Category: Poland

  • Former Poland Bird and Bird MP Flies to Maruta Wachta

    Former Poland Bird and Bird MP Flies to Maruta Wachta

    Maciej Gawronski, the Founder and former head of Bird & Bird’s Polish office, has left the English firm to join Maruta Wachta.

    According to Maruta Wachta, “Maciej Gawronski prior to joining Maruta Wachta was a Managing Partner of Bird & Bird Maciej Gawronski sp.k., – a top ten Polish law firm by revenue in 2015, which Maciej set up from scratch in 2008.”  

    Maruta Wachta describes Gawronski as having “unrivalled reputation in cybersecurity, information technology and intellectual property,” and reports that he “specializes in banking & finance, cloud computing, corporate law, data protection, dispute resolution, and mergers and acquisitions.”

    According to the firm, “We firmly believe that Maciej Gawronski — who is known as an energetic leader and an authority in information technology law with almost two decades of experience — will surely secure the position of Maruta Wachta as the Polish leading law firm understanding technology sector.”

    The firm also quoted Gawronski as saying, “Maruta is a leading Polish practice in technology, intellectual property and procurement, with [an] unrivaled reputation in Poland …. I have been watching their growth over the last sixteen years. So when Marcin Maruta contacted me, after I decided to leave Bird & Bird, the temptation to join Maruta was too big to resist, despite of my initial plans to take some time off.”

  • Soltysinski Kawecki & Szlezak Advises Finaccess Capital on Takeover of AmRest Holdings

    Soltysinski Kawecki & Szlezak Advises Finaccess Capital on Takeover of AmRest Holdings

    Soltysinski Kawecki & Szlezak has advised Mexican group Finaccess Capital in the takeover of control over AmRest Holdings SE, a European company listed on the Warsaw Stock Exchange. The market value of the transaction amounted to over PLN 1.5 billion.

    SK&S describes AmRest as “the largest independent chain restaurant operator in Central and Eastern Europe,” and the firm says that “since 1993 the company has built a portfolio of well recognized, power brands such as KFC, Pizza Hut, Burger King and Starbucks, based on franchise and joint venture partnerships.”  

    The firm reports that “Finaccess Capital successfully acquired over 6 million shares through a public tender offer for up to 66% of the shares in AmRest, in addition to a minority stake previously controlled by Finaccess, crossing the threshold of 60% of the shares in AmRest and becoming its controlling shareholder.”

    The SK&S team advising Finaccess was led by Partner Marcin Olechowski, and included Of Counsel Justyna Mlodzianowska, Senior Counsel Witold Kurek, and Associate Andrzej Motyka. Competition law issues were handled by Partner Krzysztof Kanton and Senior Counsel Jaroslaw Lukawski.

    As reported by CEE Legal Matters on July 26, 2016, SK&S previously advised Finaccess’s subsidiary FCapital Dutch on Polish matters related to indirect financing rom Bank Zachodni WBK S.A. to guarantee the acquisition of shares.

  • Laszczuk & Partners and White & Case Help Danish Company Obtain Polish VAT Return

    Laszczuk & Partners and White & Case Help Danish Company Obtain Polish VAT Return

    Laszczuk & Partners is reporting that it and White & Case advised B18-1 A/S company, a part of worldwide window producer VKR Group, in a 5-year proceeding regarding its demand for the return of more than PLN 1.1 million (EUR 275,000) of VAT tax.

    The Laszczuk & Partners team representing B18-1 A/S in proceedings before Polish tax authorities was led by Partner Aleksandra Faderewska-Waszkiewicz. The White & Case team was led by Senior Counsel Grzegorz Jukiel.

  • CMS Poland Launches Law Competition for Students

    CMS Poland Launches Law Competition for Students

    CMS Poland has announced that it is inviting third, fourth, and fifth-year law students to take part in a labor law competition at the firm, with available prizes including an IPad, sets of law books, and paid internships at the firm. 

    Participants will compete to find the best solution to a legal problem concerning labor law, with the winners to be announced at a mid-December meeting at CMS’s Warsaw office. All participants will be invited to take part in special training that will also take place in mid-December at the office, with participants from outside Warsaw having their travel costs reimbursed.

    The competition will be held in partnership with the European Law Students’ Association and the publisher Wolters Kluwer.

    The submission deadline is November 21, and more information is available on the CMS website, including the Competition Rules.

