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B2RLaw recommended in IFLR1000 ranking 2023

We are proud to announce that in this year’s edition of IFLR1000 ranking we have been recommended in 3 categories. We are steadily growing year by year!

Ranking by practice:

+ Project development: Infrastructure (Tier 3)

+ M&A (Tier 5)

+ Project development: Power (Notable)

In 2022: M&A (Tier 5), Project development: Infrastructure (Other notable), Project development: Power (Other notable).

Full ranking: https://www.iflr1000.com/Jurisdiction/Poland/Rankings/195#rankings

B2RLaw advised Sprout Social Inc. USD 140M acquisition of Tagger Media Inc.

B2RLaw advised Sprout Social Inc. on its USD 140M acquisition of Tagger Media Inc. and key software developed by Tagger’s Polish IT hub.

Sprout Social is a global leader in social media management and analytics software. Their unified platform puts powerful social data into the hands of more than 34,000 brands so they can make strategic decisions that drive business growth and innovation. With a full suite of social media management solutions, Sprout offers comprehensive publishing and engagement functionality, customer care, connected and automated workflows and AI-powered business intelligence. Its award-winning software operates across all major social media networks and digital platforms.

Sprout’s unified social media management platform enables to extract real business value, strengthen market position and drive revenue quickly. Sprout builds and maintains strong network partnerships and integrations to help unify customer touch points and keep pace with changes in the social landscape.

Tagger Media is a global leader in revolutionizing how top brands and agencies harness data and analytics to drive creator and influencer marketing strategies. Trusted by global enterprises, Tagger is a disruptive SaaS solution that offers unparalleled expertise. Leveraging API partnerships with major social channels, Tagger connects millions of brand and influencer profiles to billions of social data points, offering the industry’s most robust social intelligence and actionable insights. Tagger’s platform provides powerful analytics, all-in-one capabilities, and strategic integrations for efficient campaign workflows.

B2RLaw’s Commercial team has worked alongside US firm Cooley LLC in providing Sprout Social with seamless legal support throughout the acquisition process. The firm’s multidisciplinary team of a dozen lawyers supported Sprout Social in a wide range of sector-specific matters, that included, among other, comprehensive advice on the Polish legal aspects of the transaction, especially in areas such as: IP, employment, corporate, compliance and tax.

The B2RLaw team was led by Partner Roman Iwański (Advocate) and included: Paulina Wyrostek (Counsel, Attorney-at-Law), Malwina Niczke-Chmura (Counsel, Advocate), Aleksander Łożykowski (of Counsel, Attorney-at-Law, Tax Advisor), Paulina Milewska-Mróz (Senior Associate, Advocate), Martyna Szpakowska (Associate, Advocate), Danyila Zubach (Junior Associate, Advocate), Bogusław Długowolski (Junior Associate, Trainee Attorney-at-law), Eryk Czajkowski (Junior Associate), Julia Stroińska (Junior Associate).

Partner Roman Iwański advises, “We were thrilled to have been entrusted by Sprout Social on this transaction and greatly valued the support from Cooley. Our commercial team worked around the clock to ensure timely closing. This engagement is a testament to B2RLaw’s strength in the IP and tech space. IP related to social media is a burgeoning legal sector. From miniscule over a decade ago, the social media market is experiencing exponential growth. Its current value estimated at USD 230 billion is expected to double in size by the end of this decade.”

B2RLaw advised on the investment of the Vinci S.A. HiTech ASI S.K.A. fund into OASIS Diagnostics S.A. for nearly PLN 14 million

OASIS is a Polish MedTech start-up that designed and developed an innovative system ONIRY and medical device for diagnostics in response to the need to find a suitable method to detect pelvic floor muscles injuries immediately after delivery and effective way to prevent serious complications from these injuries later in life. Their clinical-knowledge-based technology detects the problem in 1-minute procedure.

