Category: Poland

DLA Piper has advised Speedwell on the purchase of a plot of land in Warsaw for the development of a student housing project, from BPI Real Estate and the Acteeum Group.

Speedwell is a Romanian-Belgian real estate developer.

According to DLA Piper, the land plot in question has an area of 2,290 square meters and is located in Warsaw’s Mokotow neighborhood. “The student housing project, promising high-quality and sustainable accommodation, is expected to contain 600 beds. Construction is scheduled to begin in the first quarter of 2025, with an expected date of completion set for the start of the 2026-2027 academic year.”

The DLA Piper team included Partner Michal Pietuszko, Senior Associate Justyna Bartnik, and Junior Associate Julia Rozankowska.

DLA Piper did not respond to our inquiry on the matter.

MFW Fialek has advised SOA People Group on its acquisition of Shares in KBJ.

SOA People Group is a sector operator, active in the business software market as an implementation partner for SAP software. The company operates in Western European markets including France, Belgium, the Netherlands, Germany, and Switzerland as well as in Turkiye.

KBJ is a Polish partner of SAP Poland and SAP SE, listed on the Warsaw Stock Exchange.

According to MFW Fialel, the transaction concerned the “acquisition of off-trade organized shares of a public company in an amount allowing to exceed the 50% threshold of votes at KBJ’s general meeting of shareholders.”

The MFW Fialek team included Partner Miroslaw Fialek and Senior Associate Michal Kret.

MFW Fialek did not respond to our inquiry on the matter.

Wojciech Olszewski has returned to CEE to become the Legal Director for CEE & Strategic Commercial Affairs EMEA at Align Technology, in Wroclaw.

Olszewski has been with Align Technology for seven years, beginning as a Senior Legal Counsel in Amsterdam and spending the last four and a half years as a Legal Director in Risch-Rotkreuz in Zug, Switzerland.

Before joining Align Technology, Olszewski was a Legal Counsel for the Chief Pharmaceutical Inspectorate in Warsaw as well as the Polish Minister of Health. Earlier still, he spent five years as an Associate with Dentons, between 2011 and 2016. Olszewski started his career with Kondrat & Partners where he spent three and a half years as an Associate, between 2007 and 2011.

Originally reported by CEE In-House Matters.

Gessel has advised Elemental Strategic Metals on the merger clearance to form a joint venture called Elemental Strategic Metals with the American company Ascend Elements.

Grodzisk Mazowiecki-based Elemental Strategic Metals is part of the Elemental Holding Group, a manufacturer of raw materials sourced in a sustainable and environment-friendly way.

Westborough, Massachusetts-based Ascend Elements is a provider of sustainable, closed-loop battery materials solutions.

Earlier in 2024, Gessel advised Elemental Strategic Metals on the formation of the joint venture with Ascend Elements (as reported by CEE Legal Matters on April 16, 2024).

The Gessel team included Partners Karol Sokol and Bernadeta Kasztelan-Swietlik, Managing Associates Michal Osowski and Karolina Krzal, Senior Associates Maciej Kiraga and Natalia Lesna, and Junior Associate Zuzanna Sojka.

A&O Shearman has advised Polenergia on the PLN 116.5 million financing of the 47-megawatt Szprotawa 1 photovoltaic farm from mBank and Bank Pekao. KLBF Kycia Legal reportedly advised the banks.

Polenergia is Poland’s largest private energy group.

In 2023, Allen & Overy advised on Polenergia’s PLN 300 million financing (as reported by CEE Legal Matters on June 19, 2023).

The A&O Shearman team included Partner Tomasz Kawczynski, Senior Associate Konrad Zawistowski, and Associates Michal Jakub Rudzki and Maria Korba.

Schoenherr has advised Vehis Finanse on two public offerings of debt securities.

Vehis Finanse is a car leasing company from the Enterprise Investors portfolio, a private equity fund in Poland.

According to Schoenherr, “the two-year bonds issued by Vehis Finanse are secured by collateral from a sister entity and backed by a subordination agreement. Vehis Finanse will use the proceeds from this issuance as an equity contribution to a securitization transaction.”

