We are pleased to announce that five of our practices have been recognized in the prestigious Chambers and Partners Global 2024 ranking:
Corporate/M&A (Band 1),
Capital Markets: Equity (Band 1),
Banking & Finance (Band 4),
Dispute Resolution (Band 5),
International & Cross-Border Capabilities (Band 3).
In addition, nine of our lawyers received individual awards:
Corporate/M&A
Paweł Rymarz (Eminent Practitioners)
Paweł Zdort (Band 1)
Łukasz Gasiński (Band 4)
Anna Zorya (Foreign expert for Ukraine)
Capital Markets: Equity
Paweł Rymarz (Eminent Practitioners)
Paweł Zdort (Band 2)
Ewa Bober (Band 2)
Banking & Finance
Zofia Frydrychowicz (Band 5)
Jakub Rachwol (Up and Coming)
Dispute Resolution
Łukasz Żak (Band 4)
Krzysztof Sajchta (Up and Coming)
We thank our clients and the editors of the Chambers and Partners Guide for recognising our work and congratulate all the lawyers and law firms listed in the rankings.
We are pleased to announce that the transfer of the Life Sciences & Compliance legal team to Rymarz Zdort Maruta has been completed. This extremely important change had already been announced in November, when Michał Czarnuch joined the law firm’s team as the head of the new practice. Michał will manage it the team along with the partners Dr Anna Partyka-Opiela, Marcin Pieklak and Tomasz Kaczyński.
“I am delighted that our team is now fully integrated with a law firm that sees and understands the demand among clients for services in the area of Life Sciences & Compliance and that wishes to offer such services as part of their plan to build a full-service law firm. We would like to thank our clients for the trust they have placed in us by deciding to embark on a new journey with us with Rymarz Zdort Maruta, and all of the staff and associates of the law firm for their warm welcome”, says Michał Czarnuch.
At the beginning of the year, the team was joined by:
Senior Associate, graduated from the Faculty of Law and Administration of the University of Szczecin. He gained his professional experience in Szczecin-based law firms and then in the Life Sciences practice of a leading Polish law firm. In his career, he has focused mainly on providing day-to-day legal support to pharmaceutical companies. He has also been involved in providing legislative and regulatory advice, including drafting opinions and proposals for amendments to draft legislation, and monitoring changes in laws and assessing their impact on business.
Senior Associate, specialises in medical law, including the principles of conducting medical activities, practicing medical professions, patient rights and clinical trials, and also advises on legal issues related to telemedicine and e-health, artificial intelligence, and innovations in health care. Paweł is a member of the Committee of Experts on Health at the Ombudsman’s Office and a lecturer in postgraduate studies in medical law and the legal aspects of the use of new technologies in medicine, as well as a co-author of commentaries on acts in the field of medical law.
Senior Associate, is an attorney-at-law and graduated from the Faculty of Law of the University of Warsaw. She also completed postgraduate studies in Intellectual Property Law. She gained her previous professional experience working in Warsaw-based law firms specialising in advising clients from the life sciences sector.
Senior Associate, is an advocate and graduated from the Faculty of Law and Administration of the University of Warsaw, as well as from the Institute of Philosophy of the University of Warsaw. He is currently working on his doctoral dissertation concerning the works of Fyodor Dostoevsky. He gained his professional experience working in the Life Sciences practice of a leading Polish law firm. In his career he has focused on advising entities operating in the pharmaceutical market engaged in both retail (pharmacy chains) and wholesale (manufacturers and pharmaceutical wholesalers) sales of medicinal products.
Associate, graduated from the University of Silesia, completed her traineeship as an advocate and defended her doctoral thesis in 2023. She gained her professional experience working in Polish law firms, where she focused on providing food law advice (including in respect of the marketing and advertising of dietary supplements) and supporting clients in reimbursement proceedings.
Associate, graduated in law from the University of Wrocław and also holds a master’s degree in computer science and an engineering degree in automation and robotics from the Wrocław University of Technology. He also studied international technology law in Amsterdam (LL.M.). He gained his professional experience working in a Polish law firm, where he provided ongoing legal advice in the field of compliance, anticorruption, whistleblowing and pharmaceutical law.
Associate, is an advocate trainee and graduated with a master’s degree from the Faculty of Law and Administration of Cardinal Stefan Wyszynski University in Warsaw. In her career, she has focused on advising businesses operating in the food and pharmaceutical market, in particular in connection with ensuring access to therapies and reimbursement.
Associate, holds a master’s degree in law and a bachelor’s degree in intellectual property and new media law from Jagiellonian University, and is currently pursuing postgraduate studies in animal rights. She gained her previous professional experience in law firms specialising in life sciences.
