Next Generation Partners

Firms To Watch: Private client

The private client team at Panasiuk & Partners sp.k. is led by name partner Anna Maria Panasiuk and has a strong focus on assisting clients with succession planning and asset protection, as well as providing support regarding tax-related issues.

Private client in Poland

CRIDO

CRIDO‘s team handles private client matters for owners and managers of large corporations. The scope of the practice includes succession planning and securing assets on both a domestic and cross-border level, and the group also undertakes tax-related issues for high-net-worth individuals. Corporate lawyer Mateusz Baran leads the team and advises clients on restructurings and transactions. Counsel Katarzyna Żółcińska is skilled in dealing with cross-border business structures, and senior associates Marzena Lau and Michał Klimowicz are also of note.

Practice head(s):

Mateusz Baran

Other key lawyers:

Katarzyna Żółcińska; Michał Klimowicz; Marzena Lau

Domanski Zakrzewski Palinka

Domanski Zakrzewski Palinka’s private client team has a broad-ranging client base, including entrepreneurs, families, family businesses, private organisations and family trust funds. The practice’s offering extends across areas ranging from day-to-day legal and tax advice and succession planning, to restructuring projects and corporate mandates. Leadership of the team is split between Poznań-based duo Piotr Andrzejczak and Jakub Wieszczeczyński, and Joanna Wierzejska and Marek Swiatkowski, both in Warsaw. Damian Szczygielski was promoted to partner in July 2022 and counsel Grzegorz Sprawka is also of note.

Practice head(s):

Piotr Andrzejczak; Joanna Wierzejska; Marek Świątkowski; Jakub Wieszczeczyński

Other key lawyers:

Grzegorz Sprawka; Damian Szczygielski

Testimonials

‘The team’s strengths include a high level of professionalism, a good individual approach, and flexibility and complexity of teams and senior lawyers.’

GWW

GWW‘s private client department is praised for its ‘strong focus on HNWI-related tax issues’; it is also highly adept at advising Polish business founders and domestic family-owned enterprises on a range of mandates, including establishment of asset protection structures and succession planning. The practice also extends to cross-border matters. Tax advisor Aldona Leszczyńska-Mikulska leads the team and assists clients on family, inheritance and immigration matters. Tomasz Krzywański was promoted to partner in early 2022 and is skilled in structuring estates, in particular by using private foundations. Senior associate Tomasz Piejak is also a key team member, praised as ‘thorough and good technically'.

Practice head(s):

Aldona Leszczyńska-Mikulska

Other key lawyers:

Tomasz Krzywański; Tomasz Piejak

Testimonials

‘GWW’s legal team has great knowledge of the law and the necessary professionalism to be compared with any international law firm.’

‘It is one of the few private client focused practices in Poland with a strong focus on HNWI-related tax issues as well as other succession law issues. They have cross-border experience as well.’

‘The team has great competence and an international mindset.’

Work highlights

  • Advised a family involved with a key player in the field of recycling and mining of rare metals on a potential exit from an investment fund in Luxembourg, by way of de-merging one cell from the rest of the fund.
  • Advising a private client following the sale of the majority of the client’s share in a production business.
  • Advised a private client who owns a luxury lifestyle management business in Poland, Germany, and Hungary, as well as medical clinics in Poland, Italy, and the United Arab Emirates, on asset restructuring.

PATH Law LLP

Boutique firm PATH Law LLP has a ‘great team of professionals’ and is praised for its ‘incredible roster of important Polish HNWIs’ who have international and domestic assets. The group assists these clients with complex investments, asset protection and structuring mandates, tax projects, and succession planning. The team is jointly led by ‘truly exceptional’ co-founder Tomasz Hatylak, co-founder and private wealth law specialist Piotr Augustyniak, and Dominika Mizielińska, whose practice focuses on commercial, corporate and civil law. Senior associate Kinga Romanovska is also a core team member, specialising in international tax and private wealth law.

Practice head(s):

Piotr Augustyniak; Tomasz Hatylak; Dominika Mizielińska

Other key lawyers:

Kinga Romanovska; Aleksandra Flore; Franciszek Dewille

Testimonials

‘They know the industry and their market better than anybody else.’

