CATEGORY
Law Firm of the Year, Poland
Dentons the world's largest law firm operating in 79 countries and 177 offices globally. Our clients benefit from more than 10,000 lawyers and professionals with experience in 24 sectors and 40 practices. Dentons Warsaw is the leader in the Polish legal market in the real estate sector, where it provides full-service legal assistance in real estate and finance matters to the majority of key institutional companies operating in Poland. The 50+ strong team is the largest international practice on the Polish market. It is our work on real estate investments – complex acquisitions, sales and joint ventures that we are best known for in the Polish market, in addition to our advisory on the finance, development and leasing projects. We advise across all major real estate sectors, with a particular focus on the office, retail, logistics and hotel sectors.
Name of company
Dentons
Department head or senior representative in Poland, real estate
Paweł Dębowski, Co-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, focusing on retail, warehouse, office sectors. Lead counsel on investment projects, including €214M sale of 2 buildings of High5ive complex in Kraków and Nowy Targ building in Wrocław
Key current clients
Globalworth, Atrium European Real Estate, Skanska, Tristan Capital Partners, White Star Real Estate, GLL, Ghelamco, P3 Logistic Parks, Hines, Union Investment, Apsys, EPP, Warburg-HIH Invest Real Estate, Peakside, Goodman, Cromwell Property Group, Heitman, Deka Immobilien, SEGRO, HB Reavis, NEPI Rockcastle, Patrizia Immobilien, Benson Elliot, Kajima, Kulczyk Silverstein Properties
Participation in property sales and acquisitions between October 2018 and September 2019
Dentons advised among others: -Atrium on €301.5M acquisition of Wars Sawa Junior - Atrium on €298M sale of Atrium Koszalin and Atrium Felicity -HB Reavis on €190M sale of West Station I & II offices in Warsaw -GLL on €129.5M acquisition of the Cedet in Warsaw -Hines on €180M sale of 5 logistics centers in Poland -Globalworth on €133M acquisition of Warsaw Trade Tower -Kajima Student Housing on its €60M acquisition of Student Depot (the largest chain of student dormitories in Poland) -Ghelamco on €100M sale of the building C of the Warsaw Spire -EPP on €224M acquisition of four M1 shopping malls in Poland -GLL on €76.8M acquisition of the Gatehouse Offices (1st building in the Warsaw Brewery complex) -Kulczyk Silverstein Properties on the sale of the Ethos building in Warsaw -Skanska on €214M preliminary agreement for 2 buildings in the High5ive office complex in Kraków and the Nowy Targ office building in Wroclaw -PATRIZIA Immobilien on the sale of Atrium International in Warsaw
Participation in development projects between October 2018 and September 2019
Dentons real estate development team advised on: - Cromwell Property Group on the extension of Janki Shopping Center (one of Poland’s first shopping centers opened in 1999 and one of the largest and best-known retail malls on the outskirts of Warsaw) - Virako on the development of the “Monopolis” multi-function project in Łódź - POC Partners on a residential complex development (Marina Royale) in Darłówek City
Total value of the transactions on which your company adviced between October 2018 and September 2019 (in EUR)
€3.7 billion - an aggregate value of 42 major property sales and acquisitions Dentons advised on (most of them were publicly announced).
Please say why you should be considered for the award
The 50+ strong Dentons real estate practice is the leading legal force in Poland. In the last 12 months, we assisted clients with completing 42 major investment transactions in Poland valued at close to €4 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.
Company website
www.dentons.com