Allen & Overy, A. Pedzich sp. k.‘s large and specialised team advises banks, financial institutions, and leading local and international companies. At senior level, managing partner Arkadiusz Pędzich is noted for his real estate and project finance expertise; Tomasz Kawczyński brings his experience as head of the projects, energy, natural resources and infrastructure practice to the group; Piotr Lesiński handles the gamut of capital markets transactions; Dan Cocker leads the CEE and SEE English law banking and projects offering; and Anna Mądra‘s broad workload spans matters ranging from acquisiton financings to general lending.

Clifford Chance‘s 27-strong team is instructed by a notable roster of clients, including many of the country’s leading banks and financial institutions. The group is helmed by Grzegorz Namiotkiewicz and Andrzej Stosio; the former’s expertise spans banking and securities law, while the latter focuses particularly on capital markets issues, from both a transactional and regulatory perspective. Miłosz Gołąb is another key senior contact, and is highly regarded for his experience advising on the financing and refinancing of various investment projects.

With transactional specialist Michał Meżykowski at its helm, the team at CMS Cameron McKenna Nabarro Olswang Posniak i Bejm sp.k. expertly advises on a large and complex roster of debt, project, real estate and export financings. Since autumn 2021, when the group was joined by Rafał Zakrzewski and senior associate Przemysław Karolak, the firm has seen a significant increase in instructions relating to cross-border work governed by English law. Away from transactional strength, Jakub Podkowa is noted for preparing and negotiating credit documentation.

Under the leadership of Mateusz Toczyski – who also co-heads the firm’s global banking and finance practice – Dentons continues to have a stellar reputation for complex transactional work, particularly CEE cross-border portfolio, and real estate and renewable energy sources projects financings. 2022 marked a period of significant team consolidation; January, February and June saw the arrival of a trio of counsels – Patrycja Polasz joined from Wardynski & Partners, Jakub Zienkiewicz from DLA Piper Giziński Kycia sp., and Paweł Długoborski from Baker McKenzie Krzyzowski i Wspólnicy Sp.k.. April of the same year saw the promotion of noted practitioner Tomasz Zwoliński to partner. Other key names within the group include Mark Segall, who focuses on cross-border syndicated lending, and Bartosz Nojek, who typically advises on corporate financings provided by syndicates of banks.

Corporate, real estate and project finance specialist Marta Domino helms the practice at Linklaters, and guides the team through a vast array of transactional and regulatory mandates in the banking and finance space. The group fields a number of English-law qualified practitioners – Adrian Horne is one such name – as well as the usual roster of Polish law experts. Jarosław Miller is one of the firm’s pre-eminent specialists, and continues to be active across the investment banking law, capital markets transactions and project finance spheres.

At Norton Rose Fulbright, transactional mandates make up the bulk of the workload; the team shows particular strength and sector knowledge in the financing of energy, transport and infrastructure projects. Practice head Grzegorz Dyczkowski‘s expertise – which spans secured and unsecured lending and borrowing, debt instruments, asset finance, and derivative transactions – further serves to exemplify the group’s prowess in this space. The firm fields a strong bench of supporting practitioners, including recently promoted partner Tomasz Rogalski and recognised senior associate Joanna Braciszewska-Szarapa.

Spring and summer of 2022 signalled a period of significant team growth for Baker McKenzie Krzyzowski i Wspólnicy Sp.k.; Marcin Iwaniszyn arrived to head up the practice from his former position at Rymarz Zdort, bringing with him a considerable number of senior and junior associates. Under Iwaniszyn’s leadership, the team has continued to expand its capabilities across the gamut of banking and finance work, handling transactional mandates – including project, acquisition, real estate, corporate and trade finance – as well as regulatory and securitisation issues, and restructurings. Counsel Jerzy Bombczyński joined the firm in December 2022 from a position with the Polish Development Fund; he focuses on financial services regulatory and investment funds.

At Bird & Bird Szepietowski i wspólnicy sp. k., the banking and finance offering is split into two distinct sub-groups; Sławomir Szepietowski heads up the financial regulatory and fintech side, with able assistance from a bench of practitioners including recommended counsel Marta Stanisławska, while Maciej Georg oversees the transactional practice. The depth and reach thus offered ensures that a roster of international and local lenders, borrowers, investment funds, and brokerage houses instruct the team. Additionally, the firm is able to combine its financial sector knowledge with litigation expertise to provide clients with support in all proceedings before state and arbitration courts.

