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The Buzz in Poland: Interview with Wladek Rzycki of K&L Gates

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There’s still a lot of discussion about the political climate and political upheaval in Poland, according to Wladek Rzycki, Partner at K&L Gates in Warsaw, but the concerns about the change in government haven't had any noticeable affect on the legal industry itself yet, he says, emphasizing that “I hope they won’t.”

Instead, it’s business as normal, he reports, with firms in the market “fairly busy.” Corporate transactions are still going on, and foreign investors remain interested in Poland. Real Estate seems a little down at the moment, he concedes, especially in the office development and construction sector, but he also notes that so much office space was built in the country in the last couple of years that people may simply be taking a breath to adjust. And while Private Equity may be a bit down at the moment, as foreign funds may be a bit cautious about the short-term effect of the 2015 elections (which saw control of the government shift to the right wing Law & Justice party), strategic and institutional investors “are still doing stuff, looking things from a long-term perspective.”

Taking a step back, the Krakowian Rzycki noted that Warsaw has become a “very nice place to live” in recent years, noting that while it used to be “quite ugly,” it’s now “really improved, the standard of living is better, and it’s much easier to post people here.”

Turning to the legislative front, Rzycki referred to recent changes to tax laws, particularly relating to tax restructuring, which might, he said, impact transactional work, as well as changes to the Polish Public Procurement law designed to make infrastructure projects easier (though he’s not convinced). 

He also referred to last winter’s crisis involving disputed appointments to Poland’s Constitutional Tribunal, which remains a major point of discussion, though he noted that the controversy “hasn’t really translated into effects yet on corporate lawyers.”

Turning finally to the legal marketplace itself, Rzycki referred to persistent rumors about the smaller and weaker international firms being under increased pressure, noting that Chadbourne’s recent departure may be related to that pressure. “The trend is,” he said, “you need to be bigger to survive.” He described the process as “a sign of a developing legal market,” but also said that “this is a market in transition — there’s lots of disruption in the marketplace.”


In “The Buzz” we interview experts on the legal industry living and working in Central and Eastern Europe to find out what’s happening in the region and what legislative/professional/cultural trends and developments they’re following closely.