‘Top team on both partner and associate level, and all of the members have a strong sense for international matters.’

‘Great team of professionals with an incredible roster of important Polish HNWIs.’

SSW Pragmatic Solutions

SSW Pragmatic Solutions’ private wealth team counts high-net-worth individuals, families, and investors amongst its client base. The group assists them with regulatory matters, safeguarding of assets, and investment growth, and is particularly strong in tax-related mandates, both domestically and internationally. Succession planning, business restructuring, and litigation are also core areas of skill for the practice. Additionally, it has a family office dedicated to assisting clients with cash and data management, fiduciary duties, and accounting services. Tax expert Patrycja Goździowska, the ‘highly respected’ Wojciech Szczepaniak and the ‘excellent’ Tomasz Wickel jointly lead the practice. Legal advisor Paweł Chyb assists private clients with commercial and company mandates as well as transactions, and Beata Krokos is also a notable team member.

Practice head(s):

Wojciech Szczepaniak; Patrycja Goździowska; Tomasz Wickel

Other key lawyers:

Paweł Chyb; Beata Krokos

Testimonials

‘Very responsive, solution-oriented, and pragmatic team with an excellent know-how of the Polish tax environment.’

‘The team is very experienced: strong legal backgrounds, highly professional, and client driven.’

‘SSW Pragmatic Solutions is one of the few practices in Poland offering strong domestic and international family office solutions within tax, corporate law and asset protection planning.’

Key clients

Founders of Custom sp. z o.o.

Value RE

Agregaty Fogo

Senior Partners of Innova Investments LLC

Pictet Wealth Management

Work highlights

  • Advising a Polish citizen who is the sole heir to an inheritance left by a relative in the US, which consists of various types of financial instruments.
  • Assisting a private client with the development of a plan for tax efficient restructuring of a group which is located in different jurisdictions.
  • Advising a private client on changes to their tax residency and adjustment of a cross-border succession plan to comply with the most up-to-date legislation.

Wardynski & Partners

The private client group at Wardynski & Partners has a strong property restitution and tax practice, and it also advises on estate and asset planning, wealth management, and investment planning for high-net-worth individuals and their families. In addition, it is highly adept at business succession planning, as well as handling immigration and citizenship matters. Its family law practice assists clients with domestic and cross-border issues concerning custody disputes, marital property agreements, and international relocation. ‘Knowledgable tax advisor’ Dariusz Wasylkowski and managing partner Stefan Jacyno jointly head up the department. Senior counsel Krzysztof Wiktor is a lawyer of note for real estate-related mandates, while Michał Nowacki leads the tax offering.

Practice head(s):

Stefan Jacyno; Dariusz Wasylkowski

Other key lawyers:

Krzysztof Wiktor; Michał Nowacki; Anna Olejniczak-Michalska; Radosław Wiśniewski; Wojciech Marszałkowski

Testimonials

‘Wardynski makes you feel like you are a truly important client regardless of the matter being small or large. The true innovation here is sticking to the traditional ethos of the legal counsel – putting your client’s interest as your mission.’

‘What truly stands out is that with every matter, big or small, at every step the client’s concerns are of the utmost importance to the legal team.’

‘Stefan Jacyno is intently backing a broader team of experts; in-depth specialist topics can therefore be dealt with.’

Work highlights

  • Assisting a multi-national family with cross-border asset and estate planning in order to secure compliance with local law and favourable tax treatment.
  • Advising an executive operating in the FMCG industry on negotiations with a PE fund concerning an incentive and exit package related to leadership of a large retail chain in the CEE region.
  • Assisted a high-net-worth individual with succession planning, inheritance confirmation, and appointment of testamentary guardians.

Clifford Chance

Clifford Chance’s private client team sits within the firm’s corporate and M&A department, advising high-net-worth individuals in the manufacturing, media, healthcare, retail and telecoms sectors on their private investments, tax issues, and employment mandates. Managing partner Agnieszka Janicka chairs the practice, with support from key names Bartosz Krużewski and Marcin Ciemiński.

