Category: Poland

Hogan Lovells has announced it will close its Warsaw office in the coming months together with the offices in Johannesburg and Sydney.

“As a leading global law firm, we are focused on ensuring that we are present in strategic markets where our clients look to us for support and sophisticated, high-end work,” commented Hogan Lovells CEO Miguel Zaldivar. “Closing these three offices was a difficult decision, but one that was needed so that we can continue our path to achieve transformational growth and drive greater success – particularly in London, New York, California, Texas, Washington, D.C., and key international markets. This is part of our ambitious vision and strategic approach to continue to grow as a financially integrated global firm.”

The firm closed its office in Prague in 2014 (as reported by CEE Legal Matters on May 14, 2014) and in Moscow following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine (as reported by CEE Legal Matters on March 14, 2022). With the Warsaw office closure, Budapest will be the last office of the firm in CEE.

Deloitte Legal has advised Grenevia on a PLN 850 million financing transaction via a loan agreement with a consortium of Bank Pekao, PKO Bank Polski, and BNP Paribas banks. Dentons advised the banks.

The Grenevia Group is an investor operating in four business segments including renewable energy sources, e-mobility, power generation, and the mining and wind energy sectors.

The Deloitte Legal team included Local Partner Aneta Urban, Partner Associate Mariusz Banas, and Senior Associate Sylwia Karpinska.

SSK&W has advised the founder of Xopero Software Lukasz Jesis on funding from the Warsaw Equity Group and business angels. LLW Lewczuk Lyszczarek Szymczyk advised Xopero. LSW reportedly advised WEG. 

Xopero Software is a developer of a cloud-based backup platform designed to limit the risk of data loss and business downtime. According to SSK&W, the company’s platform syncs and shares any data with co-workers archives them, and migrates users’ system or application settings, enabling clients to have server data and applications that are always fully protected and ready to restore.

Warsaw Equity Group is a private investment fund.

The SSK&W team included Partner Szymon Syp and Associate Natalia Grzegorzewska.

The LLW team included Partner Lukasz Lyszczarek and Lawyer Kajetan Cegielski.

Clifford Chance has advised the lenders on the refinancing and financing of wind farms in Banie and Ilawa owned by the Energix group. WKB Wiercinski Kwiecinski Baehr reportedly advised Energix.

The financing consortium included, among others, PKO Bank Polski.

The Banie wind farm has a total installed capacity of about 106 megawatts while the Ilawa one has a total installed capacity of about 13.2 megawatts.

The Clifford Chance team included Warsaw-based Partners Andrzej Stosio and Pawel Puacz, Counsels Michal Jadwisiak and Marcin Markowski, Senior Associates Mateusz Chmura and Pawel Zawislak, Associates Marta Swiderska, Aleksandra Bialyszewska, Mateusz Leleno, Weronika Patzer, Kinga Grzelczak, Maciej Mroz, and Grzegorz Serafin, and Trainee Mateusz Dablowski as well as further team members in Luxembourg.

White & Case has advised Santander Bank Polska and the joint global coordinators and joint bookrunners on the sale of 5.32 million ordinary shares of Santander Bank Polska at PLN 463 per share through an accelerated book-building process announced by Banco Santander.

The joint global coordinators and joint bookrunners included BVanco Santander as a manager not as the selling shareholder, Santander Bank Polska – Santander Brokerage Poland, Bank Handlowy w Warszawie – Brokerage Office of Bank Handlowy, Citigroup Global Markets Europe, and Goldman Sachs Bank Europe.

According to White & Case, “the transaction, valued at PLN 2.463 billion (EUR 575 million), represents 5.2% of Santander Bank Polska’s existing share capital. Following the settlement of the placement, Banco Santander will maintain a majority shareholding in Santander Bank Polska, corresponding to 62.2% of the bank’s share capital. Poland remains a core market for Banco Santander, which will continue to support Santander Bank Polska’s strategy.”

The White & Case team included Partners Rafal Kaminski, Local Partner Monika Duzynska, and Associate Dawid Ksiazek as well as additional team members in Madrid and London.

CMS has advised Greykite on the acquisition of a logistics portfolio in Poland. Dentons reportedly advised the unidentified sellers.

