On April 29, 2022, CEE Legal Matters reported that PwC Legal had advised Benefit Systems on its acquisition of 75% of the shares and agreement on the optional acquisition of 25% of shares in Lunching.pl. CEE In-House Matters spoke with Iwona Rykaczewska-Kuderska, Head of Legal at Benefit Systems, to learn more about the acquisition.

Former B2RLaw Senior Associate Piotr Leonarski has been promoted to Counsel and Head of the firm’s Tax practice.

Wiercinski Kwiecinski Baehr has advised Energix on a PLN 288 million financing from the EBRD and mBank for the construction of a 56-megawatt wind farm in Poland. Clifford Chance advised the lenders.

The Polish law firm of Traple Konarski Podrecki is in a position of running and maintaining a network of 15 firms, covering 19 jurisdictions, all working in unison for one of the biggest tech companies the world has ever seen – Google. To gain a deeper understanding of how this network of law firms functions and operates, we reached out to TKP Senior Partner Xawery Konarski and Partner Piotr Wasilewski.

While Polish public entities continue to express an ever-increasing interest in public-private partnerships (PPP) as a method of discharging public tasks, PPP activity has remained disappointingly slow in recent years. As can be seen from the 2009-2021 PPP Market Report by the Ministry of Regional Funds and Policies, just 24 procedures to select a private partner were launched in 2021, with PLN 627 million on the table, resulting in a paltry ten PPP contracts signed, worth PLN 172 million all told.

Partners-You-Trust has advised a consortium of investors led by FF Venture Capital and RKKVC on their investment in ReSpo.Vision. DLA Piper advised the founders of ReSpo.Vision on the seed round.

Wiercinski Kwiecinski Baehr and Wolf Theiss, working with Fredrikson & Byron, have advised Odyssey Investment Partners and its portfolio company PIP Global Holdings on the acquisition of Industrial Starter and its local subsidiaries in Europe. Perez-Llorca and Chiomenti Studio Legale reportedly also advised the buyer. Adacta reportedly advised the seller.

While the deal looked almost impossible at first, with European Commission officials hawkish about its competition implications, PKN Orlen’s acquisition of Grupa Lotos eventually came to pass. For the two Polish energy leviathans the path towards unification was not an easy one, but that goal became a lot nearer following the EC’s 2020 approval. To learn more about the merger and how it managed to beat the odds we spoke to SMM Legal Managing Partner Maciej Mataczynski and Rymarz Zdort Managing Partner Pawel Rymarz.

Entering into force on February 19, 2021, the EU Recovery and Resilience Facility aimed, according to the European Commission, “to mitigate the economic and social impact of the coronavirus pandemic and make European economies and societies more sustainable, resilient, and better prepared for the challenges and opportunities of the green and digital transitions.” CEE Legal Matters spoke with lawyers from Bulgaria, Greece, Hungary, Latvia, Poland, and Romania to learn what each country focused on, with its Recovery and Resilience Plan (RRP), and what difficulties lie ahead, now that these plans have been submitted to the EC.

Wiercinski Kwiecinski Baehr, working with Slaughter and May, has advised Schneider Electric on the disposal of its Eurotherm business unit to the Watlow Electric Manufacturing Company. Reportedly, Sullivan & Cromwell advised Watlow.

Baker McKenzie has advised Argo-Hytos Group owners Christian Kienzle and FSP Capcellence on selling a 79.5% stake in Argo-Hytos to the Voith Group.

Noerr has advised the Aurelius Group on its acquisition of dental distributors Dental Bauer and Pluradent. Binder Groesswang and Homburger reportedly advised Aurelius. Anwaltsgemeinschaft Stuttgart reportedly advised Dental Bauer, with Grub Brugger reportedly advising Pluradent.

On May 25, 2022, CEE Legal Matters reported that Balicki Czekanski Gryglewski Lewczuk had advised Symfonia on its acquisition of a majority stake in HRtec. CEE In-House Matters spoke with Wioletta Kaloska, General Counsel at Symfonia, to learn more about the acquisition.

Wiercinski Kwiecinski Baehr has advised the Avallon MBO Fund on its acquisition of a majority stake in Globema, together with the company's managers. Kondracki Celej advised Globema's shareholders.

Soltysinski Kawecki & Szlezak, working with Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer, has advised Xior Student Housing on the Polish leg of its EUR 939 million acquisition of 5,341 residential units from the Basecamp Group and European Student Housing Funds I and II. Paul Hastings advised Basecamp. Denmark's Moalem Weitemeyer and Sweden's Vinge reportedly advised Xior as well, while Germany's FPS Fritze Wicke Seelig reportedly advised Basecamp.

Clifford Chance has advised a consortium of lenders including DNB Bank, PZU, and Santander Bank Polska on a facilities agreement with DIF Capital Partners-owned SPVs for the construction and operation of a 108-megawatt wind portfolio consisting of four wind farms. Allen & Overy reportedly advised the borrowers.

DLA Piper has advised the Avallon MBO Fund II and the Genesis Private Equity Fund III on their sale of Stangl Technik Holding to Spie Central Europe. Baker McKenzie advised the buyer.

Greenberg Traurig has advised ZE PAK Group company PAK-Polska Czysta Energia on the acquisition of the Great Wind project from Neo Investments company Neo Energy Group. Wiercinski Kwiecinski Baehr advised the seller.