What are the key projects that you have been involved in over the past twelve months?

The last twelve months have been very intensive and diverse from the perspective of interesting projects requiring legal support within my organisation. These included projects aimed at implementing regulatory requirements, in particular those arising from the AI Act, ESG-related requirements and standards, as well as the Polish accessibility legislation implementing the requirements of Directive (EU) 2019/882 on the accessibility requirements for products and services (the European Accessibility Act).

In addition, I participated in a number of sector-wide initiatives, including within the Polish Bank Association, related to the new draft Consumer Credit Act implementing Directive (EU) 2023/2225 on credit agreements for consumers (repealing Directive 2008/48/EC), as well as to the development of new standards for handling unauthorised transactions in line with supervisory authorities’ expectations as regards proper consumer protection against fraudulent activities.

A significant part of my involvement over the last twelve months also comprised transactional (M&A) projects involving my bank or entities within the Nest Bank group, as well as projects supporting the further development of the Bank’s innovative services, including AI-based solutions, such as an innovative virtual customer assistant called N! Asystent, supporting customers in mobile banking.

As the Nest Bank group and its companies underwent dynamic growth over the past year, an important element of my engagement was supporting that growth, while also strengthening the effectiveness of owner supervision within the group, for which I am also responsible.

Since not only strictly legal projects are important from the perspective of my organisation’s objectives, I also sought to engage in other initiatives. For example, I became one of the ESG ambassadors in my organisation, and together with my team I took part in the charitable ‘Poland Business Run’ race.

What are the key trends that in-house counsel should be monitoring in 2026?

In 2026, I see four key trends that in-house counsel should monitor. First, the expansion of AI across internal processes and customer-facing services requires strong legal support to keep products and workflows compliant – especially with the EU AI Act – and, in parallel, the smart use of AI within the legal function itself to improve efficiency.

Second, resilience is becoming a core legal and governance priority amid geopolitical risk, hybrid warfare and escalating cyberattacks on critical infrastructure. With DORA now applicable, the focus shifts to supervisory scrutiny of real preparedness and evidence. This translates into tighter expectations for operational resilience and ICT risk management: incident readiness and reporting, vendor and cloud concentration risk, crisis communications, business continuity and clear board accountability — so requirements are embedded in contracts and procedures, not treated as “IT-only”.

Third, consumer protection duties keep expanding, increasing litigation risk. This is visible in accessibility requirements, the new Consumer Credit Directive and advanced payments reforms (PSR/PSD3), as well as the growing wave of “free credit sanction” claims in Poland and heightened expectations for handling unauthorised transactions.

Fourth, ESG is becoming structurally embedded: lawyers must connect overlapping rules, support business units in implementation, and ensure governance meets “G” expectations (oversight, accountability, controls and transparency).

AI is increasingly being integrated into legal teams to maximise efficiency. How can in-house counsel ensure the successful incorporation of these tools without compromising the human element?

I believe AI can improve a legal team’s efficiency without losing the human element — so long as lawyers remain accountable. Humans must stay in charge at key points in the legal-support process: define clear “human-in-the-loop” decision points (legal judgement, risk appetite, negotiation strategy, signing opinions, and litigation coordination) and use AI mainly for drafting, summarisation, issue spotting, and document review — never as the final authority.

In my organisation, employees – including lawyers – have access to advanced AI tools, but they are meant to augment work, not replace it or shift accountability.

The goal is to remove repetitive tasks and reinvest time in uniquely professional legal advisor’s work: understanding the organisation’s interests, a nuanced legal and regulatory risk assessment, coaching business teams, negotiation, and ethical judgement.

How can general counsel foster a corporate culture that supports ESG principles and compliance across all levels of the organisation?

General counsel can foster an ESG-supportive culture by making ESG not just another side project to be managed, but a real part of how the organisation operates and how its corporate governance structures function. The key step is translating ESG principles into clear internal rules, decision criteria and accountability, so executives and managers understand how those principles apply in day-to-day processes such as lending, procurement, HR, product design and customer communications.

GC should also help build governance aligned with “G” expectations (oversight, accountability, controls and transparency). In particular, ensure clear ownership at board and senior-management level, establishment of escalation paths, alignment of policies and incentives, and maintenance of consistent documentation and controls—covering areas such as tone from the top, conflicts of interest, third-party risk management, whistleblowing and integrity.

Third, GC should lead by example in how the legal function operates – actively considering the legitimate interests of all stakeholder groups, promoting inclusiveness, and maintaining transparency in decision-making and communication. This “lived” approach makes ESG credible and helps it extend beyond formal policies.

The above approach should help make ESG become a shared standard across all levels of the organisation, not just a reporting exercise.