Clyde & Co to open office in Poland with hire of leading energy, corporate and disputes teams

Global law firm Clyde & Co has announced that it will open an office in Warsaw (Poland) in the new year, following the hires of leading partners Arkadiusz (Arek) Krasnodębski, Agnieszka Kulińska, Radoslaw (Radek) Goral and a team of around 20 associates and counsel.

Agnieszka is currently partner at law firm Dentons in Poland, and Arek and Radek were previously partners at Dentons too. The team brings a multidisciplinary corporate and energy offering to Clyde & Co, with a particular focus on renewables, and including disputes across various sectors. Their arrival will further strengthen the firm’s Corporate & Advisory and Energy practices, following the recent hires of Anna Nerush and Tim Pipe in London.  

Agnieszka currently heads up Dentons’ Polish energy practice and, in her new role, she will head Clyde & Co’s energy practice in Poland. She has a diverse portfolio of multinational clients and has more than 15 years’ experience in the development and construction of renewable projects, both in Poland and in the CEE region. She has a broad range of experience with contracts for construction, supply and maintenance of renewable energy installations and offtake contracts, as well as M&A transactions related to various renewable assets and energy storage. 

Arek was Managing Partner at Dentons in Poland for 9 years, has advised clients in the energy sector for over three decades and is recognised as one of the most experienced advisors on energy matters in Poland. His clients include private and state-owned energy sector players, whom he advised on regulatory, contractual and corporate matters. He also worked on privatisations of companies in the energy sector and, most recently, acted as a strategic advisor to investors on transactions for projects in both renewable and non-renewable energy sources.

Radek is a partner specialising in dispute resolution, with a specific focus on insurance and financial sector clients, but also works with the telecommunications, energy and other regulated industries. Radek has a cross-sector expertise in risk, claims and damage matters. An expert in high-profile regulatory disputes, he regularly appears before courts of all instances, including the Supreme Court and the Supreme Administrative Court in Poland. He is qualified to practice in Poland, but also in New York and California. 

At their previous firm, the incoming team has topped legal rankings for Poland, including Chambers, IFLR and Rzeczospolita across the energy, disputes, and corporate categories.

This office opening marks the latest step in Clyde & Co’s expansion, following openings in Cairo (Egypt)*, Boston (U.S.A.), Milan (Italy) and Bangkok (Thailand) at the beginning of the year, the opening of an office in Calgary (Canada) in October 2022, and the opening of Santiago (Chile)*, in August 2022. In 2021 the firm announced office openings in Vancouver, Phoenix, Las Vegas, Denver and Munich. Warsaw will be Clyde & Co’s eighth office in its Europe region, joining Milan, Dublin, Düsseldorf, Hamburg, Madrid, Munich and Paris. 

Matthew Kelsall, Chief Executive Officer at Clyde & Co, comments: “Poland is Europe’s 6th largest economy and will be a significant player in the energy transition as it seeks to move away from fossil fuels and improve its energy security at pace. Opening here has been a long-term ambition for us and this high calibre team provide a strong foundation for our Warsaw office to grow, bringing with them impressive energy sector expertise alongside a broad corporate and contentious offering.”  

David Bennet, Global Chair of Clyde & Co’s Energy, Marine and Natural Resources Practice, said:

“The opening of Clyde & Co’s Warsaw office is a real milestone in the firm’s international expansion. The country’s commitment to the transition to renewable and clean energy sources is unequivocal and backed by significant government investment. We welcome Arek, Agnieszka, Radek and the rest of the team and look forward to engaging with clients on the energy transition in Poland and in the broader CEE region.” 

*associated offices