Category: Poland

Former Bird & Bird Head of White Collar Crime Arkadiusz Matusiak has joined Wolf Theiss in Warsaw to launch the firm’s new White Collar Crime practice.

“I am honored and very pleased to join Wolf Theiss, a leading law firm in Central and Eastern Europe,” stated Matusiak, who joins as Counsel. “I am convinced that, in cooperation with my colleagues in Vienna and other Wolf Theiss offices, we will create the strongest White Collar Crime team not only in Poland but throughout the entire CEE region.”

According to Wolf Theiss, “the new position is part of the firm’s dynamic expansion in central Europe’s largest legal-services market and follows the launch of a Restructuring practice in June 2019 and the addition of two new Counsels in Energy and Corporate and M&A in December 2019. With over 20 years of professional experience, Matusiak specializes in commercial criminal law, including corporate investigations, compliance, asset recovery, and corporate criminal liability.”

Matusiak graduated from the Maria Curie-Skłodowska University in Lublin. Before joining Wolf Theiss, he spent seven years with Bird & Bird. He also spent 14 years as a public prosecutor in Warsaw.

BCGL Balicki Czekanski Gryglewski Lewczuk has advised mBank on financing provided to Maced. WBW Weremczuk, Bobel & Wspolnicy reportedly advised Maced on the deal.

The financing to Maced was made, according to BCGL Partner Maciej Czekanski, who led his firm’s team on the deal, at approximately the same time the company was acquired by Resource Partners (as reported by CEE Legal Matters on December 30, 2019). Czekanski reports that “the loans were applied towards refinancing of the existing financial indebtedness and towards general corporate purposes.”

Czekanski was supported by BCGL Associate Karolina Bressa and Trainee Filip Grabowski.

Katarzyna Paczuska-Tokarska, Katarzyna Randzio-Sajkowska, and Jacek Myszko have joined the Soltysinski Kawcki & Szlezak partnership in Poland.

Paczuska-Tokarska joined SK&S in 2006, immediately after graduating from the Uniwersytet Kardynala Stefana Wyszynskiego in Warsaw. According to the firm, “she focuses on court and arbitration disputes, mostly in the area of infrastructural, construction and real property projects and commercial transactions. Her flexibility and strong business acumen coupled with negotiation skills led to successful resolution of numerous disputes to the clients’ satisfaction.”

Randzio-Sajkowska, who also joined SK&S in 2006 after graduating from the University of Warsaw, is part of the firm’s Commercial Criminal Law team. According to the firm, “she supports clients in their implementation of compliance systems and in the conduct of internal investigations, including those related to FCPA infringements. She has gained extensive experience at all stages of criminal proceedings relating to, inter alia, fraud, falsification, corruption, taxes, money laundering or accounting fraud.”

Myszko, who graduated from the Nicolaus Copernicus University in Torun in 2002, joined SK&S the next year.  According to the firm, “he has been developing the SK&S practice in the field of Life Sciences, and has advised predominantly on pharmaceutical, medical, and food law. He has extensive experience in intellectual property law, including the conducts of patent disputes in the pharmaceutical industry, patent and know-how licensing in the oil and gas industry, intellectual property protection (including landmark cases before the Supreme Court) or architectural designs for business.”

According to SK&S, “the promotions are a sign of appreciation for the new partners’ deep commitment to the growth of the office, for their proactive client approach and their top professional expertise which allows them to efficiently assist clients and introduce innovations. The new partners have proven to be not only dedicated professionals but also good colleagues and coworkers, ready to offer any kind of support, capable of managing a team of lawyers and specialists, while handling the most complex projects.”

Wierzbowski Eversheds Sutherland Partners Marta Gadomska-Golab and Aleksandra Kunkiel-Krynska, the joint heads of the firm’s Commercial practice, have joined Ewa Szlachetka, Ewa Lachowska-Brol, and Krzysztof Wierzbowski in the firm’s equity partnership.

“I am very pleased that the equity partners have been joined by Marta and Aleksandra, whose dynamic careers we have had the pleasure of observing and supporting for a long time,” commented Co-Managing Partner Ewa Szlachetka. “A few years ago they created the rapidly growing Commercial practice, which advises clients on issues such as commercial contracts, consumer law, competition law, and regulatory issues, as well as intellectual property, data protection, and environmental protection. We all wish Aleksandra and Marta great success in their future plans and count on fruitful cooperation on all issues connected with the growth of our entire law firm.”

Gadomska-Golab, who became a partner at Wierzbowski Eversheds Sutherland in 2017,  has been with the firm for almost 14 years. She graduated from the University of Warsaw.

Kunkiel-Krynska, who also became a partner in 2017, holds degrees from the University of Cambridge and the University of Warsaw as well as a Ph.D. from the Institute of Law Studies of the Polish Academy of Sciences. Before joining Wierzbowski Eversheds Sutherland almost 14 years ago, she spent a year working for the European Consumer Centre and eight months working for the European Commission.

Greenberg Traurig has advised Cyfrowy Polsat S.A. and Reddev Investments Limited on the acquisition of a 22% stake in Asseco Poland S.A. The total value of the transaction amounted to almost PLN 1.2 billion.