  • Clifford Chance and Allen & Overy Advise on Acquisition of Allegro by Cinven, Permira, and Mid Europa

    Clifford Chance and Allen & Overy Advise on Acquisition of Allegro by Cinven, Permira, and Mid Europa

    Clifford Chance has advised a consortium of funds consisting of Cinven, Permira, and Mid Europa, on their USD 3.253 billion acquisition of the Allegro Group, the largest online marketplace and non-food shopping destination in Poland, from South Africa-based Internet and entertainment group Naspers. Allen & Overy advised Naspers on the deal.

    Allegro, which was established in 1999 and now employs around 1,250 people, has over 20 million registered users who carry out 14 million transactions monthly. According to a Clifford Chance press release, “Cinven, Permira, and Mid Europa identified Allegro as an attractive investment opportunity and the Clifford Chance team supported the funds to secure the acquisition through a competitive bidding process.”

    Clifford Chance Global Head of Private Equity Jonny Myers led the firm’s team, which included London-based Partners Graham Phillips and Jenine Hulsmann, Warsaw-based Partners Nick Fletcher and Krzysztof Hajdamowicz, London-based Senior Associates Jonathan Kewley, David D’Souza, and Jonathan Halliwell, and London-based Lawyer Elizabeth Sinclair.

    Jonny Myers commented: ”We are honored to have worked with three outstanding market-leading clients. Consortium bids are some of the most challenging and complex to deliver for a private equity house requiring seamless teamwork, team chemistry and, above all, mutual respect.”

  • KZP Adds New Partner to Head New Technologies and Telecommunications Group

    KZP Adds New Partner to Head New Technologies and Telecommunications Group

    Kochanski Zieba & Partners has announced that Pawel Gruszecki has joined the firm as Head of New Technologies and Telecommunications. 

    Gruszecki graduated from the Faculty of Law and Administration at the Jagiellonian University. He also completed a postgraduate program in Copyright, Publishing and Press Law organized by the Institute of Intellectual Property Law at the Jagiellonian University. He spent most of his working career — from 2007-2014 — at Traple Konarski Podrecki & Wspolnicy, as the leader of the Internet Media and Telecommunications, TMT (Telecommunications, Media and Technology) Department. As part of his practice he was responsible for dealing with key clients, such as telecom operators (including the largest fixed-line operator in Poland, and Polish mobile operators) and Internet service providers (including the operator of the most popular global search engine and operators of the some of the largest websites in Poland). He has also been involved, among other things, in negotiating a telecommunications infrastructure management and development agreement and, the firm reports, “in preparation of legal assumptions for the provision of mobile TV standard DVB-H or OTT platform deployment.”

    Prior to joining KZP, Gruszecki ran his own boutique law firm for two years, during which he helped develop the underlying legal framework for a comprehensive logistics and payment system designed to increase e-commerce sales.

    According to a KZP statement, “in joining KZP Pawel will substantially increase KZP’s industry knowledge in the new technologies and telecommunications sector, especially as a number of KZP’s clients in the industry emanate from Krakow – which is now regarded as a major hub for technology companies.”

  • Medicover Hires New Head Legal Counsel Medicover Division in Poland

    Medicover Hires New Head Legal Counsel Medicover Division in Poland

    Medicover has hired Paulina Lasocka-Wysoczanska as its new Head Legal Counsel Medicover Division in Warsaw this October. 

    Founded in 1995, Medicover, which offers private healthcare, is now present in Poland, Sweden, Germany, Hungary, Serbia, Bulgaria, Romania, Turkey, Georgia, Moldova, Ukraine, Belarus, and Russia.

    Prior to joining the company, Lasocka-Wysoczanska was a Senior Associate at CMS within the Corporate/M&A department, a team she joined fresh off the university bench and with which she spent over 11 years.

  • New Banking/Finance Head at WKB

    New Banking/Finance Head at WKB

    On October 1, 2016 WKB Wiercinski, Kwiecinski, Baehr appointed a new Partner: Marcin Smolarek, who will be responsible for the firm’s Banking and Finance practice.

    Smolarek specializes in project finance, lending, debt restructuring, distressed debt, and financial litigation. WKB describes him as “an expert in securitization and secondary market,” says that “he provides legal advice on investment funding, LBO and REF and construction investment,” and reports that “he also has wide hands-on experience in debt restructuring, which he gained when advising on large projects that involved restructuring Polish issuers’ bonds, listed companies in the energy sector and real estate loans.”

