Category: Poland

Przemyslaw Drapala has been appointed Managing Partner of JDP Drapala & Partners.

Drapala, who heads JDP’s Court and Arbitration Proceedings and Infrastructure teams, has over 20 years of experience representing Polish and foreign entities in proceedings before common and arbitration courts. According to JDP, “he was an attorney-in-fact in several dozen complex court and arbitration proceedings, in particular concerning construction and infrastructural investments. Additionally, he successfully represents companies from the automotive and real estate industries, manufacturers and technology suppliers, as well as financial institutions.”

“My goal is to organically develop our law firm further,” Drapala commented, “based on internal promotions and the acquisition of selected experts and talented young lawyers from the market, as well as to focus on the development of practices in which our experience and competences are particularly appreciated by Polish and foreign clients.“

Mrowiec Fialek and Partners has helped Lime Access sp. z o.o. find an investor and execute an investment agreement.

According to Mrowied Fialek, “the transaction aims at the further development of Lime Access, the automation of its processes, and its opening to the global market.”

Mrowiec Fialek’s team was led by Partner Miroslaw Fialek and included Senior Associate Maria Krupa, Associates Martyna Marczewska and Pawel Siwiec, and Junior Associate Filip Sobocinski.

Mrowiec Fialek declined to provide information about the sellers, or seller’s counsel.

Studnicki Pleszka, Cwiakalski, Gorski has advised French renewable energy producer Akuo Energy on financing it received for the construction of three wind farms with a total power of 132 MW from the Mirova Eurofideme 4 fund and a consortium of BNP Paribas Bank Polska, Commerzbank, and mBank. Dentons reportedly advised Akuo as well, and the bank consortium was advised by Allen & Overy.

According to SPCG, “Akuo Energy wind farms are to be launched in 2021 and will provide clean energy to over 200,000 households in Poland.”

SPCG’s team included Partners Lukasz Ziecina and Piotr Kaminski, Senior Associate Lukasz Przyborowski, Associates Grzegorz Kelerand and Jakub Puciato, and Junior Associate Jakub Zielinski and Piotr Bernacki.

Allen & Overy’s team included Partner Dan Cocker, Senior Associates Maciej Dymnicki and Lukasz Lech, and Associates Katarzyna Idczak, Maciej Wroniak, Antoni Roszkowski, Krystyna Fatyga, and Katarzyna Fus.

SPCG has advised BNP Paribas on its investment, made with Alior Bank and PKO Bank Polski and in agreement with existing investors Innovation Nest and Black Pearls, in Autenti, a Polish Fintech platform for paperless electronic contract signing and digital document circulation. PKO was advised by Jankowski & Stroinski and Alior Bank by Kondracki Celej.

The now-closed financing round amounted to PLN 17 million.

SPCG’s team included Partner Piotr Szelenbaum, Senior Associate Agnieszka Kolodziej-Arendarska, Associates Marcin Balicki, Lukasz Koc, Marcin Regorowicz, and Piotr Rodziewicz, and Junior Associates Marta Szczawinska and Piotr Piotrowski.

The Jankowski & Stroinski team was led by Partner Rafal Stroinski.

Gessel has advised Avallon on the acquisition of a majority stake in Clovin S.A.

According to Gessel, “the investment agreement will enable the extension of the portfolio of innovative and ecological products, as well as the continuation of the intensive investment program initiated and strengthening the position on the domestic market and in export.”

Avallon is an independent Polish company managing private equity funds. Since 2001, it has participated in over 100 MBO transactions.

Clovin is a producer of professional and consumer washing powders and cleaning agents that has been present on the Polish market for over 20 years. The company’s products are used in over 25 countries on five continents.

Gessel’s team was managed by Partner Maciej Kozuchowski and included Partners Christian Schmidt and Bernadeta Kasztelan-Swietlik, Senior Lawyers Bartlomiej Wozniak, Karolina Krzal-Kwiatkowska, Michal Trociuk, and Marta Grabiec, and Lawyer Anna Haciuk.

Adam Zwierzynski has been promoted to Partner at Radzikowski Szubielska.

Zwierzynski has worked at the firm for 12 years, having joined legacy Chadbourne & Parke in 2008 after spending the previous five years at Karniol Małecki & Partners. According to the firm, “over the years, he has been appreciated for his excellent legal skills, innovative approach to legal issues and impressive knowledge and experience. He is an outstanding practitioner, much appreciated by our clients and also by colleagues.” He obtained his Master’s degree in Law from the University of Warsaw in 2003.

“The reason for the promotion is Adam’s excellent legal knowledge and a wealth of experience, his creativity and efficiency in disputes – which are traits much appreciated by our clients,” commented Managing Partner Wlodzimierz Radzikowski.

DLA Piper has advised FIZAN Foreign Expansion Fund on the acquisition by its Recat subsidiary of a minority block of shares in Tesla Recycling from the Elemental Holding group. Elemental was advised by solo practitioner Maria Janicka.

Recat is a German company operating in the processing of used automotive and industrial catalysts.

