The Legal 500

Poland

Banking and finance

Banking and finance - ranked: tier 3

Gide Loyrette Nouel

At Gide Loyrette Nouel, the team provides transactional advice, as well as day-to-day regulatory assistance to Polish and international banks, insurance companies, leasing companies, financial institutions and businesses. Practice leader Paweł Grześkowiak advised KGHM on a €212m second financing facility granted by the European Investment Bank to support a modernisation programme. Marta Kamińska is recommended for structured financing mandates.

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Commercial, corporate and M&A

Commercial, corporate and M&A - ranked: tier 3

Gide Loyrette Nouel

Gide Loyrette Nouel's group is led by Dariusz Tokarczuk, who is supported by Paweł Grześkowiak. Tokarczuk and Marcin Muszel advised Auchan on the spin-off of its businesses into Immochan Polska; a matter that included real estate and employment-related issues.

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Competition/antitrust

Competition/antitrust - ranked: tier 4

Gide Loyrette Nouel

Gide Loyrette Nouel handles competition matters that arise out of business operations, proceedings before the authorities and compliance issues. Practice head Dariusz Tokarczuk is advising Auchan Polska on supply policy issues. Szymon Chwaliński is recommended for his expertise in competition, consumer protection and distribution law.

Next Generation Partners

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Dispute resolution

Dispute resolution - ranked: tier 3

Gide Loyrette Nouel

Gide Loyrette Nouel handles a variety of civil and criminal litigation, as well as arbitration before domestic and international courts. The group has particular expertise in commercial defamation cases. The General Directorate for National Roads and Motorways remains a client for practice head Piotr Sadownik, who represents the authority in a number of proceedings related to the construction of main roads in Poland. He is also representing PGNiG in a series of claims made by and against the client. Counsel Krzysztof Ciepliński specialises in commercial disputes.

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Employment

Employment - ranked: tier 3

Gide Loyrette Nouel

Gide Loyrette Nouel has a niche in transport sector-related employment issues, including litigation related to social dumping and posting of workers. It also handles collective bargaining agreements, restructurings and lay-offs. The team is led by Paweł Grześkowiak, who is coordinating a number of litigation cases in relation to benefits to international drivers, including night-time allowances, EU minimum wages, as well as collective and individual labour law issues. Associate Joanna Jasiewicz is another name to note.

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Energy and natural resources

Energy and natural resources - ranked: tier 3

Gide Loyrette Nouel

Highlights for Gide Loyrette Nouel's practice head Piotr Sadownik included advising PGNiG on a potential expansion abroad. Konrad Kosicki is assisting Tauron Polska Energia with compliance issues relating to the EU directive on markets in financial instruments II and all associated legislation. Grzegorz Banasiuk is recommended for public procurement and privatisation matters.

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Intellectual property

Intellectual property - ranked: tier 4

Gide Loyrette Nouel

At Gide Loyrette Nouel, practice head Piotr Sadownik is representing L’Oréal  in claims brought by copyright holders pertaining to music used in the client's product advertising. Krzysztof Ciepliński is another name to note.

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Private equity

Private equity - ranked: tier 4

Gide Loyrette Nouel

Gide Loyrette Nouel's team leverages the firm's corporate, finance, regulatory, tax and contract law expertise to provide a full service to private equity funds, their sponsors and investors. Department head Paweł Grześkowiak advised Enterprise Investors on the acquisition of a 38% stake in Unilink, in a deal that will consist of a capital increase and partial buy-out.

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Public law

Public law - ranked: tier 2

Gide Loyrette Nouel

Public procurement constitutes a core competency of Gide Loyrette Nouel's Warsaw office, which handles public investments including motorways, pipelines, railways, sea and air terminals and other infrastructure projects. Dariusz Tokarczuk and department head Piotr Sadownik are advising KGHM Polska Miedź on matters pertaining to a project to expand the headquarters of the Żelazny Most Mining Waste Disposal Facility. Paweł Grześkowiak represented Leonardo Group in negotiations with the Armament Inspectorate of the Ministry of National Defence concerning a contract to supply four M-346 jet training aircraft.

Leading individuals

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Real estate

Real estate - ranked: tier 2

Gide Loyrette Nouel

Real estate is a core practice at Gide Loyrette Nouel, which advises on transactions across the commercial, office, hospitality, residential, elderly care and logistics sectors. Błażej Czwarnok (who 'understands clients' needs perfectly') advised Yareal on the acquisition of the Soho Factory area in Warsaw from Soho Developments. Practice head Marcin Muszel advised Griffin Real Estate on the sale of property in central Warsaw to Dom Development. Tomasz Roszczyc is another contact of note.

Next Generation Partners

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Restructuring and insolvency

Restructuring and insolvency - ranked: tier 3

Gide Loyrette Nouel

Gide Loyrette Nouel handles bankruptcy proceedings and restructuring operations for companies with domestic and cross-border operations. Practice head Piotr Sadownik is advising the Polish road administration authority on a risk assessment relating to the potential impacts of a request to open bankruptcy proceedings by Portuguese company MSF Engenharia.

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Tax

Tax - ranked: tier 4

Gide Loyrette Nouel

Highlights for Gide Loyrette Nouel's Dariusz Tokarczuk included advising Lactalis Polska on the tax-efficient rearrangement of suppliers' schemes in relation to the limitations on the tax deductibility of royalties and intangible services. Ewa Żbikowska is another tax adviser of note.

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