Practice head(s):

Agnieszka Janicka

Other key lawyers:

Bartosz Krużewski; Marcin Ciemiński

Deloitte Legal, Ostrowski, Gizicki i Wspólnicy sp.k.

Deloitte Legal, Ostrowski, Gizicki i Wspólnicy sp.k.’s private client practice is particularly strong in assisting family-owned businesses with their succession planning and reorganisations. The team also advises private entrepreneurs on corporate issues, litigation, and M&A transactions. Robert Uhl leads the team from Kraków with strengths in the corporate and commercial arenas, and senior managing associate Łukasz Żuławiński is also an active member of the team.

Practice head(s):

Robert Uhl

Other key lawyers:

Łukasz Żuławiński

Testimonials

‘The legal advice provided by the team is comprehensive. The team helps both in complex substantive issues of law and in coordinating the work of several foreign offices.’

‘The team communicates on an ongoing basis what legal actions are being taken and the client knows that all legal issues will be handled correctly in every jurisdiction where the project is taking place.’

‘The lawyers focus on the business goal, which they identify very well. They help in achieving it without unnecessary legal language and activities.’

Key clients

Adamed Pharma S.A.

ASCO Kraków sp. z o.o.

Dako sp. z o.o.

Firma Bracia Urbanek Jacek i Andrzej Urbanek Spółka Jawna

Instalbud Janosz sp. z o.o.

Marma Polskie Folie sp. z o.o.

Rohlig Suus Logistics S.A.

Sobiesław Zasada Spółka Akcyjna S.K.A.

Splast sp. z o.o.

Work highlights

  • Advised Rohlig SuuS Logistics and the members of the family on the succession planning process.
  • Assisted the owners of a family business with provision of a comprehensive legal and tax overview of the capital group structure, including over 60 entities in Poland.

Kieltyka Gladkowski KG Legal

Kieltyka Gladkowski KG Legal‘s private client team has been increasingly handling cross-border mandates for high-net-worth individuals, including mandates involving the relocation of private financial structures. The team also advises on restitution rights and immigration, as well as international family cases concerning guardianship and international child abduction issues. Other core areas for the practice include wealth management, succession planning, estate administration and tax assistance. The team is led by Jakub Gładkowski and Małgorzata Kiełtyka, who is praised for her ‘outstanding’ knowledge of international law.

Practice head(s):

Jakub Gładkowski; Małgorzata Kiełtyka

Testimonials

‘The team stands out because they are not only highly skilled but also very flexible lawyers. Technology-wise, they are very up to date.’

‘The team is dynamic, efficient, and very easy to work with on cross-border matters.’

‘They wish to truly assist the client in finding a resolution and go out of their way to attempt to resolve legal issues using all their knowledge and resources.’

‘They pay attention to each detail, protect their clients and do their best to solve the case for their clients.’

‘Małgorzata Kiełtyka and Jakub Gładkowski are true partners who are amazing when working as a team, but also brilliant as individual lawyers. They are very professional, have amazing communication skills, and wide-ranging knowledge.’

‘Jakub Gładkowski and Małgorzata Kiełtyka both stand out as result of their substantial legal and commercial knowledge.’

‘Małgorzata Kiełtyka provides all the necessary answers; she is very professional, her knowledge of international law is outstanding, and her explanations are excellent. She has extensive knowledge in her field and prepares very detailed reports.’

‘Jakub Gładkowski delivers results by using his experience and expertise. He is efficient, knowledgable, and a good problem-solver.’

Work highlights

  • Assisted a Swiss-based asset management company with the allocation of part of a crypto fund portfolio to Poland.
  • Advised a wealthy immigrant family on investments into the American market from private funds.
  • Represented a foreign parent in the execution of a judgment of a family court in France under the Council Regulation (EC) No 2201/2003 concerning jurisdiction and the recognition and enforcement of judgments in matrimonial and parental responsibility matters.

RKKW – Kwasnicki, Wrobel & Partners

The private client practice at RKKW – Kwasnicki, Wrobel & Partners handles transactional and advisory work for Polish entrepreneurs and international clients, as well as day-to-day matters. Private wealth, asset management, inheritance and family law are also strong focuses for the department. The team is co-led by founder of the firm and corporate law expert Radosław Kwaśnicki, and ‘energetic’ managing partner Karol Szymański, who specialises in private equity and M&A transactions.

