Category: Poland

Linklaters has advised LUX MED on its 100% acquisition of Centrum Medyczne Mavit Sp. z o.o. from its majority shareholder Resource Partners and the company’s unnamed founding minority shareholder. Rykowski Jusiel advised sellers on the deal, which remains contingent on the approval of the Polish Office of Competition and Consumer Protection.

Centrum Medyczne Mavit is an operator of an ophthalmic hospital and diagnostic center in Warsaw, as well as specialist ophthalmology, maxillofacial surgery, and laryngology hospital in Katowice, in southern Poland. 

Lux Med was founded 20 years ago. Out-patient activity is realized under two complementary brands — Lux Med and Medycyna Rodzinna. The company has 114 medical centers, 1500 cooperating facilities, and a private diagnostic database. In 2010 Lux Med opened a hospital in Warsaw. 

The Linklaters team was led by Warsaw-based Partner Tomasz Zorawski and Counsel Klaudia Krolak, supported by Managing Associates Monika Krzyszkowska-Dabrowska and Agnieszka Mencel, Senior Associates Jakub Wozniak, Lukasz Burakowski, Wojciech Podlasin, Tomasz Pleskot, and Ewa Szmigielska, Associates Marek Tolcz, Szymon Sieniewicz, and Joanna Maksymowicz, and Junior Associate Michal Wolangiewicz. 

The Rykowski Jusiel team was led by Partner Edyta Jusiel. 

Kondracki Celej has advised PolSource S.A., a Salesforce customer success platform advisory company, on a Series A growth round with investment from existing shareholders, company executives, and Salesforce Ventures, which recently launched a USD 125 million Europe Trailblazer Fund to fuel enterprise cloud startups. Orrick advised Salesforce Ventures on the deal.

PolSource reports that it “offers a range of advisory, delivery, and success services to speed the adoption of Salesforce and digital transformation with a focus on customer return on their technology investment.” The Series A investment round, which PolSource declared was intended to further accelerate international growth and expand the company’s portfolio of digital transformation services and industry solutions, closed on June 19, 2019.

The Kondracki Celej team consisted of Partner Rafal Celej and Associate Ewelina Macewicz. 

Orrick’s team in London consisted of Partner Shawn Atkinson and Associates Stephen Tallon and Chris Perry. 

Former Weil Head of Energy and Infrastructure Lukasz Szatkowski has joined CMS.

Szatkowski has over 15 years of experience in transaction, project, and regulatory advice for international and Polish energy companies. At CMS, he will be responsible for the development of the offer, services, and team advising clients in the energy sector.

“Strengthening the energy team is another element of the development strategy of this practice,” commented CMS Poland Managing Partner Andrzej Posniak. “We hope that Lukasz, a valued expert in the energy sector, will help us expand both the client base of the law firm and the offer for companies operating on this market.”

Before joining CMS, Szatkowski spent 14 years at Weil Gotshal & Manges. He is a graduate of the Faculty of Law and Administration at the University of Warsaw.

BSWW Act Legal has advised Silver Dental Clinic’s owners on the sale of 100% shares to the Lux Med Group.

Silver Dental Clinic offers specialized dental and orthondontic services. According to BSWW, the clinic, which consists of six units, a radiology lab with digital diagnostic equipment, an orthodontic lab, and a training room, makes use of advanced digital technology.

According to BSWW, the Polish dental market is currently worth PLN 11 billion, and the firm reports that, despite accounting for just 3% of the European market, it has the potential to keep growing at the pace of approximately 10% a year. This growth is propelled primarily by the rapidly increasing popularity of private services that make up as much as 80% of the dental market. Only a third of Poles use National Health Fund (NFZ)-reimbursed services, while public spending on this medical segment constitutes just 2.5% of NFZ’s budget.

The BSWW team consisted of Managing Partner Piotr Smoluch and Partner Sebastian Sury.

BSWW did not reply to our inquiries about the deal.

WKB has advised Infradata on the acquisition of 100% of shares in DIM System sp. z o.o. and Tukan IT sp. z o.o. RK Legal advised the sellers on the deal, which closed on May 31, 2019.

As a result of the purchase of 100% of shares in DIM System, Infradata also became the indirect owner of SOC24 sp. z o. o., a company offering “Security Operation Center” services, which supports the detection and prevention of incidents related to IT security in both private and public institutions. 

DIM System specializes in the delivery, implementation, and maintenance of IT security systems by providing cyber-attack, database, and web application protection systems, and tools for the management and monitoring of administrative sessions.

Tukan IT develops security software – GREENmod – as well as file and e-mails classification systems for various enterprises. 

Infradata Polska is a provider of cybersecurity systems, cloud networking solutions, and managed services. The firm is a member of Infradata Group – a portfolio entity of the IK Investment Partners private equity fund.

The WKB team included Partners Jakub Jedrzejak and Anna Wyrzykowska, Senior Associate Magdalena Piszewska, and Associate Domink Klupa. 

The RK Legal team was led by Counsel Sylwia Kilinska.

Wardynski & Partners has advised the largest bondholders of series D and F bonds issued by OT Logistics S.A. that are listed on Catalyst regarding the issuance of series H refinancing bonds. Clifford Chance reportedly advised OT Logistics and White & Case reportedly advised the banks on the issuance.