According to CMS, “the portfolio represents the first phase of an investment in a new joint venture between Greykite and White Star Real Estate with a total value of EUR 300 million. The portfolio comprises three logistics parks with a total leasable area of 142,000 square meters, located in Warsaw, Strykow, and Gliwice.”

The CMS included Partner Dominik Rafalko and Jakub Podkowa, Counsels Katarzyna Szostak, Mariusz Minkiewicz, Agnieszka Starzynska, Malgorzata Brauckmann-Sajkiewicz, and Pawel Jaskiewicz, Senior Associates Zuzanna Bafia, Mateusz Rojek, and Krzysztof Schulz, Associates Michal Gruza, Maciej Liberacki, Anna Mikolajewska-Jelitto, Dominika Pietkun, Dominika Tyc, and Martyna Adamowicz, Lawyers Marika Brokos, Aleksandra Sadownik, Marta Trebacka, Wiktoria Jasik, Karolina Kosinska, Laura Pytlinska, Kinga Smarduch, and Kamil Gilewicz, and Trainee Kamila Swierk, 

Schoenherr has advised mBank on financing the acquisition of Scan Lab by Enterprise Investors Fund IX. Gide advised Enterprise Investors.

Scan Lab is a digital dental prosthetics laboratory in Poland.

Enterprise Investors Fund IX is a private equity firm in Central and Eastern Europe focusing on mid-market buyouts and expansion financing. 

The Schoenherr team included Partner Ilona Fedurek, Senior Attorney at Law Piotr Bartos, and Associate Gabriela Chrzanowska.

The Gide team in Warsaw included Partner Pawel Grzeskowiak, Of Counsel Marta Karminska, Counsel Wojciech Czyzewski, Associates Magdalena Zawislak, Mateusz Wieckowski, Katarzyna Gromnicka, and Dominik Figura, and Paralegal Jan Bak.

Jasinski has advised Peronelle Investment on its sale of two production and warehouse halls with office and social facilities in Gdynia to Firma Handlowa.

Peronelle Investment is part of the Inopa Group, a real estate company.

According to Jasinski, “in the spring of 2025, a new warehouse and construction market will open in Gdynia. It will be located right next to the Kaszubska Route, providing convenient access for contractors from the Tri-City area and customers from the developing surroundings. The covered area of the new facility will exceed 2,500 square meters.”

The Jasinski team included Partner Mateusz Jasinski and Junior Associates Alina Bajonczak – Krynska and Kamil Winkler.

Jasinski did not respond to our inquiry on the matter.

CMS has advised Santander Bank Polska, mBank, and Alior Bank on a seven-year syndicated financing for Golebiewski Holding.

Golebiewski Holding is a confectionery manufacturer and a family-run business operating since 1966.

The financing is aimed at refinancing existing financial debt, financing capital expenditures, and covering the current working capital needs of Golebiewski Holding.

The CMS team included Counsel Monika Kowara, Associate Sebastian Lys, and Lawyer Adrianna Trypus.

Editor’s Note: After this article was published, Schoenherr announced that it advised Golebiewski Holding. The firm’s team included Partner Ilona Fedurek and Associates Gabriela Chrzanowska and Filip Grabowski.

Norton Rose Fulbright has advised Susi Partners, acting on behalf of Susi Energy Transition Fund, and its portfolio company, Luneos Green Energy, on a PLN 81 million facility made available by mBank. Rymarz Zdort Maruta reportedly advised mBank.

According to Norton Rose, “the facility will be used for the financing of VAT payable in connection with the construction of a fully merchant 157-megawatt solar photovoltaic portfolio in Poland.”

Founded in 2009, Susi Partners is a Swiss-based fund manager specializing in sustainable energy infrastructure investments.

Earlier this year, Norton Rose Fulbright advised SETF and Luneos Green Energy on raising a Euro-denominated senior debt package to finance the construction of this portfolio, which was made available by P Capital Partners, a Swedish private credit provider, through its transition fund (as reported by CEE Legal Matters on January 19, 2024). In 2022, Norton Rose Fulbright advised Susi Partners on the establishment of a renewable energy platform in Poland (as reported by CEE Legal Matters on February 14, 2022).

The Norton Rose Fulbright team included Partner Tomasz Rogalski, Senior Associate Igor Kondratowicz, and Associates Karolina Majcher and Daniel Ksiazek.