanna Lis, Pawel Jaros, Kamil Matyskiewicz, and Michal Derdak, Associate Bartosz Ordon, Lawyers Piotr Pawlowski, Anna Pawluczuk, and Natalia Jasek, and Trainee Jakub Demus.