“The nearly PLN 14 million investment raised will allow us to complete the product certification activities in the EU, initiate the certification procedure at the FDA, start production and launch the product on the market in 2023. We also plan to conduct extensive clinical trials to confirm the benefits of implementing the early diagnosis of perinatal injuries with the ONIRA method into clinical practice.” – says Edyta Hryniecka, a Member of the Oasis Board, leading the investor acquisition process.

“Our innovative system for detecting perinatal injuries, ONIRY, will soon allow us allow us to perform a simple, painless, fast and precise examination, assessing the condition of the pelvic floor muscles, in any woman who has just given birth by natural forces.” – says Oasis CEO Katarzyna Borycka.

Vinci (which manages HiTech ASI fund) advises, “Together, we believe that ONIRY will become an important element in the standard of perinatal care and we plan to support the company in pursuit of this goal.”

B2RLaw Partner Agnieszka Hajos-Iwańska comments, “This is a project with huge potential to revolutionise its industry. Vinci’s investment of nearly PLN 14 million will be spent on certification of the medical device and commercialization of the solution. We are all the more pleased to be a part of it, legally supporting the investment process.”

B2RLaw’s team was led by Agnieszka Hajos-Iwańska (Advocate, Partner) and included Malwina Niczke-Chmura (Advocate, Counsel), Paulina Wyrostek (Attorney-at-law, Counsel), Konrad Czernecki (Associate, Attorney at Law Trainee), Małgorzata Tomaka (Junior Associate) and Krzysztof Judasz (Junior Associate).

B2RLaw Represents Minority Shareholders of Audioteka on its Acquisition by Wirtualna Polska

B2RLaw advised the minority shareholders of Audioteka S.A., representing approximately 40% of the company’s share capital, in the sale of shares to Wirtualna Polska Holding S.A., a company listed on the main market of the Warsaw Stock Exchange.

A preliminary conditional agreement was concluded in June this year along with accompanying documentation, including a conditional agreement on mutual waiver of claims by Audioteka, its shareholders, and their related entities. The parties finalized the transaction on July 27, 2023.

As a result of the transaction, Wirtualna Polska Holding, through its dependent entities, will hold (together with shares acquired earlier), shores representing 100% of Audioteka’s share capital and 100% of the total number of votes at the General Meeting.

Rafał Stroiński, Advocate, Senior Partner, and head of the transactional practice at B2RLaw, led the team. The ongoing advisory team for the project consisted of: Jakub Kutyła (Advocate and Counsel), Malwina Niczke-Chmura (Advocate and Counsel), Edyta Zalewska (Advocate and Partner), Magdalena Borychowska (Junior Associate), Danyila Zubach (Advocate – Ukraine, and Junior Associate), Bogusław Długowolski (Junior Associate), and Krzysztof Judasz (Junior Associate).

“The sale of Audioteka opens a new chapter in the history of this company. This transaction allowed minority shareholders to exit their investment and, furthermore, one can hope that it will enable the realization of numerous synergies due to Audioteka becoming a part of the Wirtualna Polska Holding group, in which it will surely be a valuable asset. Our legal team actively advised at every stage of this transaction, and I am proud that we could share our broad experience in this area. Congratulations to all parties involved!” – Rafał Stroiński, Advocate and Senior Partner at B2RLaw.

B2RLaw advises CMT Group UK on an EUR 27M EU-Funded Humanitarian Project (ECHO) for the delivery of power generators to Ukraine

CMT Group UK was founded in 2010 and is based in the United Kingdom. The company’s main line of business is the supply of a comprehensive range of construction equipment. CMT is one of the fastest growing companies in this sector, the most reliable supplier in the UK that also operates globally with over 10 locations worldwide and supplies a variety of industries.

The European Commission’s Humanitarian Aid and Civil Protection department (ECHO) provides relief in all major crisis zones around the world including Syria, South Sudan, Yemen and Ukraine. The humanitarian assistance funded by the EU is delivered in partnership with UN agencies, international organisations and NGOs. EU humanitarian aid covers intervention areas such as: food and nutrition, shelter, health care, water and sanitation and education in emergencies.

