Sołtysiński Kawecki & Szlęzak

Managing Partner: Dr. Marcin Olechowski

Number of partners: 33

Number of lawyers: 180+

Languages: English, French, German, Polish, Ukrainian

Sołtysiński Kawecki & Szlęzak, an independent Polish law firm, offers legal services to businesses from Poland and abroad. The firm advises clients on all the legal aspects of their local and international operations and represent them in litigation. SK&S was founded in 1991. Over the years it has won one of the leading positions in the market for legal services. The firm has expertise in all areas of the law that are relevant to business.

SK&S is a team of over 180 lawyers. For many years now, the firm and its lawyers have been ranked highest in Poland (Rzeczpospolita, Forbes, Dziennik Gazeta Prawna), but also by international law journals such as Chambers & Partners, The Legal 500, IFLR1000. The firm is recognised as a leader in the Polish legal services market in the areas of commercial law, mergers and acquisitions, litigation and arbitration, banking and finance, antitrust law, intellectual property, capital markets, tax law and labour law, among others.

• Company Law, Mergers & Acquisitions
• Bankruptcy & Restructuring
• Litigation & Arbitration
• Personal Data
• IT & New Technologies
• E-Commerce
• Real Estate & Construction
• Environmental Protection
• Securities & Capital Markets
• Banking & Finance
• International Arbitration
• Tax
• White Collar Crime
• Media & Telecommunication
• Competition Law
• State Aid
• Public Procurement
• Energy Law
• Infrastructure
• Labour Law
• Life Sciences
• Private Clients
• Private Equity
• Motor Industry
• Intellectual Property

SK&S has a wealth of experience working for international clients thanks to our close cooperation with numerous renowned law firms. With its foreign colleagues, it can ensure legal assistance on complex multi-jurisdictional transactions and guarantee professional legal assistance in each of them.

The firm is able to work on complex cross-border transactions as its close cooperation with many of the most renowned law firms in the world means it can ensure that the services of specialists from all the relevant jurisdictions are available when they are needed. SK&S prides itself on having advised many international clients.

SK&S corporate and M&A practice covers the full range of legal disciplines, closely working with and integrating lawyers from the firm’s other practice areas including tax, competition, labour law.

SK&S corporate and M&A practice act on a variety of corporate and M&A assignments from simple intragroup reorganisations to complex cross-border M&A nd sophisticated corporate issues requiring expert insight.

Contact: Robert Gawałkiewicz

Email: [email protected]

Key Clients: The Iliad Group, Arcelor Mittal, International Paper Company, The FCA Group, The PSA Group, Mazda Motor Logistics Europe NV, Ciech S.A., The Olszewski Family – El-cab Sp. z o.o., The Bunge Group, The Eurocash Group, Onelog Invest (Lux) S.A.R.L. (a subsidiary of AXA), Goldman Sachs Int., The Ikea Industry Group, Nesperta.

SK&S is known as the leader of domestic litigation. With one of the largest dispute resolution departments in Poland, SK&S is known on the market for having an unparalleled capacity to handle large-scale complex disputes in any sector. SK&S is also consistently recognized as the go-to firm for particularly complex matters and is often called on to act in precedent-setting disputes. Therefore our lawyers’ Supreme Court practice has led to numerous important precedents decisive for legal practice. SK&S is also recommended for challenging, recognising, and enforcing arbitral awards, as well as recognising and enforcing foreign courts’ judgments. SK&S is known for having represented clients before domestic and international arbitration tribunals and European courts in numerous high-stake cases under Polish and most international rules, whether seated in Poland or abroad. The team is also well-versed in international public and investment law and has extensive experience in handling investment treaty disputes. We have an extensive track record of successfully settled cases.

Contact: Rafał Waszkiewicz

Email: [email protected]

Key Clients: Strabag Wasserbau, ERGO Versicherung AG, Retail Robotics, Nokia, Comarch S.A., Mostostal Warszawa S.A. / Acciona Construccion S.A., WeBuild/Salini Polska sp. z o.o., Credit Agricole Italia, Budimex S.A., Bank Millennium S.A., Jaguar Range Rover Limited, Strabag Polska, MasterCard Europe S.A.

SK&S banking and finance practice covers financial regulatory, transactional and restructuring work. Financing expertise includes: acquisition and leveraged financing, derivatives of various types and forms; leasing and asset finance; loan finance of all kinds, project finance in various sectors, securitisations; structured products.

The firm has one of the few dedicated financial regulatory practices in Poland, dealing on a regular basis with complex financial regulatory issues, new products, cross-border activity and acquisitions of qualifying holding, including negotiations an disputes with the Polish financial services regulator.

Contact: Marcin Olechowski

Email: [email protected]

Key Clients: PKO Bank Polski S.A., FM Bank PBP S.A., Azora Europa, Fiat Bank Polska S.A., ING Bank Śląski S.A., Carlo Tassara SpA, MasterCard Europe, Taiga Inversiones Eólicas, S.A., S.C.R. de régimen común, SGB-Bank S.A., RBS, Volkswagen Bank Polska S.A., Blue City, Blue Office and Blue Parking, Santander UK Plc.

SK&S competition practice is a market leader involved in landmark cases, including some of the largest merger clearances, and groundbreaking antitrust proceedings (such as securing the first ever commitment decision in Poland in a price fixing matter). The firm advises on anti-trust controls and provide practical training on the application of competition law. The firm has conducted cases concerning ‘exclusivity rights’ on the media market, exemptions from penalties for failure to give notice of intention to concentrate and a ‘policy of leniency’ towards cartels.

The firm provides comprehensive advice to Polish and foreign clients on all aspects of Polish and European community antimonopoly law and represents them in proceedings before the PCA and civil courts.

Contact: Krzysztof Kanton

Email: [email protected]

Key Clients: Royal Canin Polska; The Swatch Group (Polska); Kronopol; Eurocash; Jeronimo Martins Polska; BSH Group; Unibail Rodamco; Grohe; Górażdże Cement; Nike.

The IP team specialises in industrial property, advertising law, unfair competition and domain name disputes, patent law, trade mark law, industrial designs law, pharmaceutical law, advertising law, unfair competition, private international and European law, drafting and negotiating licensing agreements, delimitation agreements, joint research agreements and intellectual property right assignment agreements, conducting IP due diligence, advice on marketing strategies and advertising campaigns.

The firm has also extensive experience in litigation involving all IP rights, including patents, trademarks, designs, database rights, unfair competition acts and unfair advertising practices.

Contact: Szymon Gogulski

Email: [email protected]

Key Clients: Eurocash, Podlaska Wytwórnia Wódek Polmos SA, Etos S.A., mBank, Velvet Care Sp. z o.o., Bakoma S.A., Nesperta Sp. z o.o., Inter Cars SA, PCC Rokita / PCC Exol, PPG Polska, Spyke Technology Sp. z o.o., Browar Fortuna Sp. z o.o., Rolex SA, Eurotel Sp. z o.o., Retail Robotics, Authentic Brands Group.