FIZAN is managed by PFR TFI. According to DLA Piper, “PFR TFI is part of the PFR Group and is fully owned by the Polish Development Fund. It manages more than PLN 8 billion worth of assets and sixteen investment funds, ranging from closed-end investment funds which invest capital in the economy and development of Polish enterprises, through funds focused on foreign expansion projects,  to specialized funds like target-date funds. One of the funds managed by PFR TFI is the FIZAN Foreign Expansion Fund which supports Polish companies in investing in their foreign subsidiaries, always as a minority investor, leaving the management of the project to a partner.”

Elemental Holding is a capital group operating in the recycling and trade of secondary raw materials, such as non-ferrous metal scrap, electronic waste, and used catalysts. It operates in 35 countries in Europe, the Middle East, and Africa. 

DLA Piper’s team in Poland was led by Partner Jakub Marcinkowski and Associate Jakub Szczygiel. Its team in Frankfurt included Partner Carlos Robles y Zepf and Senior Associate Niklas Mangles.

Domanski Zakrzewski Palinka has advised OGP Gaz-System S.A. on a project involving the creation of a new gas supply corridor on the European market.

According to DZP, “on January 9, 2020, Gaz-System executed a contract with the German company Europipe GmbH for the supply of pipes for the Polish section of the Baltic Pipe. The contract covers the supply of pipes for the construction of a 275 km long offshore section and a short onshore section leading to the receiving terminal. The pipes will be shielded with an appropriate protective coating. Under the contract, Europipe will also provide temporary storage for the pipes and transport to a receiving point indicated by the pipeline contractor, to be selected by Gaz-System in the first half of 2020 in a separate procurement procedure.”

The DZP team included Partners Pawel Grzejszczak, Julita Zimoch-Tucholka, Artur Nowak, and Katarzyna Kuzma, Counsel Wojciech Hartung, Senior Tax Manager Jan Czerwinski, and Associate Weronika Jedrzejewska.

Sebastian Pietrzyk, former Partner at Brillaw Mikulski & Partners in Warsaw, has joined Act BSWW to co-head the firm’s Public Procurement practice.

Pietrzyk spent the past two years at Brillaw Mikulski & Partners after spending five and a half years as a named Partner at Pietrzyk Dubicki i Wspolnicy. He also spent two years at Domanski Zakrzewski Palinka, six months with Wardynski & Partners, and four years with with the Warsaw Law Office, after starting his career with two years in-house with PKP Polskie Linie Kolejowe S.A. 

He obtained a Master’s Degree in Law from the Maria Curie-Skłodowska University in Lublin in 2002.

Sebastian is a seasoned advisor,” said Jacek Bieniak, Act BSWW Managing Partner, “who has been providing support in public procurement procedures and projects to contractors and contracting authorities alike for over dozen years.”

According to Act BSWW, “Pietrzyk will offer support with respect to public procurement law, claims assessment, FIDIC contracts ,and infrastructure-related disputes, advising both contractors and contracting authorities, especially ones operating in the architecture, energy, transport, and IT sectors. He participated in a range of projects as part of preparations for EURO 2012 in Poland (rail and road network modernization, sports stadiums construction and air ports expansion). For over a dozen years, he was involved in modernization projects related to strategic Polish rail lines, the value of which exceeder EUR 5 billion. He also advised on the construction of the Swinoujscie LNG terminal. In addition, he brings to Act BSWW extensive experience in litigation strategy development and negotiation with contracting authorities, as well as claim management. He has successfully protected client interests before the National Appeals Chamber and regional courts”. 

DLA Piper has advised FIZAN Foreign Expansion Fund on its entrance into a joint venture with Poland’s Elemental Holding to acquire a majority stake in PGM, a Texas company specializing in the treatment of used automotive and industrial catalytic converters. The firm also advised Bank Gospodarstwa Krajowego on financing for the acquisition.

FIZAN is managed by PFR TFI. According to DLA Piper, “First, FIZAN and Elemental Holding (a Polish joint stock company and holding for other companies) signed a JV agreement, which established the rules and procedures of the JV’s investment into PGM. The first step was for EH to establish, via its investment fund, a wholly-owned subsidiary (i.e., Elemental USA Inc). Then the SPV issued shares that were acquired by FIZAN, which became an owner of 49% shares in the SPV. After that, the SPV (jointly owned by EH and FIZAN) acquired 66% shares in PGM via a share purchase agreement.” 

The agreement was signed on December 6, 2019 in Warsaw, and the final acquisition of the shares in PGM of Texas by Elemental USA took place on December 20, 2019.

DLA Piper Warsaw-based Partner Jakub Marcinkowski and Associate Jakub Szczygiel assisted with the the investment agreement and advised FIZAN on Polish aspects of the transaction. The firm’s Austin, Texas-based Partner Jenifer Renzenbrink Smith and Associate Louann Fang Richard advised FIZAN on American aspects of the deal. DLA Piper Senior Associate Jakub Zienkiewicz, working under the supervision of Partner Mariusz Hyla, helped Bank Gospodarstwa Krajowego negotiate the loan agreement with Elemental USA. DLA Piper’s New York-based Partner Jamie Knox, and Luxembourg-based Partner Xavier Guzman, Counsel Constantin Iscu, and Legal Advisor Teiana Pashko worked on the matter as well.

Elemental USA was advised by Foley & Lardner and PGM was advised by Dykema Gossett, both in the United States.