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Aleksander Galos and Wojciech Wrochna Join Kochanski, Zieba & Partners as New Practice Heads

Aleksander Galos and Wojciech Wrochna Join Kochanski, Zieba & Partners as New Practice Heads

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Kochanski Zieba & Partners (KZP) has announced that Aleksander Galos has joined the firm as Partner to head its Energy, Natural Resources & Chemicals practice and that Wojciech Wrochna has joined as Counsel and Head of the firm's European Law and European Business Regulations practice. 

Aleksander Galos joins KZP from Polish energy company PGE EJ1 Sp. z o.o., where he was General Counsel, and where, according to KZP, "he held ultimate responsibility for all legal aspects of the construction of the first Polish nuclear power plant."

Galos also spent many years in the Warsaw office of Hogan & Hartson (before the firm's 2010 merger with Lovells and transformation into Hogan Lovells) and was Managing Partner at the time of his departure in 2007. He focused on PPP, project finance, infrastructure, energy, corporate, administrative and civil law, with a particular emphasis on contract law, public finance, public procurement, regulatory, offset, and anti-dumping matters. 

According to KZP, Galos's experience includes, "among other things, projects involving the issuance of bonds and commercial paper in Poland, as well as project financing ventures in which he served as counsel to several of the largest multi-lateral financing institutions including IFC, World Bank, and EBRD. These projects were focused on local infrastructure in a number of Poland’s largest cities, including Krakow, Bydgoszcz, Szczecin, Wroclaw, Katowice, and Poznan." He has also advised international military equipment producers and offset suppliers as well as one of the largest European motorway operators.

Previous positions include Director of the Office of the Head of the Council of Ministers and on the Management Board of Eko-Park S.A., a prominent real estate development company, as well as being a member of a number of supervisory boards including Polish and international banks.

Wojciech Wrochna specializes in European law with a particular emphasis on competition law, state aid and sector regulation issues as well as in investments, transactions, and advice to entities operating on the regulated markets. According to KZP, "he has worked in European institutions (including the European Court of Justice, and European Parliament) and government institutions (e.g. as an advisor to the Minister of Science and Higher Education). Wrochna has repeatedly represented the Government of Poland before the European Court of Justice in Luxembourg and the European Commission in matters concerning the violation of Poland's obligations under EU law. He has also conducted proceedings for the European Commission regarding e.g. notification of aid projects, including projects co-financed by EU funds, and M&A transactions."

According to KZP, "his experience in the regulated markets covers comprehensive advice to clients in the field of investments and transactions, obtaining financing (EU funds) and among others advice on LNG Terminal investment, cogeneration projects, RES, including wind farms, and broadband networks. He has also advised Polish energy company PGE EJ1 (PGE Group), concerning regulation of the energy sector, the power market, contracts for difference, EU law including public assistance issues. Currently, Wrochna also works as an expert for PSE S.A." 

Piotr Kochanski, Managing Partner of Kochanski Zieba & Partners commented that, “We are very pleased to welcome both Aleksander and Wojciech to the Kochanski Zieba & Partners team. They are leading experts in terms of Energy, Natural Resources, Mining and Chemicals on the Polish legal market. They join with wide and in-depth experience. We believe that with Aleksander Galos as Partner and Head of that Sector Practice, and Wojciech Wrochna, in combining with Michal Bedkowski-Koziol (Partner and Head of Antimonopoly Law Practice), KZP caters to every aspect of the Energy, Natural Resources and Mining industry, including transactional or regulatory support. Moreover, Wojciech’s unique experience of EC institutions will be of huge value to Polish companies in their dealings with the different EC bodies. With their extensive and specialist backgrounds Aleksander and Wojciech also reinforce other sector practices such as Financial Services, Infrastructure & Construction, Real Estate, New Technologies & Telecommunications, and Defense & Aviation."

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