Former CMS Warsaw Partner Ireneusz Piecuch has left the firm to join Maciej Gawronski, turning Gawronski & Partners, which was formed by Gawronski in 2017, into Gawronski & Piecuch S.K.A.
According to a statement sent to CEE Legal Matters by the firm, “both Maciej Gawronski and Ireneusz Piecuch have more than twenty years of experience in local and cross-border legal advisory. Maciej Gawronski opened, and for eight years managed, the Polish office of international law firm Bird & Bird …. Ireneusz Piecuch for fourteen years served as in house counsel to IBM for Poland and Eastern Europe, then served as Board Member of Telekomunikacja Polska (Orange) and as CIO of Polish Post.” Before joining Gawronski on January 7, 2019, Piecuch spent the past years at CMS, where he led the firm’s Technology Media & Telecommunications CEE Practice and was Co-Head of the firm’s Global Telecomm Practice.
"When experts such as Maciej Gawronski and Ireneusz Piecuch join forces,” the firm’s statement asserts, "supported by a team of great lawyers, a uniquely experienced and specialised law firm is brought into existence. Gawronski & Piecuch is aiming to become a leading technology legal advisor, a true partner in digital transformation, based on knowledge and interest in new technologies, profound understanding of many sectors of global economy, and of course excellent knowledge of law and legal trends in regulating digital markets."
When I first met Irek (Ireneusz) around 2003,” Gawronski said, "he was already an important player among European technology lawyers. For many years thereafter we discussed legal and technology trends, having a common view on the role of a business lawyer and critically commenting on the reality of Big Law advisory. I cannot overstate Irek’s legal knowledge, C-level managerial experience, and technological understanding, as well as his reputation and market position. A main challenge of our new venture will be to maintain the identity of Gawronski & Piecuch to avoid falling into the trap of ‘average’ described by Nobel Prize winner Daniel Kahneman in one of his books. That cannot be achieved alone. Thanks to Irek’s involvement, the dedication of our great team, and of course with my own effort, I am sure we will become a thought and efficiency leader of legal advice for the Digital Age."
“The majority of lawyers do not believe that the digital revolution will soon affect lawyering," Piecuch said," but we – to the contrary – are certain that the change is already happening. Our clients undergoing a digital transformation do not expect their lawyers to draft legal opinions; they expect guidance and assistance during the journey into the unknown. Our multidisciplinary legal, technological, and business experience allows us to recommend a specific path and maneuvers to our clients instead of describing general traffic regulations."