Associate, is an advocate trainee and graduated from the Faculty of Law and Administration at Cardinal Stefan Wyszyński University in Warsaw. She also holds an engineering degree in Chemical Technology from the Faculty of Chemistry at the Warsaw University of Technology. She gained her professional experience working in the Life Sciences team of a leading Polish law firm. In her career, she has focused on serving clients in the areas of distribution of medicinal products, and regulated activities in the pharmaceutical market.
Associate, is a trainee attorney-at-law and graduated from the Faculty of Law and Administration of the University of Warsaw. She gained her professional experience working in law firms and in the in-house legal departments of the pharmaceutical companies AstraZeneca and Polpharma. She advises clients in the areas of life sciences (pharmaceutical and cosmetics law), compliance, whistleblowing and ESG, with an emphasis on governance aspects.
Expert, is a bromatologist specialising in legal consulting on food quality and safety. He gained his professional experience in the National Food and Nutrition Institute, the State Sanitary Inspectorate, the Polish Focal Point of the European Food Safety Authority and top food law consulting companies in Poland. He is a lecturer and author of many publications concerning the standards and practice of food law.
“Expanding the range of services provided by our law firm is one of the key elements of our strategy. We are very pleased to be joined by such a renowned team of experienced lawyers in this area. I am confident that with the addition of a fifteen-strong team of Life Sciences & Compliance specialists, combined with the rest of our firm’s leading practices, we will set new standards for the quality of legal advice in this field”, concludes Paweł Zdort, managing partner.
European Union countries, including Poland, are required to transpose the provisions of the Whistleblower Directive into their legislation as well as implement new procedures related to whistleblowing, and businesses and organisations must have in place internal solutions allowing for secure and confidential whistleblowing (i.e. a whistleblowing system). Entities that fail to meet the relevant requirements will face serious consequences. At the beginning of January, the topic of ‘whistleblowers’ resurfaced, and with it the spectre of a bill being passed by the Council of Ministers as early as the first quarter of 2024.
At Rymarz Zdort Maruta, we not only provide comprehensive and professional legal services related to the implementation of whistleblower protection obligations, but also recognise the need among our clients for the implementation of whistleblowing management tools within their organisations. We are pleased to announce that as of the beginning of February 2024, the Swedish technology company Whistleblowing Solutions AB, the creator of the Whistlelink system, which has been providing internal solutions for whistleblowers for 10 years, is set to become our partner in this regard.
“Implementing an effective whistleblowing system within an organisation not only provides protection against retaliation by whistleblowers, but it also allows companies to prevent and counteract irregularities in the workplace and to contribute to strengthening the effectiveness of business risk management. The main criteria that companies should follow when choosing a solution provider to manage whistleblowing should be to ensure the highest level of security against attacks, privacy protection and compliance with the relevant standards and legislation. I believe Whistlelink can guarantee this.” – says Anna Partyka-Opiela, a partner at Rymarz Zdort Maruta.
Whistlelink is an innovative tool that enables businesses and organisations to effectively manage information regarding internal unethical or non-compliant behaviour. Whistleblowing Solutions AB has a global client base across a wide range of industries, including public institutions, with an emphasis on IT security. Whistlelink is a GDPR-compliant and ISO 27001-certified platform, and it is worth noting, all of its data is hosted in Europe. The Whistlelink application is available in over 35 different languages and provides an intuitive and customisable reporting form, comprehensive administration tools for monitoring and communication, as well as statistics and reports.
“We welcome the opportunity to work with a law firm that supports clients in the area of compliance. We have seen over the years that the implementation of whistleblowing policies and procedures and the protection of whistleblowers can bring much greater benefits to companies and minimise the risks to their businesses and, with tools for managing reports, only streamline the process” – summarisesUrszula Garbicz-Bryś, Territory Manager CEE, Whistleblowing Solutions AB.
As the world races towards a greener future, the role of batteries in powering electric vehicles, renewable energy storage systems, and portable electronics has become more pivotal than ever. At the same time, a circular economy means that we need to focus more on recycling. We cordially invite you to a webinar “Battery production and recycling in Poland – Business opportunities” – a compendium of knowledge about the legal aspects of the Polish battery market and the transport and recycling of batteries.
DATE: 27 February 2024, 10:00 a.m. – 12:00 noon The webinar will be conducted in English.
For whom
The webinar is aimed at foreign investors, international entities and all those who are interested in investing in the Polish market in ventures related to the production, transport or recycling of batteries. Poland plays a leading role in the battery supply chain, being the second largest producer in the world. According to experts, global production capacity for lithium-ion batteries will increase up to eightfold over the next five years.
What will we talk about
We will talk about how this market looks at present, as well as its prospects for development. We will also talk about the legal aspects of the investment process for projects in this field, as well as the challenges of the new EU regulations relating to the battery market.