According to Greenberg Traurig, “the transaction completed on December 30, 2019, after the completion and settlement of the invitation to submit offers to sell shares of Asseco Poland which was announced by Cyfrowy Polsat on December 18, 2019.”

Grupa Polsat is a Polish media and telecommunications company that provides its 5.7 million customers with access to telecommunication, pay digital TV, and Internet services. The group includes the following main companies and brands: Cyfrowy Polsat, Polkomtel, Telewizja Polsat, Netia, and IPLA.

Greenberg Traurig’s team was led by Local Partner Daniel Kaczorowski and included Partner Robert Gago and Senior Associate Marek Kleczek.

Deloitte Legal has helped Iglotex S.A., which is co-owned by Penta Investments, negotiate with a banking consortium for a facilities agreement totaling PLN 160 million.

According to Deloitte, “[Iglotex], a leader in the frozen food market in Poland, obtained funding for its investments and ongoing operations, as well as refinancing its existing debt. The new [loan] shall be used to reconstruct the new facility in Skorcz after a fire that destroyed it in May 2019 and to invest in a production facility of 13,600 square meters, warehouses of 9,000 square meters, a distribution division with a fleet of over 700 vehicles, and office space of 1,800 square meters.”  

The Deloitte Legal team included Partner Agnieszka Ziolek, Senior Managing Associate Antoni Goraj, and Senior Associate Aleksandra Witowska.

Deloitte Legal announced that it was unable to provide additional information about the deal, including the identity of the lenders or the firm(s) that represented them.

Editor’s note: After this article was published, CEE Legal Matters learned that the banking consortium in question consisted of BNP Paribas Bank Polska and Santander Bank Polska, both of which were advised by Clifford Chance Warsaw. The firm’s team included Partner Andrzej Stosio, Senior Associate Anna Miernik, and Associates Natalia Karasiewicz and Artur Gladysz.

The Penteris Law Firm — the 50-strong team previously operating as the Warsaw office of Magnusson — has opened for business on the Polish market.

The launch follows, as promised, several months after the office announced that it would be leaving multi-national Magnusson and would continue operations under a new brand as of January 1, 2020 (as reported by CEE Legal Matters on October 25, 2019).

According to a Penteris press release, the firm “provides full-service business law advice within five sector lines: Energy & natural resources, Financial institutions, Private equity, Real estate, and Retail.”

“Inspired by the Greek ‘Pente’ for five,” Penteris Managing Partner Agnieszka Pytlas said, explaining the new name, “Penteris upholds five core values: (1) getting things done, (2) being prepared to stand out, (3) building long-term relations, (4) serving as a gateway, and (5) going where eagles dare. These five values are our promise to clients, which we call the Penteris Pledge.”

“On the market since 2001, we were originally part of a Scandinavian law firm and then a founding office of a pan-Baltic organization,” adds Senior Partner Andrzej Tokaj. “Launching under a new brand marks the opening of yet another chapter in our story. This move unlocks our potential as an independent practice, broadening domestic capabilities and opening up new paths of international cooperation with those who best match our clients’ cross-border needs.”

Soltysinski Kawecki i Szlezak have successfully represented the interests of Cinkciarz.pl in protecting its “Cikciarz” trademark against the claim by competitor Currency One that the trademark is not distinctive.

According to SK&S, “the General Court of the European Union considered that the word ‘cinkciarz’ may be a protected trademark and that the plea of descriptiveness was unfounded. Thus, company Cinkciarz.pl retained the monopoly in the European Union to use the word ‘cinkciarz’ inter alia in the financial sector and with regard to the service of currency exchange.”

SK&S reports that the ruling “proves that trademarks which have numerous various connotations and meanings – including historical or referring to previously illegal practices – may be perfectly well used as a trademark.  The mere fact that a trademark invokes a connection with certain goods or services is not sufficient to consider such trademark descriptive.”

The Soltysinski Kawecki i Szlezak team included Partner Ewa Skrzydlo-Tefelska and Attorney Karol Gajek.

Dentons has advised Skanska on the sale of an office building in Poznan’s Nowy Rynek complex, located at the site of Poznan’s former central coach station, to the French fund Corum XL. DWF advised Corum XL on the deal.

The office building offers almost 12,000 square meters of leasable area. 

The Dentons team included Partner Bartlomiej Kordeczka, Counsel Tomasz Krasowski, Senior Associates Ewelina Klein and Marcin Czajkowski, and Associates Joanna Fidecka and Adrianna Konczak.

The DWF team advising Corum XL, which is managed by Corum, included Partner Katarzyna Debinska-Pietrzyk, Counsel Malgorzata Lesiak-Cwikowska, and Junior Associate Patrick Kozliczak.

Dentons has advised commercial real estate investor and developer Globe Trade Centre on its sale of shares in GTC Neptune Gdansk Sp. z o.o. – the owner of the Neptun Office Center in Gdansk. Greenberg Traurig reportedly advised the unnamed buyers.

The Dentons team included Partner Bartlomiej Kordeczka, Senior Associates Ewelina Klein and Katarzyna Adamczyk, and Associate Joanna Fidecka.