Weil’s Warsaw office, established in 1991, is a leading international law firm on the Polish market. Approximately 70 attorneys are based in our office, including Polish legal advisors and advocates, as well as lawyers licensed to practice law in the United States and the United Kingdom. Weil’s real estate practice represents many major real estate companies and capital sources with regard to all aspects of real estate capital deployment, investment and development. We are known for being tough negotiators able to deal with the most complicated and challenging matters. Clients often come to Weil to get a second opinion on matters that are extremely complicated or when a deal requires prompt and decisive action to be taken. We also have a very strong real estate litigation practice.
Name of company
Weil, Gotshal and Manges – Paweł Rymarz sp.k.
Department head or senior representative in Poland, real estate
dr Filip Uziębło
Key current clients
Capital Park; Echo Investment; GE Capital Corporation; Griffin Real Estate; Globe Trade Centre; Lone Star; Oaktree Capital Management Fund; Patron Capital Advisers; Robyg; Ronson; Sinfonia Varsovia; and Tacit Development.
Participation in property sales and acquisitions between October 2015 and September 2016
From the many real estate transactions executed by our attorneys we would like to draw your attention to the reportedly largest ever single transaction involving income-generating real estate assets in CEE and the largest ever real estate investment transaction in Poland: we advised Echo Investment, as the seller, on the disposal of 75% of the shares in Echo Polska Properties N.V. (“EPP”), the owner of a real estate portfolio valued at EUR 1.19 B, to Redefine Properties Limited, for a price of EUR 362 MM. We also advised Echo Investment in connection with: (i) the signing with EPP of seven preliminary sale agreements for office yielding properties in Poland; and (ii) agreements relating to the purchase of 13 real properties located in Warsaw and of Towarowa shopping center thereon from Fidelin Development. We advised a Polish developer in connection with the acquisition of 100% of the shares in a company holding the legal title to an office yielding project, A-class building in Warsaw.
Participation in development projects between October 2015 and September 2016
Weil’s Warsaw office has advised on prominent development projects in Poland, including (i) Echo Investment on a development regarding the extensions of the Galaxy shopping centre and the Outlet Park shopping centre, both in Szczecin; (ii) Echo Investment on the development of a new shopping centre in Warsaw on the real properties on which the Towarowa shopping centre is currently located; (iii) Echo Investment on the fit-out works in connection to the sale of seven real estate yielding assets in Poland; and (iv) Sinfonia Varsovia on its development of a new concert hall seating 1,800 persons.
Total value of the transactions on which your company adviced between October 2015 and September 2016 (IN EUR)
Between October 2015 and September 2016, the total value of the real estate transactions in which Weil was a legal advisor exceeded USD 1.4 B.
Please say why you should be considered for the award
Weil is one of the world’s top law firms and has a unique depth of experience. Our Warsaw office is one of the top-ranked firms in global rankings (Legal 500, IFLR, and Chambers and Partners), and local ones (e.g. Rzeczpospolita), where we have repeatedly taken the top spot in rankings that assess firms based on the prominent transactions that they handle. Although our Polish real estate practice is relatively small, we are the top law firm with regards to RE M&A transactions. This makes us unique in that we are able to handle landmark transactions (e.g. advising on Echo Investment’s sale of 75% of the shares in Echo Polska Properties N.V. (reportedly the largest ever single transaction involving real estate assets in CEE and the largest real estate investment transaction in Poland)) despite the size of our real estate practice. With numerous sector-leading clients trusting us with their deals, our firm now provides strong competition for law firms specialising in real estate.