The Schoenherr team included Partner Szymon Okon, Counsel Dawid Brudzisz, and Associate Olga Koncerewicz.

Schoenherr did not respond to our inquiry on the matter.

MFW Fialek has advised Langmedia and Tutore Poland on PLN 61.2 million financing from mBank for the buyout of minority shareholders of LangMedia. Gide advised mBank.

Tutore Poland started its educational activities in 2017. It initially conducted in-person classes in over 1,000 locations throughout Poland. Following the outbreak of the pandemic in 2020, the company introduced a new business model focusing on online education for children and adults. Today, it delivers classes on its proprietary platform.

LangMedia is a language school in Poland.

In 2023, MFW Fialek advised on Tutore International Luxembourg’s takeover of Tutore Poland (as reported by CEE Legal Matters on October 12, 2023). In 2022, the firm advised on the initial sale of a minority stake in Music & More (as reported by CEE Legal Matters on January 21, 2022), Tutore Poland’s merger with ProfiLingua (as reported on September 14, 2022), as well as Tutore Poland’s acquisition of a 51% stake in LangMedia (as reported on September 20, 2022).

The MFW Fialek team included Partner Miroslaw Fialek, Senior Associate Mariusz Domagala, Associates Cezary Gizinski, Maksymilian Kulczycki, and Wojciech Lichterowicz, and Junior Associate Franciszek Furmaniak.

The Gide team included Counsel Mateusz Gronau and Associates Katarzyna Gromnicka and Szymon Rydzewski.

Taylor Wessing has advised PKO Bank Polski on the financing provided to Panattoni for the development of Panattoni Park Zgierz. Deloitte Legal reportedly advised Panattoni.

Panattoni Park Zgierz is a class-A logistics center with a total planned area of approximately 160,000 square meters. According to Taylor Wessing, the value of the financing for the first phase amounted to EUR 23.3 million.

The Taylor Wessing team included Partner Zbigniew Korba, Counsels Antoni Goraj and Jan Adamus, Senior Associate Pawel Skura, and Associate Maria Galezowska.

CK Legal Chabasiewicz Kowalska has advised PragmaGO on the issue of series C4 bonds with a total nominal value of PLN 30 million with a 67.56% subscription reduction.

PragmaGO is one of the largest non-bank financial institutions in Poland specializing in providing online financing in the form of factoring and loans in the SME segment.

According to CK Legal, “the company’s largest public bond offering was conducted under the prospectus for PragmaGO’s fourth public bond program, approved by the Polish Financial Supervision Authority.”

Earlier in 2024, CK Legal advised PragmaGO on an EUR 3.5 million bonds issuance (as reported by CEE Legal Matters on May 28, 2024), as well as on its PLN 25 million C3 bonds issuance (reported by CEE Legal Matters on April 2, 2024), on its PLN 25 million issuance of series C2 bonds (reported by CEE Legal Matters on February 1, 2024), and on its acquisition of single invoice financing market company Monevia (reported by CEE Legal Matters on February 13, 2024).

The CK Legal team included Founding Partner Wojciech Chabasiewicz and Head of Capital Markets Anita Gwozdz.

DWF has advised Leoff Capital on its acquisition of a Carrefour hypermarket in Krakow. Wardynski & Partners reportedly advised the sellers.

The sold Carrefour hypermarket has 11,400 square meters of gross leasable area and is located at Witosa Street.

According to DWF, “Leoff Group’s strategy includes expanding its portfolio of food-anchored retail properties in Poland. The latest acquisition in Krakow is consistent with the Leoff Group’s investment profile.”

The DWF team included Partners Bartosz Clemenz and Adrian Jonca, Local Partner Weronika Roesler, Counsel Pawel Gnas, Senior Associate Konrad Suchojad, Junior Associate Natalia Olechnowicz, and Staff Lawyer Aleksander Kurpias.

Editor’s Note: After this article was published Wardynski & Partners confirmed it advised the unidentified sellers. The firm’s team included Partners Michal Wons and Jakub Macek, Counsel Jakub Baranowski, and Associates Aleksandra Szczepinska and Karolina Dawidczyk-Belc.