Candidate’s name
Agata Jurek-Zbrojska
Current position
Partner, Head of Real Estate & Construction, CMS Poland
Work experience in this position
For over 20 years Agata has successfully advised on the largest real estate transactions in Poland and on numerous cross-border projects, focusing on office, commercial, logistics and residential real estate at all stages of the investment process. She advised on the first projects in the pioneering PRS (apartments for rent) market in Poland. As part of these projects, she negotiated both forward funding acquisition agreements and the implementation of development projects by developers, and she conducted legal analyses for international investment funds to assess the legal risks of these investments.
Her experience includes comprehensive legal support on transactions for local and international investors, developers, and real estate funds active in the CEE region. In particular, she advises on the strategic aspects of acquisition and sale transactions, joint venture, structuring and restructuring in all market segments.
Description of business activity (profile, market sectors served, etc.)
Agata focuses on office, commercial, logistics and residential real estate at all stages of the investment process. She advised on the first projects in the pioneering PRS (apartments for rent) market in Poland.
She provides comprehensive legal support on transactions for local and international investors, developers, and real estate funds active in the CEE region. In particular, she advises on the strategic aspects of acquisition and sale transactions, joint venture, structuring and restructuring in all market segments.
Her client base includes international and domestic investors and developers from a wide range of real estate sectors. She often advises clients across jurisdictions. We act for a wide range of investors including fund managers, funds (private and listed retail funds), insurance companies, pensions funds, property companies and private investors.
Size of the company managed by the candidate (headcount, regions of activity)
Agata leads the team of 40 real estate lawyers and often coordinates cross-border, multijurisdictional transactions, tapping into a Real Estate Team comprised of 600 lawyers in 17 CEE/SEE offices. Globally, at CMS 5,000 lawyers work together in cross-border teams in 74 cities and 45 countries.
The YOY increase in profits/income generated last year
The expected growth of yearly income generated by the Real Estate Team after Agata joining is 49%.
Career path (Previous employers, professional progress, when was the candidate promoted to the current position, etc.)
Agata joined CMS as Head of Real Estate and Construction in Poland in February 2022. Before joining CMS, she was a partner at Greenberg Traurig and previously worked with international law firms such as Hogan Lovells, Garrigues and Salans (Dentons).
During her career, in addition to practicing law Agata has also been active in academia. She is an economist by education and completed her doctoral studies at the Warsaw School of Economics, where she gave lectures on real estate law to students of economics and postgraduate studies, as well as conducted scientific work in the field of urban revitalization. Agata has also co-authored several scientific publications. She maintains contact with the academic community, which allows her to gain a broader perspective on the real estate market and her clients’ legal issues.
Agata also devotes time to D&I initiatives including in mentoring programs organized by Top Woman in Real Estate. She is also involved in charity and pro-bono activities.
Biggest business achievements, especially those made last year
The last year has seen Agata face the challenge of strengthening the real estate team at CMS. Agata’s next task is to create an alternative legal advisory solution on the real estate market. What Agata has already accomplished, due to her innovative management approach, is to reinvigorate the team with a new energy, experience, motivation, and versatile skills—beyond the purely legal. This will lead to an entirely new level of quality in customer-facing services.
Agata has created various platforms for experience and feedback exchange as well as individual skills and development of interests. She ensures that all more junior members of the team are engaged in client-facing activities.
Agata’s significant achievement is legal advice in the new real estate segment, PRS. Together with other lawyers, she developed the first models for forward purchase and forward funding transactions in this sector. Also, as a committee member of ULI, she initiated the ULI Next Poland initiative.
Contributions made to the improvement of the CEE commercial property market
Agata has been working to improve the legal real estate market in Poland and CEE for 20 years. She advised on the commercialization of the first high-profile office buildings in Poland. Together with other lawyers, she has resolved many legal issues and corrected numerous errors and shortcomings caused by historical regulatory ambiguities.
Due to her economic education, she has designed numerous price settlements with commercial and tax advisors.
She has been actively involved with the retail market segment and various retail chains since the establishment of the first super- and hypermarket stores in Poland. She participated in the first projects involving one of today’s leading retail chains entering the Polish market.
Agata also drafted the first BTS or large logistics leases and advised on JV structures.
She has been trusted by many international investors and has participated in transactions and projects involving capital from the USA, Korea, Germany, and South Africa.
Other industry awards and prizes
Recommended by Chambers and Partners.
Recommended by Legal500 and IFLR1000.
Awarded Top Woman in Real Estate in 2019.