We advised and represented the client in complex cross-border negotiations that spanned many jurisdictions and practice areas. These efforts led to the conclusion of a supply contract and a separate donation contract with the Polish Government Agency for Strategic Reserves concerning power generators intended for Ukraine as humanitarian aid. The EUR 27M contract was financed by EU funds under the EU Civil Protection Mechanism (project: Procurement of emergency energy supply capacities to generate and/or provide energy on site).

CMT advises, “As part of the EU Civil Protection & Humanitarian Aid grant and in cooperation with the Polish Government Agency for Strategic Reserves, we are proud to support Ukraine with energy assistance, including free-of-charge donations. Power generators are a vital resource in the current conflict, with many Ukrainians struggling without electricity, running water and heat. Power generators are also essential to save lives in hospitals. We are grateful to B2RLaw for their support on this project and for their expertise in dealing with detailed state procurement processes in Poland. They have gone above and beyond throughout the entire process and we will not hesitate to work with them again.”

B2RLaw Partner Roman Iwański comments, “We at B2RLaw take great pride in both our commercial and pro bono work. Seldom is it the case that commercial projects have such an immeasurably positive social impact as this one. The fact that our assistance to our client also ultimately benefited the war-torn Ukrainian civilian population provided us with additional impetus to successfully complete this project.”

B2RLaw’s team was led by Roman Iwański (Advocate, Partner) and included Bogdan Duda (Attorney-at-law, Partner / Public Procurement, Regulatory), Filip Badziak (Counsel / Banking), Piotr Leonarski (Advocate, Tax Advisor, Counsel / Tax, Tariffs, Customs), Paulina Milewska-Mróz (Advocate, Senior Associate / Risk Assessment, Compliance) and Bogusław Długowolski (Junior Associate / Commercial law).

Andrzej Zając appointed as a Head of the Energy & Real Estate Practice in B2RLaw

Andrzej is an attorney-at-law with almost 20 years of professional experience. Andrzej is a lawyer focusing his practice on complex real estate and energy transactions, obtaining financing for such projects and handling the investment process.

He has led many of the largest real estate transactions on the Polish market including cross-border transactions, with a particular focus on warehouse, production and commercial spaces as well as a wide range of investments as part of Polish off-shore construction. He has acted for some of the largest Polish developers and investors as well as a number of foreign investment funds and international energy concerns.

Currently, Andrzej is a legal “precursor” of building the Polish off-shore sector, in particular, he runs projects that are extremely important for the country’s energy security. At B2RLaw Andrzej will be responsible for creating a local office dedicated to legal services for the off-shore sector.

What distinguishes Andrzej is his business approach to the projects. In his work, he always focuses on a thorough understanding of the client’s needs and goals, and on completing transactions – an added value that cannot be overestimated.

This is the opinion of Andrzej’s clients, who have already expressed it many times by distinguishing Andrzej in subsequent editions of the prestigious Legal 500 ranking as “Next Generation Partner”. Clients appreciate his unprecedented commitment to the projects he leads, as well as his vast legal knowledge and extraordinary diligence.

Clients recognize Andrzej as “extremely hardworking and goal driven, with a good understanding of business and finance and a lot of common sense” as well as “definitely very competent and at the same time very proactive; (ed. “his”) team is really motivated on each appointment and are pushing for an outcome which makes great result on our deals”.

In a joint statement, B2RLaw Managing Partners Bartłomiej Jankowski and Rafał Stroiński advise, ”Andrzej not only boasts in-depth legal knowledge, extensive professional experience and a wide client portfolio, but also a practical business approach, which is highly appreciated by clients. He emphasizes a commitment to the key B2RLawvalues including: support in sustainable development, an international perspective, teamwork, cooperation with clients leading to the achievement of common business goals, but also maintaining a balance between private and professional life. Due to its specificity, the real estate and construction industry can have a negative impact on the natural environment if it is not properly managed. However, properly executed developments can have a positive impact on the surroundings. In the area of energy, Andrzej focuses on renewable energy sources, which is also consistent with B2RLaw values. Andrzej has placed particular focus on the ecological aspects of energy, real estate and construction projects, and at B2RLaw, we also support the concept of sustainable construction, where we focus on the economy and ecology of our clients’ projects, being in line with and setting new trends”.

