On the evening of April 25, 2024, the Deal of the Year Awards Banquet brought together, under the same roof, top-tier lawyers from Central and Eastern Europe's leading law firms in the region in Warsaw.

SSW Pragmatic Solutions has advised Grupa Energa on its acquisition of a photovoltaic portfolio from Lightsource BP. Norton Rose Fulbright advised Lightsource BP.

Former Soltysinski Kawecki & Szlezak Senior Counsel Szymon Czerwinski has joined Schoenherr in Poland as a Partner to lead the firm's Tax team.

Greenberg Traurig has advised Redkom Development on its full sale of the Park Handlowy Glinianka retail complex near Warsaw to CEE-BIG Europe in a share deal. CMS reportedly advised BIG.

The most recent promotion round at CMS saw 54 lawyers promoted to the firm's partnership ranks, including Austria-based Daniela Kroemer, David Kohl, Florian Mayer, Kai Ruckelshausen, Lukas Peissl, Marlene Wimmer-Nistelberger, and Sonja Otenhajmer, Bulgaria-based Jenia Dimitrova, Hungary-based Agnes Solyom, Eszter Torok, and Katalin Horvath, and Poland-based Tomasz Sancewicz.

PwC Legal Polska has established a Pharma and Life Sciences practice with Counsels Anna Wilkowska and Maciej Huzior joining the firm to co-lead the new department.

Dentons has advised mBank on its PLN 199 million facility agreement with Enwind to refinance the existing Gluchow I wind farm and finance construction of the new Gluchow II wind farm, with a combined capacity of 40 megawatts. Clifford Chance reportedly advised Enwind.

Gessel has advised Depilacja.pl on its acquisition of a majority stake in Polish beauty and spa network Yasumi Polska, the related financing transaction, and its new shareholding structure. KPMG Legal reportedly advised the sellers.

Did you know that, according to the Activity Rankings function of the CEELMDirect website, of the 88 law firm partners who have reported working on disputes in CEE over the past 12 months, only nine have reported working on more than one?

Rymarz Zdort Maruta has advised Polish state-owned company Weglokoks on its acquisition of an 80% stake in Port Polnocny from Belgian group Sea-Invest. DLA Piper advised the seller.

Allen & Overy has advised Mutares SE & Co on its acquisition of Eltel Networks Energetyka and Eltel Networks Engineering. Greenberg Traurig advised seller Eltel AB on the deal.

MFW Fialek has advised the shareholder of specialized waste management company Bioproten on the full sale of the operation to Eneris. Grant Thornton advised Eneris.

Partners Janusz Dzianachowski and Marcin Schulz have become the new National Managing Partners at Linklaters Warsaw, taking over from Artur Kulawski, who has been at the firm's helm for the past 12 years.

Taylor Wessing has advised the MLP Group on its public offering of Series G bonds and their listing on the Catalyst alternative trading system of the Warsaw Stock Exchange. CMS reportedly advised arranger mBank.

Rymarz Zdort Maruta, working with Ropes and Gray, has advised Virtusa International on its acquisition of shares in ITmagination. Taylor Wessing advised ITmagination founders Daniel Arak, Dawid Lazinski, and Pawel Borowski on the sale.

WKB Lawyers has advised the Raben Group on a EUR 23.4 million financing from mBank that will also support the development of a new zero-emission logistics park in Silesia. Deloitte Legal advised mBank.

Schoenherr has advised Grupa Zywiec on executing a conditional agreement to sell the Lezajsk brewery to Mycofeast. Rymarz Zdort Maruta advised Mycofeast.

Gessel has advised Poland's Elemental Strategic Metals on forming a joint venture with US-based Ascend Elements to recycle lithium-ion batteries and production waste from battery factories in Poland and other European countries. The Iurico Law Office advised Ascend Elements.