DLA Piper Giziński Kycia sp.‘s highly regarded team is particularly focused on a number of core areas – namely, real estate, project and export financing transactions, securitisations, and restructurings. Mariusz Hyla oversees a group which offers strength and expertise at all levels, from seasoned practitioner Bartłomiej Palusiak to recommended counsels Artur Sobol, Pawel Turek and Katarzyna Wacławek. The firm is frequently called upon by its longstanding clients – including the leading Polish lenders, borrowers, bond issuers, funds and mezzanine providers – to assist with regulatory issues, including the standardisation of internal documentation, and the structuring of banking products.

Domanski Zakrzewski Palinka‘s banking and finance offering sits within the firm’s broader capital markets and financial institutions practice, and is therefore well placed to advise on the gamut of regulatory issues, cross-border transactions, and M&A deals in the sector. With its balanced lender and borrower base, the group counts banks and their subsidiaries, financial holdings, brokers, investment funds, and many other unregulated entities amongst its regular clients. Magdalena Skowronska heads up the team, with support from experienced partner Rafał Grochowski and senior associate Tomasz Kalicki. In November 2021, counsel Paweł Rudolf joined the office from an in-house position at the KNF.

Acting as part of an international network in close co-operation with the firm’s Paris, London and New York offices, the Warsaw branch of Gide Loyrette Nouel advises on various kinds of financing transactions, both those conducted locally in Poland and at a cross-border level. Paweł Grześkowiak, who acts as the practice head, is known for his capabilities in secured and structured financing operations, and private equity and M&A deals. At associate level, Mateusz Gronau is noted.

Reorganisations, transformations and other corporate law issues affecting the banking and financial sectors form the cornerstone of Greenberg Traurig Nowakowska-Zimoch Wysokiński Sp. k‘s practice. The team is also well regarded for its fintech focus, and ability to interpret the complex EU regulatory environment surrounding e-payment services, with an emphasis on handling digital data protection as well as GDPR issues. Practice head Andrzej Wysokinski brings contentious as well as transactional expertise to his role, particulary in the international arbitration space. Paulina Kimla-Kaczorowska is a key source of local knowledge.

Under the expert guidance of Marcin Olechowski, Soltysinski Kawecki & Szlezak maintains its dedication to handling the full range of regulatory issues which may affect clients operating in the financial services sector, and has latterly been particularly busy in the fintech and e-payments space. On the transactional side, work typically centres around project financings, group reorganisations, and acquisitions. The firm has established itself as a go-to local advisor for multi-jurisdictional deals, and is regularly called upon to assist with the Polish law aspects of challenging cross-border matters.

Deloitte Legal, Ostrowski, Gizicki i Wspólnicy sp.k. is best known for handling complex multi-disciplinary regulatory projects for financial institutions, as well as for assisting with both inbound and outbound expansion projects. Team lead Tomasz Ostrowski counts local and international banks and borrowers, along with investment, venture capital and private equity funds, among his regular clients. The group also fields English-qualified practitioner, Nicholas Coddington, whose areas of expertise include project, real estate and corporate financing.

The team at Hogan Lovells (Warszawa) LLP predominantly advises on lending transactions, although the firm does also have a robust borrower client base; the group handles the gamut, from straightforward bilateral facilities to complex syndicated financings, with a particular focus on real estate financings. Experienced partner Piotr Zawiślak remains very active within the group.

With a keen focus on borrower-side transactions, Rymarz Zdort Maruta continues to excel in acquisition, corporate and property financings. The team has also recently developed its project financing capabilities, and has consequently been seeing increased work in the renewables space. Following his promotion to partner in April 2022, Jakub Rachwol now co-heads the team alongside Zofia Frydrychowicz. That same month also saw the arrival of counsel Adam Puchalski and senior associate Łukasz Karasek from in-house positions at Bank Pekao.