OT Logistics S.A. is a publicly listed port operator, that operates inland waterway transport in Poland and Germany. The issuance of series H secured bonds was the last stage of financial debt restructuring of the group, which also included an extension of the maturity of credit facilities and series G bonds.

The Wardynski & Partners team included Partner Lukasz Szegda, Senior Associates Artur Bednarski and Marcin Pietkiewicz, and Associate Mateusz Tusznio.

Editor’s note: Since this article was published, CEELM has learned that Wolf Theiss advised Bank Gospodarstwa Krajowego, the Polish Development Bank, as a lender in this transaction. The firm’s team included Partner Przemek Kozdoj, Senior Associates Stefan Feliniak and Michal Kulig, and Associate Magda Werner.

Former White & Case Local Partner Pawel Samborski has joined Baker McKenzie Warsaw.

Samborski has experience in advising entities from the construction, energy sectors, and real estate market. He will be responsible for the development of the office’s Dispute and Litigation Practice with a focus on construction and infrastructure disputes.

“I believe that his presence at Baker McKenzie will considerably strengthen our practice and support our clients in facing the upcoming challenges for the construction industry, especially in the field of infrastructure projects,” said Baker McKenzie Partner Lukasz Hejmej.

Before joining White & Case eight years ago, Samborski worked at CMS Cameron McKenna, Wierzbowski Eversheds, and Bak, Marszalek, Szczepankowski & Wspolnicy. He is a graduate of the University of Warsaw.

Domanski Zakrzewski Palinka has advised Tramwaje Warszawskie on its agreement to have Korea’s Hyundai Rotem supply 213 trams. Gluchowski Siemiatkowski Zwara, and Szymanczyk Roman Deresz Kancelaria Adwokacka advised Hyundai Rotem on the deal, which is valued at PLN 1.8 billion.

The first tram will appear on the streets of Warsaw in 2021. The manufacturer has announced that some of the vehicles will be produced in Poland, with a procurement coordinating center being also opened in Poland.

DZP supported Tramwaje Warszawskie in an open contract award procedure for “Supply of one-way and two-way, multiple units, low-floor trams,, and in appeals before Poland’s National Appeal Board that took place during the procedure.

The DZP team consisted of Partner Katarzyna Kuzma and Senior Associate Michal Wojciechowski.

The Gluchowski Siemiatkowski Zwara team was led by Senior Partner Karolina Muchowska-Zwara, supported by Legal Advisors Anna Borowska, Magdalena Mirowska, and Jakub Turski. 

The SRDK team consisted of Managing Partner Marcin Szymanczyk and Senior Associates Aneta Walewska-Borsuk and Karol Szymanczyk.

Dentons Warsaw and Baker McKenzie have advised Skanska on the sale of an office building in the Nowy Rynek complex in Poznan, custom-built for Franklin Templeton Investments fund. Allen & Overy advised Franklin Templeton.

The office building has a total of 27,000 square meters of office space on six floors and will serve as the new headquarters of the Franklin Templeton fund. 

The nature and scope of the transaction were “unique in the Polish market,” according to Dentons, “given that the building concerned was custom built to the specific requirements of the buyer, which happens very rarely in Poland’s commercial real estate market.” 

The Dentons team was led by Partner Bartlomiej Kordeczka and included Senior Associate Ewelina Klein and Junior Associate Adrianna Konczak.

The Baker McKenzie team included Partner Katarzyna Kopczewska and Senior Associate Piotr Tatara.

The Allen & Overy team was led by Partner Michal Matera and included Associates Patrycja Pakla and Marta Strykowska.

Dentons has launched a Sustainable Investment practice in Europe, headed by Warsaw-based Partner Elzbieta Lis.

According to Dentons, the practice is designed “to meet the growing interest in socially responsible and environmentally conscious business investment.” according to the firm, “the central focus of this innovative new group is to serve the needs of businesses, financial institutions and regulatory bodies in two core areas: sustainable investment and sustainable finance.”

The firm reports that “the Sustainable Investment group will advise global corporations, investment funds, asset managers and financial institutions on the development and execution of sustainable investment strategies. [It] will provide due diligence based on environmental, social, and governance (ESG) considerations, as well as non-financial reporting according to the European Union’s CSR Directive.  The group will also advise on the use of sustainable finance instruments and fund structures – such as green bonds, which are used to fund projects with a clearly defined environmental or social benefit, or pay-for-success instruments, which make financing contingent on achieving certain environmental goals.” 

Tomasz Dabrowski, Europe CEO at Dentons, explained that: “Not only is sustainable investment an exciting growing market opportunity, it is also a way in which Dentons can make a positive impact on our communities.  We remain committed to ensuring the sustainability of our own operations, and through this new practice, given Elzbieta’s leadership and experience, we can now assist our clients to incorporate environmental and social sustainability into their investment and financing decisions.”

“Increasingly, mainstream investors are seeking asset classes that guarantee the sustainability of their investments by integrating environmental, social and governance considerations into their investment processes,” said Lis, Head of Dentons’ Sustainable Investment practice in Europe. “There is a significant demand for sustainable investment strategies, and we look forward to addressing that need for our clients.”

Dentons reports that, according to the Global Sustainable Investment Alliance, the value of sustainable investment assets reached USD 30.7 trillion globally in 2018.