International law firm Pinsent Masons is opening an office in Warsaw and launching operations with a team of more than 40 people. The scale of the opening and the experience of the Warsaw team will allow the firm to handle complex investment projects from the outset.
The new office is being built around lawyers who have worked for many years with investors, developers, private equity and venture capital funds, financial institutions and capital groups active in the Polish and CEE markets. Its main practice areas include real estate, infrastructure, construction, mergers and acquisitions, banking and finance, and cross-border matters.
The Warsaw team is co-managed by Bartłomiej Kordeczka and Jakub Marcinkowski. The founding group also includes Maciej Jodkowski, Piotr Staniszewski, Bartosz Nojek and Błażej Zagórski. They were previously associated with leading law firms operating on the Polish market: Dentons, DLA Piper, CMS and Greenberg Traurig. Mark Harris, an international partner at Pinsent Masons, will also join the new office and relocate to Warsaw.
“We bring to Pinsent Masons many years of business relationships, experience and a team of practitioners who have worked on projects of very different scales — from local investment ventures to complex international transactions involving individual assets, portfolios and corporate structures. We know how we work and we guide clients together, operating as one team without internal competition. Pinsent Masons, in turn, gives us international backing, sector experience and tools developed in other markets. This is important for clients who expect advice rooted in the realities of the local market, but supported by the experience of a global organisation,” says Bartłomiej Kordeczka, Co-Managing Partner of the Pinsent Masons office in Warsaw.
Poland as an Important Transactional Market in CEE
The opening of the Warsaw office reflects Poland’s growing importance as an investment and transactional market in Europe. The significance of Poland and Central and Eastern Europe is also confirmed by Pinsent Masons’ client base — a substantial share of the firm’s largest global clients are already present in Poland or in the region.
“Warsaw is a natural centre for handling transactions and investment projects in the region, especially where knowledge of the local market, its conditions and the standards of international investors is essential. We want the Warsaw office to lead such projects efficiently, with an excellent understanding of clients’ business objectives and in close cooperation with Pinsent Masons teams in other markets,” says Jakub Marcinkowski, Co-Managing Partner of the Pinsent Masons office in Warsaw.
The Warsaw team advises on mergers and acquisitions, the sale and purchase of real estate in various structures, portfolio transactions, joint ventures, and the financing and refinancing of commercial properties, investment projects and companies.
An Integrated Team and Technology in Client Service
Pinsent Masons is developing a business model in Poland based on cooperation between lawyers from different jurisdictions, the flow of relationships and joint international client service. This is particularly important in matters that require the rapid combination of competencies and coordination of teams operating across several markets.
The opening of the office also fits into the changes taking place in the advisory services market. Pinsent Masons is developing advanced technological tools, including solutions based on artificial intelligence.
“The legal services market is clearly changing under the influence of technology, but the quality of advice is still determined by a lawyer’s experience. Digital tools make it possible to organise documents better, prepare materials faster and manage information more efficiently. In large transactions and complex investment projects, this has a real impact on the pace of work and the quality of service,” emphasises Bartłomiej Kordeczka.
Global Support for the Polish Market
Pinsent Masons wants to use in Poland the firm’s experience gained on some of the most demanding infrastructure and capital investment projects in the world. Its teams have worked on projects including the Channel Tunnel, Wembley Stadium, infrastructure for the London Olympic Games, nuclear projects, offshore wind energy and investments related to the Belt and Road Initiative.
“Developing our presence in Europe remains one of Pinsent Masons’ strategic objectives. Poland is an important market for many of our clients, especially from Western Europe, and an important investment destination in Central and Eastern Europe. In Warsaw, we are starting operations with a team that has a strong track record, market credibility and experience in demanding projects,” says Andrew Masraf, Senior Partner at Pinsent Masons.
Pinsent Masons plans to further develop its Warsaw office. In the next stages, the firm intends to strengthen its capabilities in areas important to investors and companies operating in Poland and Central and Eastern Europe.
Founding Team of Pinsent Masons in Warsaw
Bartłomiej Kordeczka, Co-Managing Partner of the Pinsent Masons office in Warsaw, previously co-headed the real estate practice at Dentons and, in 2023–2024, served as co-managing partner of that firm’s Warsaw office. He has more than 19 years of experience in managing complex investment projects in the commercial real estate market.
Jakub Marcinkowski, Co-Managing Partner of the Pinsent Masons office in Warsaw, previously co-headed DLA Piper’s transactional mergers and acquisitions practice in Poland. He has more than 20 years of experience advising on mergers and acquisitions, private equity fund transactions, venture capital investments and complex corporate restructurings.
Maciej Jodkowski previously served as a shareholder in the Warsaw real estate department of Greenberg Traurig. He has more than 20 years of experience advising developers, investors and institutional clients. He advises on the acquisition and sale of commercial real estate, in particular office, warehouse, retail and mixed-use properties.
Piotr Staniszewski previously co-headed the construction practice at Dentons. He advises on construction and development projects, including the negotiation of complex construction contracts, design agreements, planning issues, permits, disputes and investment transactions in the real estate sector.
Bartosz Nojek will be responsible for developing the firm’s banking and finance advisory services. He previously co-headed the banking and finance practice at Dentons. He has almost 18 years of transactional experience, covering commercial real estate finance, corporate finance, structured finance, leveraged finance and project finance.
Błażej Zagórski was associated with CMS for many years as a key partner in the Corporate/M&A team and also headed the German Desk practice. For more than 20 years, he has advised on cross-border projects, mergers and acquisitions, transactions for private equity and venture capital funds, projects for investment funds, restructurings and corporate governance matters.
Mark Harris, a Pinsent Masons partner in the United Kingdom since 2001, is an international lawyer specialising in construction law, litigation and arbitration. He has more than 35 years of experience in complex construction and infrastructure projects in Europe, Southeast Asia, Australia, the Gulf states and the United States. He will be part of the Warsaw team and will strengthen Pinsent Masons’ capabilities in infrastructure, projects and construction disputes.