B2RLaw announces lawyer promotions

We are very pleased to announce five lawyer promotions in B2RLaw in its 2022/2023 promotion round.

The lawyers that have been promoted are:

+ Jakub Kutyła (Counsel)

+ Inka Kalista (Senior Associate)

+ Joanna Markowicz-Maciocha (Senior Associate)

+ Konrad Czernecki (Associate)

+ Krzysztof Judasz (Junior Associate)

We are glad to have such talented lawyers in our team. We are confident that all promoted individuals will blossom (like spring) in their new roles and play a key role in our clients’ success.

We wish you further success!

B2RLaw recommended in the Legal 500 EMEA ranking 2023

We are proud to announce that in this year’s edition of The Legal 500 we have been recommended in 6 categories and 12 lawyers are recommended, including Bartłomiej Jankowski listed in the elite “Leading Individuals” group and Andrzej Zając listed in the “Next Generation Partners” group.

Ranking by practice:

Construction – Tier 3

The construction team at B2R Law supports public authorities, municipalities and private businesses throughout the lifecycle of projects involving transport, power and urban regeneration. Its work ranges from advising on the drafting of tender and project documentation to representing clients in dispute proceedings with subcontractors, employers, and public bodies. Kraków-based public procurement specialist Paweł Gunia leads the team alongside senior partner Rafał Zieba, who is based in Warsaw. Another key group member is of counsel and real estate lawyer Krzysztof Marzyński.

Dispute Resolution – Tier 4

Under the guidance of founding partner Bartlomiej Jankowski, the ‘problem solvers’ at B2R Law handle a wide range of disputes – spanning corporate and commercial litigation, arbitration, criminal law and investigations – on behalf of long-standing local and international clients. Human rights cases are a niche specialism; a recent highlight involves representing a private individual following their unjustified detention during a protest against LGBT discrimination in Poland.

‘The team is very organised and focused on business needs. Problem solvers.’

‘High level focus and great at the details. Always bring desired deliverables.’

Employment – Firms to watch

Established in 2020, the employment team demonstrates particular expertise in assisting clients with their entry into the Polish market. Anna Cichonska and Roman Iwański jointly lead the practice.

Private Equity – Tier 3

B2R Law is best known for assisting with technology-related deals across Poland and the wider CEE region, and has a successful recent track record operating in the area of convergence between venture capital and private equity investments. Away from transactional work, the firm is also very active in the fund formation space. Rafał Stroiński – whose client base spans buyers, sellers and targets – heads up the practice.

‘Very good understanding of clients’ goals.’

‘Rafał Stroiński has an adaptive approach which allows for quick and effective work.’

‘Insightful and helpful. Very good understanding of legal and business matters.’

‘Aleksandra Polak and Rafał Stroiński are both are very good lawyers who I can recommenend to others.’

Real Estate – Tier 3

B2R Law‘s real estate practice utilises the strengths of the firm’s corporate, finance, tax, and risk management groups to broaden its offering and advise on commercial real estate transactions. Of recent note is its work assisting new entrants to the Polish market. The group is led by co-founder Rafal Zieba. Other key team members include counsel Agnieszka Wojciechowska, who predominately acts for REITs, real estate funds, private equity funds, and developers, and Andrzej Zając, who acts on both the buy and sell side of transactions.

‘Good experience, availability, knowledge, and business attitude.’

‘Filip Badziak is willing to go the extra mile to make sure the client’s interests are put first.’

White-Collar Crime – Tier 2

B2R Law is particularly active in criminal litigation, especially cases involving allegations of fraud. The business criminal litigation team is led by co-founder of the firm and arbitrator Bartłomiej Jankowski; he has significant experience advising clients on the liability of members of commercial companies, as well as on anti-corruption issues concerning international companies.

‘The team is super cooperative, fast-learning, and very objective. They are pro-active in learning and keeping up with the needs of the case.’