SSW Pragmatic Solutions primarly advises leading Polish banks on a wide range of loan facility transactions, with a special focus on the energy sector, and assists leading companies from the gamut of sectors with the acquisition of financing from a variety of institutions. Practice head Wojciech Szczepaniak‘s global client base is illustrative of the team’s cross-border expertise. The group has a particularly strong bench at counsel level, including established practitioner Tomasz Kwaśniewski, and new arrival Magdalena Kalińska, who joined from White & Case M. Studniarek i Wspólnicy - Kancelaria Prawna sp.k. in March 2022.

Wardynski & Partners‘ team focuses largely on structured finance transactions, including in the cross-border context, and complex debt restructuring deals. The group is also increasingly involved with the direct lending segment of the finance market. The key names at leadership level are Łukasz Szegda, who is a regular adviser to Polish banks, borrowers and consumer finance companies; securitisation specialist Daniel Smarduch; and fintech expert Krzysztof Wojdyło.

WKB Wiercinski, Kwiecinski, Baehr‘s broad workload ranges from advising on multi-jurisdictional restructurings, to large-scale energy and real estate financings, to novel structures in the payments and consumer finance sector. In terms of specialisms, securitisation, non-performing loans and bonds are the key areas of strength. Marcin Smolarek oversees the team, with support from counsel Michał Kalicki and managing associate Augustyn Wróbel.

Wolf Theiss stands out for its proven track record assisting with real estate financings; practitioners, ranging from team lead Przemek Kozdój to senior associate Michał Kulig, have advised all major Polish, German and Austrian banks operating in the local market, as well as a diverse group of international investors on the borrowers’ side. Other areas of strength include banking regulatory mandates and, increasingly, project finance in the renewable sphere. The arrival of counsel Adrian Krzyżanowski from the European Investment Bank in March 2022 served to strengthen the group’s in-house expertise.

Providing regulatory assistance to key fintech players operating on the Polish market is the core specialism at DLK Legal Korus sp.k.; the firm’s proficiency in this area is illustrated by the frequency with which it is instructed to represent clients from the e-payment industry in licensing procedures before the KNF. Practice head and founding partner Krzysztof Korus regularly participates in European and Polish working groups on novel technologies in the financial sector.

Under the guidance of Aleksandra Bańkowska , PwC Legal Zelaznicki sp.k. stands out as a go-to regulatory expert, particularly in the implementation of EU law as it relates to the banking sector; the team is regularly called upon by leading Polish banks and international financial institutions to assist with issues relating to ESG and AML regulations. In addition, the group frequently advises on the planning phase and go-live process for reaching settlements with clients holding foreign currency loans.

Project finance, structured finance and acquisition finance transactions make up the cornerstone of the practice at Schoenherr Halwa sp.k.; practice head Paweł Halwa is noted for his expertise in such matters, as well as securities and restructurings. Other services provided by the team include structuring cross-border transactions, and conducting sales and purchases for loan receivables. Counsel Marcin Antczak is another key member of the group.

In September 2021, a change in leadership saw Małgorzata Olech taking the helm at Squire Patton Boggs Krześniak sp.k.; as well as a broad knowledge of banking and finance-related issues, she brings a particular expertise in real estate transactions to her role. The team primarily specialises in local mandates, often advising on the domestic side of internationally-financed business operations in which a Polish subsidiary is involved. Despite its tradition lender-side focus, the firm is seeing a concerted increase in instructions from borrowers.

In the period between December 2021 and February 2022, Taylor Wessing Poland acquired a 10-practitioner strong team from Deloitte Legal, Ostrowski, Gizicki i Wspólnicy sp.k., significantly boosting its banking and finance capabilities in terms of both strength and depth. The arrivals included widely recognised partners Zbigniew Korba and Łukasz Szymański – the former of whom now heads up the practice – as well as experienced counsels and senior associates. The firm is now equally well equipped to provide both transactional and regulatory support to key industry players.

At White & Case M. Studniarek i Wspólnicy - Kancelaria Prawna sp.k., practice head Grzegorz Abram‘s varied workload – which spans syndicated loans, multi-layered lending, financing for the acquisition of listed and private companies, and general regulatory advice – is indicative of the group’s breadth of expertise. The firm is regularly called upon to assist international financial institutions with the establishment of branches and representative offices in Poland.

