Firm Profile > Bird & Bird Szepietowski i wspólnicy sp. k. > Warsaw, Poland

Data privacy and data protection Tier 1

Clients 'can always rely' on Bird & Bird Szepietowski i wspólnicy sp. k.'s team, which works closely with the firm's offices in London and Dusseldorf on pan-European GDPR issues, also serves as data protection officer and provides representative services. Promoted to partner in 2019, Izabela Kowalczuk-Pakuła leads the team, and is a privacy specialist, with additional expertise in adtech services, cloud computing, AI, insurance and fintech products, as well as designing data protection-compliant recruitment systems.

Intellectual property Tier 1

Bird & Bird Szepietowski i wspólnicy sp. k. fields a full-service IP practice, which handles patent litigation and prosecution issues, brand management work, copyright protection matters, unfair competition cases and commercial IP advice. The group is jointly led by Marta Koremba, who assists with brand management matters, and life sciences and retail work; media, entertainment, sport, technology and communications IP expert Piotr Dynowski; and new technology, internet and advertising specialist Paweł Lipski who joined from Eversheds Sutherland Wierzbowski in 2019. Senior associate Mateusz Dubek is also recommended as an expert in contentious trade mark and design protection issues, with further experience in unfair competition claims.

TMT Tier 1

In 2019, Bird & Bird Szepietowski i wspólnicy sp. k. benefited from the arrival of IT and technology experts Tomasz Zalewski and Paweł Lipski from Eversheds Sutherland Wierzbowski, who now jointly lead the team alongside regulatory expert Piotr Dynowski. The practice, which handles regulatory, corporate, advertising, IP and competition law work, has developed particular expertise in the fintech sector. It also has strong coverage of issues related to gambling, cloud computing, IT projects and blockchain technology, as well as more traditional media and telecoms work.

Banking and finance Tier 3

Bird & Bird Szepietowski i wspólnicy sp. k. stands out for its ability to provide banking regulatory advice to a variety of banks, insurance companies, lending companies, investment funds and brokerage houses. The group has drawn on the wider firm's expertise in technology to carve out a niche in fintech, and regularly advices on new services and products in the area, in addition to assisting more traditional financial institutions with IT outsourcing implementation. The group also has substantial experience representing financial institutions in proceedings initiated by the Polish Financial Supervision Authority. Managing partner of the Warsaw office Sławomir Szepietowski leads the department and regularly handles financing transactions, as well as coordinating the team's regulatory work. The team was joined by of counsel Aleksandra Widziewicz and senior associate Olga Koszewska from G-Rock and act BSWW respectively.

Dispute resolution Tier 3

Bird & Bird Szepietowski i wspólnicy sp. k.'s dispute resolution team is instructed by the Polish state in a number of bilateral investment arbitrations. Other areas of expertise include representing corporates operating in Poland before the regulators, as well as handling the spectrum of corporate and commercial litigation. Adam Kowalczyk, who joined in September 2018 after serving as department head at PwC Legal Pawlowski Zelaznicki Sp. K and specialises in contentious commercial and regulatory issues, jointly leads the team with arbitration expert Bartłomiej Niewczas.

Public procurement Tier 3

The public procurement group at Bird & Bird Szepietowski i wspólnicy sp. k. was established in 2019 by the arrival of Tomasz Zalewski and Julita Hoffmann  from Eversheds Sutherland Wierzbowski and Magdalena Zabłocka-Foulkes from Domanski Zakrzewski Palinka. Zalewski, who heads up the department, is an expert in government contracting, with experience advising contractors and contracting parties on infrastructure and IT projects. Hoffmann is noted for handling disputes before the National Appeal Chamber, as well as supporting beneficiaries of EU grants in financial adjustments arising from the violation of procurement procedures. Zabłocka-Foulkes is an expert in PPP transactions.

Commercial, corporate and M&A Tier 4

Bird & Bird Szepietowski i wspólnicy sp. k.'s team expanded significantly in 2019, making a number of hires at associate level, as well as taking on Paweł Bajno, who jointly heads the practice alongside Rafał Dziedzic, from Norton Rose Fulbright. The group has an exceptional reputation for instructions in the TMT sector, although it also acts for numerous clients in the energy, healthcare and fashion industries. The group has ample experience in M&A and joint venture transactions, for which it is able to draw on firm-wide IT, TMT and intellectual property expertise. Other areas where the firm stands out are private equity, venture capital and research and development projects.

Employment Tier 4