‘They are able to look beyond the case file and expand their horizons to a global, industry-wide perspective, integrating the intricacies of the world’s political and economic situation, while making accurate judgements about the progress of the case.’

‘Bartłomiej Jankowski and his team are able to persevere when cases are in an extremely desperate situation. Their optimism and objective analysis gives not only trust and hope to the client, but also a sense of humanity that encourages the client and the legal team to work actively together to make things better.’

 Banking and Finance – Tier 6

B2R Law 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.

‘Very professional, focused, experienced.’

‘Extremely client oriented.’

Ranking by lawyers:

White-collar crime

Leading individual: Bartłomiej Jankowski

Recommended: Bartłomiej Jankowski

Other key lawyer: Edyta Zalewska

Construction

Recommended: Rafał Zięba, Paweł Gunia, Krzysztof Marzyński

Other key lawyer: Jacek Mizgier

Private Equity

Recommended: Rafał Stroiński

Other key lawyers: Aleksandra Polak, Agnieszka Hajos-Iwańska, George Havaris

Real estate

Next Generation Partner: Andrzej Zając

Recommended: Rafał Zięba, Agnieszka Wojciechowska, Andrzej Zając

Other key lawyers: Filip Badziak, Krzysztof Marzyński

Dispute Resolution

Recommended: Bartłomiej Jankowski

Other key lawyers: Roman Iwański, Edyta Zalewska

Banking & Finance

Recommended: Filip Badziak, George Havaris

Employment

Other key lawyers: Anna Cichońska, Roman Iwański

B2RLaw one of only 6 law firms in Poland recognized by Legal 500 in its Green Guide EMEA 2023

We are pleased to announce that B2RLaw has been inducted into the 2023 second edition of Legal 500’s Europe, Middle East and Africa Green Guide!

The Legal 500’s Global Green Guide is the first worldwide guide to the top law firms advising on issues around climate change, governance, and sustainability, with the editorial highlighting the leading practices and individuals in each jurisdiction, recognizing a firm’s contribution to ‘Green Change’ and ESG. The guide will see The Legal 500 go around the world and put a global perspective on law firms that are key players in this field, i.e. firms that are in one way or another contributing to a “green transition”.

Anna Baubock – The Legal 500 Green Guide Editor advises, “The advanced political ESG agenda in Europe has meant that ESG has become a set part of law firms’ business across the region with ESG work spanning a host of practice areas, and many players realising they need to look inward too and complement their external practice with internal sustainability measures and initiatives. We hope you find this initial guide to some of the key firms engaging with sustainability within the EMEA region useful, and look forward to continually evolving our coverage as the market develops”.

Aleksandra Polak who leads B2R’s ESG practice adds, “ESG’s impact on construction, production, financing, valuation, investment or supply chain will only continue to grow. All industries will be affected but may also benefit from the green transformation. That is why ESG should be an element of each and every legal practice group. ESG, sustainability, and climate change-related work is a rapidly growing part of B2RLaw’s service offering as well as our business strategy. We understand that firms’ sustainability credentials will continue to gain in importance and we are very pleased with this award”.

Bartłomiej Jankowski recommended in the Chambers & Partners ranking 2023

We are proud to announce that in this year’s edition of Chambers & Partners Europe Guide 2023 our Senior Partner – Bartłomiej Jankowski has been recommended in White Collar Crime category in Tier 2 (from Tier 3 in 2022)!

More information about White Collar Crime category in Chambers & Partners 2023 you may find here.

The Chambers Global Guide ranks the top lawyers and law firms in over 200 jurisdictions across the world.

That legal rankings is the most thorough and independent on the market. Each ranking is based on the in-depth research conducted by their dedicated and experienced team of researchers. Their unparalleled analysis of the legal market enables Chambers Global to deliver indispensable coverage and insights into the leading law firms and legal professionals.

Chambers Global provides recommendations that can be relied on, to ensure law firm clients are able to make the best-informed decision when choosing legal services when it matters.