    “We are constantly increasing our team of expert and experienced lawyers, who perfectly understand the business environment in which our clients work,” said WKB Managing Partner Jerzy Baehr. “We are pleased to welcome Marcin Smolarek and we firmly believe that his knowledge and experience will enhance our development with respect to the financial projects.”

    Strengthening the Banking and Finance team is yet another stage of the firm’s development,” Baehr added.  

  • Gessel Advises First Private Equity Fund FIZAN on Restructuring of Involvement in Gwarant Grupa Kapitalowa

    Gessel Advises First Private Equity Fund FIZAN on Restructuring of Involvement in Gwarant Grupa Kapitalowa

    Gessel has advised First Private Equity Fund FIZAN, managed by Vestor Dom Maklerski S.A., on the restructuring of the fund’s financial involvement in Gwarant Grupa Kapitalowa S.A., in Katowice. 

    According to Gessel, “as part of the restructuring of debts of over PLN 50 million entitled to the fund in relation to Gwarant Grupa Kapitalowa S.A. and related company Andoria-Mot Sp. z o.o. … the fund sold part of these debts for an amount of PLN 12.4 million and made a debt conversion by acquiring a minority stake in the company Andoria Mot Sp. z o.o. and shares in Kuznia Jawor S.A.”

    Gessel has been advising the fund on its involvement in Gwarant Grupa Kapitalowa since 2011, and it reports that “the transaction in question represents the next stage of the disinvestment of the fund from this group of companies.”

    The Gessel team was led by Partner Malgorzata Badowska, supported by lawyer Karol Sokol and trainee legal advisor Krzysztof Jasinski. The firm also performed legal due diligence of Andoria Mot Sp. z o.o. and Kuznia Jawor S.A., with a team led by Managing Associate Maciej Boryczko.

  • CMS and Crido Legal Advise on Sale of Allcom to Hili Ventures

    CMS and Crido Legal Advise on Sale of Allcom to Hili Ventures

    CMS has advised the owners of Allcom sp. z o.o., a family-owned Polish freight forwarding company, on joining Hili Company’s logistics family. Crido Legal advised Hili Company on the deal.

    According to Crido Legal, “Hili Company is the logistics division of the Maltese-owned multi-disciplinary group Hili Ventures, which is engaged in multi-sited activities in partnership with McDonald’s and Apple, logistics, engineering, technology, and property. Through six distinct divisions, Hili Ventures is present in nine countries spanning from the Mediterranean to Central and Eastern Europe. The group, which is privately held, has a staff complement of almost 8,000 people.” The firm describes Allcom, active since 1995 and currently employing over 50 people, as “a growing freight forwarding company and customs agency providing comprehensive logistics solutions all over the world from offices in Gdynia and Gdansk.”

    According to CMS, Hili Company’s acquisition of Allcom will allow Hili “to increase its competitive advantage due to Allcom’s continuous and long-term presence in Poland and its wide international contacts.” In addition, the firm reports, “as part of Hili Company, Allcom will gain access to major transport hubs across Europe.” Pawel Skriabin, Allcom’s current Managing Director, will continue to lead the company.

    The CMS Warsaw team was led by Counsel Joanna Blaszczyk and Senior Associate Izabela Gebal. The project was supervised by Partner Michal Pawlowski.

    “By joining Hili Company, Allcom sp. z o.o benefits from support for long-term development and business expansion, access to additional markets, expertise and know-how,” commented Izabela Gebal. “Today, a lot of Polish family businesses established shortly after the 1989 economic transformation are approaching the generational change. A decision to hand over the business is usually very complex and multi-threaded, and therefore requires excellent preparation.”

    “This latest acquisition in Poland will strengthen our position in the CEE region,” said Richard Abdilla Castillo, Managing Director (Transactions and Major Projects) at Hili Ventures. “Crido Legal provided us with significant expertise and support on this acquisition and we are grateful for their strong commitment to this project.”

    The Crido Legal team was led by Partner Jakub Ziołek, who commented that, “we have relished the opportunity to contribute to Hili Company’s development in the CEE region.” Ziolek was supported by Senior Associate Mateusz Baran, Associates Filip Badziak and Piotr Plesinski, and Associate Szymon Syp.