Practice head(s):

Radosław Kwaśnicki; Karol Szymański

Other key lawyers:

Aneta Pankowska; Jaroslaw Szewczyk; Piotr Letolc; Marcin Jasiński; Aleksander Skirpan

Testimonials

‘The RKKW team is young and creative. They are specialists who do not magnify problems or approach them theoretically, but are focused on finding the most effective methods to solve the tasks set for them. They are goal-oriented.’

‘The team has good knowledge, experience, and commitment.’

‘RKKW’s Private Client team is led by the young and energetic Karol Szymański. He is highly communicative and open to new challenges, which he approaches in a non-standard way.’

Key clients

WMA A01 sp. z o.o.

Soltysinski Kawecki & Szlezak

Soltysinski Kawecki & Szlezak is praised for having ‘very deep understanding’, and advises private investors and entrepreneurs on tax issues; planning, family and inheritance law; and business succession mandates. Asset and investment management matters are also areas of strength for the group. Practice head Sławomir Łuczak is an international tax law expert, as is Jarosław Bieroński. Tomasz Kanski advises clients on succession planning matters and associate Karolina Gotfryd is also a lawyer of note.

Practice head(s):

Sławomir Łuczak

Other key lawyers:

Jarosław Bieroński; Tomasz Kanski; Karolina Gotfryd

Testimonials

‘The lawyers have great experience, very deep understanding of all legal issues, and are commercial and practical.’

Wojarska Aleksiejuk & Wspólnicy Kancelaria Adwokatów i Radców Prawnych

Boutique firm Wojarska Aleksiejuk & Wspólnicy Kancelaria Adwokatów i Radców Prawnych specialises in private client work, with three offices situated across Poland. The team has a wide-ranging practice, which includes handling succession planning, tax issues, family law matters, and disputes. ‘Solution-orientated’ Piotr Aleksiejuk leads the group alongside Katarzyna Wojarska-Aleksiejuk. They are supported by tax expert Mateusz Majewski, who also handles restructurings and ownership structure matters.

Practice head(s):

Piotr Aleksiejuk; Katarzyna Wojarska-Aleksiejuk

Other key lawyers:

Mateusz Majewski

Testimonials

‘They have a wide spectrum of operations, provide comprehensive services, and there is no matter of which they could not take care.’

‘The team’s strengths include flexibility, inquisitiveness, patience, and diligence.’

‘Reliability, efficiency, honesty, tact, diligence, forethought, and practicality are what clients value in the team.’

Key clients

Natural Sweet Good

Max Usługa

Dast Express

Hi Tec Andrzej Sieklucki

Motorewolucja

Work highlights

  • Advised Max Usługa on several private law matters, including a real estate property transfer to one of the family businesses, and division of property among family members.
  • Advised Natural Sweet Good on several succession issues.
  • Advised Dast Express on several private law matters connected with the tax reorganisation of the company.

Wozniak Legal

The private client team at Wozniak Legal supports clients with their wealth planning, asset management, inheritance, immigration and restitution of property mandates. Managing partner Grzegorz Woźniak leads the practice, and is supported by a team that includes Filip Kowalczyk, who handles inheritance cases with cross-border elements, and 'outstanding' Grzegorz Dudek, who is strong in restitution claims.

Practice head(s):

Grzegorz Woźniak

Other key lawyers:

Filip Kowalczyk; Grzegorz Dudek

Testimonials

‘The team has great experience in the non-profit sector and in international collaboration. They also provide pragmatic solutions and take the time to understand matters in detail.’

‘The team has outstanding lawyers. Their dealings with clients are always respectful and cordial and the team has always provided the best legal services.’

‘The practice’s strengths lie in the quality of the team and the personal approach.’

Work highlights

  • Defended the Langman family against possession claims made by a Polish family trying to take over a townhouse without the owner’s consent.
  • Advised the Lindblom family on recovery of assets in Poland.