Department head or senior representative in Poland, real estate
Paweł Dębowski, Chairman, Europe Real Estate and Piotr Szafarz, Head of Real Estate Poland
Department head or senior representative profile
Paweł Dębowski is the leading real estate investment lawyer in Poland, advising the vast majority of key institutional investors and developers active in Poland and CEE. He focuses on the office, retail and hotel areas. Chambers’ “Star performer”. Appointed in 2014.
Piotr Szafarz is a Chambers’ Band 1 partner, advising clients in the retail and warehouse sectors in Poland. Lead counsel on multiple landmark commercial projects, including €450m+ sale of Serenada and Krokus. Appointed in 2010.
Key current clients
Apsys, Atrium European Real Estate, Catella, Commerz Real, CPI Property Group, Cromwell Property Group, Deka Immobilien, Echo Polska Property, Europa Capital, Ghelamco, GLL Real Estate Partners, Globalworth, Heitman, Hines, LaSalle IM, Mayland Real Estate, Meyer Bergman, NEPI Rockcastle, P3 Logistic Parks, Peakside Capital, SEGRO, Skanska, Starwood Capital Group, Torus, TPG Real Estate, Tristan Capital Partners, Union Investment, Warburg-HIH Invest Real Estate, White Star Real Estate
Participation in property sales and acquisitions between October 2017 and September 2018
Dentons advised inter alia on:
•Echo Polska Properties N.V. (EPP) on €692.1m acquisition of M1 portfolio of 12 retail assets in Poland
•Atrium on €301.5m acquisition of Wars Sawa Junior
•Union Investment on €380m acquisition of Magnolia Park in Wrocław
•TPG Real Estate on sale of TriGranit
•Ghelamco on sale of 50% stake in Warsaw Spire tower (Building A valued at €350m)
•Warburg-HIH on acquisition of Sagittarius Business House in Wrocław
•Skanska on all key investments in Poland, incl. sale of Spark C in Warsaw, two buildings of High5ive in Kraków, Nowa Fabryczna in Łódź and Green2Day in Wrocław
•Globalworth on €139m acquisition of Quattro Business Park in Kraków
•NEPI Rockcastle on €64.9m acquisition of Aura Centrum in Olsztyn
•Peakside Capital on sale of Atrium Centrum and Atrium Plaza in Warsaw
•Europa Capital on €101m sale of Spektrum Tower in Warsaw
•Hines on sale of Proximo II in Warsaw
•White Star/Europa Capital on sale of Plac Małachowskiego in Warsaw
Participation in development projects between October 2017 and September 2018
Dentons real estate construction team advised on:
•Mayland Real Estate on construction-related matters connected with the development of Serenada shopping center in Kraków
•Cromwell Property Group on the extension of Janki Shopping Center
•Virako on the development of the “Monopolis” multi-function project in Łódź
•EPCO on construction matters related to the development of a production site/factory in Bytom
•Globalworth on the redevelopment of “Hala Koszyki” in Warsaw
•Peakside Capital on the extension of the Plaza shopping mall in Kraków
•Catella Real Estate AG on the completion and fit-out of 72 luxury residential apartments in the Warsaw’s sky scraper, Zlota 44
Total value of the transactions on which your company adviced between October 2017 and September 2018 (IN EUR)
€4.722 billion - an aggregate value of 37 major property sales and acquisitions Dentons advised on in Poland (most of them were publicly announced).
Please say why you should be considered for the award
The 45+ strong Dentons real estate practice is the leading legal force in Poland.
In the last 12 months, we assisted clients with completing ca. 40 major investment transactions in Poland valued at close to €5 billion.
Top ranked by Polish and international legal directories, the team is recognized as market leader by clients and peers. We are the go-to people for key international investors, private equity funds, developers and borrowers, including newcomers to the Polish market, whom we advise across office, retail, logistics, residential and hotel sectors.
What differentiates Dentons is our excellent, institutional client base which the team has built over years, understanding of the market, and high-quality legal advice coupled with commercial approach that we deliver to our clients every day. In providing a 360 degree advisory, we work hand in hand with other lawyers in Warsaw specializing in real estate-related areas, like real estate finance, tax and litigation.