Czabanski Galuszynski & Partners offers banks and borrowers comprehensive advice on domestic and cross-border financing, including real estate investments, acquisitions, and projects. The firm is also experienced in the fintech field, and is well placed to assist with issues relating to mobile payments, bitcoin, blockchain, crowdfunding and licenses. Jacek Czabański and Piotr Gałuszyński are the two key contacts.

DWF Poland Jamka Sp.k splits its focus equally between transactional and regulatory work; the team offers banks, investment funds, asset management companies, financial institutions, borrowers, local authorities and investors domestic and cross-border expertise. Newly promoted partner Tomasz Kaczmarek acts as co-chair of the firm’s European banking and finance practice, as well as heading up the Polish branch of the offering.

Konrad Stolarski and Zbigniew Długosz jointly preside over the team at FinTaxLegal; the former has many years of experience representing clients before administrative and financial supervisory authorities both in Poland and abroad, while the latter operates best at the intersection of the banking, insurance and payment service fields. Fintech and emerging technologies are an area of focus for all practitioners at the firm.

Kochanski & Partners primarily operates at the instersection between banking law and technology; in recent highlights, the team has been instructed by a leading local bank to assist with building its presence in the global metaverse, and is also involved with development of the Polish standard for cloud computing implementation in banks. The group is also noted for its litigious strength, with Andrzej Pałys and Weronika Magdziak-Śliwa standing out for their contentious expertise. David Thomas has now left the firm.

Offering equal expertise as far as both borrower and lender-side transactions are concerned, Penteris specialises in advising on property, project, acquisition and asset financings. Practice head Katarzyna Sawa-Rybaczek brings together extensive knowledge of both banking and real estate law. For regulatory work, senior associate Małgorzata Motyl – who bring over 10 years’ in-house experience acting as a complaince officer in leading financial institutions to the team – is a key contact.

Latterly, Radzikowski, Szubielska i Wspólnicy sp.k. has been most active in the real estate financing space; the firm’s client roster includes major Polish banks, as well as notable local and foreign developers, prevalent in the residential and retail construction markets. Refinancing is another area of strenght. Martyna Kamińska-Tabaka, Agnieszka Piasecka and Zbigniew Skórczyński are the key senior names to note.

Traple Konarski Podrecki & Partners is focused on several core areas, namely, assisting the full range of payment services providers with innovative fintech structures; advising key banking players on contractual issues; providing regulatory support in proceedings before supervision authorities; and advising government bodies on policy changes. Practice head Jan Byrski is particularly well regarded for his expertise in the first of these areas.

act BSWW legal & tax focuses on three core groups of clients: those operating in the real estate sector; those engaged in M&A transactions across all industries; and those implementing industrial and commercial projects, particularly in the automotive and photovoltaic fields. Managing partners Michał Wielhorski and Jacek Bieniak lead on the key matters.

At Andersen in Poland, contentious work in the banking and finance sector is a particular strength; recently, the group has acted in a large number of Swiss franc and foreign exchange derivative disputes. Another highlight involves assisting Portuguese banks with the acquisition financing for a complex cross-border M&A transaction. Team lead Mariusz Aleksandrowicz brings significant regulatory and tax expertise to his role.

B2R Law Jankowski Stroinski Zieba fields a team of corporate and banking experts, with extensive experience advising on cross-border M&A and financing deals, including secured and unsecured investment grade, leveraged, emerging market and debt transactions. Deals with a real estate element are a particular area of strength. George Havaris jointly heads up the practice with newly-promoted partner Filip Badziak.

Under the joint leadership of Katarzyna Domańska-Mołdawa and Jörn Brockhuis, the team at BSJP bnt Brockhuis Jurczak Prusak Sroka Nilsson Zamorska Sp.k. specialises in acquisition, asset and project finance; debt refinancing; and financial restructuring of companies. The group is widely known for its German financial law expertise, and is consequently seen as an advisor of choice for banking clients with some ctonnection to that jurisdiction.

In addition to assisting both lenders and borrowers on transactional issues, Dubiński Jeleński Masiarz i Wspólnicy regularly advises banks and financial institutions on capital acquisition for financings or investments. Name partners Kazimierz Jeleński and Jarosław Dubiński are the key senior contacts; the former has a particular focus on oil and gas extraction projects.