During the webinar, participants will have an opportunity to learn about the use of state aid schemes for battery producers and the impact of this aid on the entities involved in the entire lifecycle of batteries, from their production, marketing, use, and recycling to their disposal. The webinar will feature the launch of the Battery Market Investment Report.
Agenda
Barbara Adamska, President of the Management Board of the Polish Energy Storage Association (PSME)
Łukasz Łyżwa, Chief Executive Officer of SRS Group Sp. z o.o.
Agnieszka Skorupińska – advocate, partner at Rymarz Zdort Maruta
Barbara Adamska, President of the Management Board of the Polish Energy Storage Association (PSME)
Agnieszka Skorupińska – advocate, partner at Rymarz Zdort MarutarnrnŁukasz Łyżwa, Chief Executive Officer of SRS Group Sp. z o.o.
u003cp style=u0022font-weight: 400;u0022u003eArkadiusz Tarnowski, Ph. D. – Head of Japan and Korea Desk, Direct Investment Department, Polish Investment and Trade Agencyu003c/pu003e
In addition to the lectures by our experts, you can take part in the Qu0026amp;A session and ask questions of the speakers and listen to a debate in which our experts will discuss what the future holds for the Polish battery market.
Speakers
Barbara Adamska
President of the Management Board of the Polish Energy Storage Association (PSME)
The webinar will be held on 27 February 2024 from 10:00 – 12:00 a.m. on the Zoom platform, and will be conducted in English. Participation in the webinar is free of charge, however registration via the form below is required.
Mergermarket has just published its Global and Regional M&A Rankings 2023 – Legal Advisors, a yearly report providing key insights into the performance of legal advisors worldwide. Rymarz Zdort Maruta has maintained its top position in Poland – being ranked number one in terms of number of deals and number two in terms of transaction value after having advised on 19 deals worth almost USD 3.2 billion.
We had the opportunity to support clients from various sectors, including: energy, gaming, media, real estate, technology, healthcare and insurance.
Rymarz Zdort Maruta’s high ranking is the result of having advised such clients as, among others, Techland (in connection with the largest M&A transaction concluded on the Polish market in 2023, and the largest M&A transaction in the gaming industry segment in CEE), 7R (with regard to one of the largest real estate deals conducted in Poland in 2023), Unilink (in connection with a significant transaction in the insurance sector), Canal+, Exact Systems, GKSD, Gruppo San Donato, Mavie, MCI Capital, Play Group, SFS Ventures and Three Seas Initiative Investment Fund.
For more info on our most recent deals, please see > here <
We would like to thank our clients for allowing us to participate in many interesting projects. Being ranked so highly by Mergermarket serves as confirmation of our position on the legal market and the trust clients have in us. Our place in the ranking also serves as proof of the strength of our tremendous team of advisors, who know how to advise clients on the largest and most complex projects. We are hopeful that the positive forecasts for 2024 will materialise and that we will play a prominent role in advising on a growing number of M&A transactions on the market.
We are pleased to announce that thanks to our hard work and the projects on which we advised this past year, our Fintech practice has again been recognised in the 2024 edition of the Chambers FinTech Guide ranking which allowed us to move up to Band 3 and to secure an individual nomination of Michał Kulesza, a partner in charge of the FinTech & ICT Regulations practice.
Over the past year, our team has been involved in a number of complex regulatory projects in Poland. It has advised Poland’s largest banks, investment firms, investment funds, insurers, insurance agents and Fintech players.
We would like to thank you for recognising our work and congratulate the entire team: Michał Kulesza, Michal Nowakowski, Jakub Chlebowski, Mateusz Nowak, Mateusz Dominik, Aleksander Grudniewski, Arkadiusz Kawulski, Magdalena Matysiak, Magdalena Jurkiewicz, Michał Szymankiewicz, Bartosz Pestka and all of the ranked lawyers and law firms.
We are pleased to announce that our law firm has been recognised in this year’s edition of a competition aimed at acknowledging the best law firms in Europe organised by the editorial board of the UK periodical “The Lawyer”. We received the “Law Firm of the Year: Central Europe” award. This year, 27 awards were handed out over the course of the evening.
The awards ceremony was held on Thursday, 23 November 2023 at the JW Marriott Grosvenor House London. Marcin Maruta, managing partner, accepted the award on behalf of our law firm.
We were also shortlisted as finalists in two other categories:
European Law Firm of the Year
European Managing Partner of the Year (Paweł Rymarz)
“I am delighted that The Lawyer has recognised us once again in this prestigious competition. In 2019, I accepted the “Law Firm of the Year: Central Europe” award on behalf of Maruta Wachta, and now I am doing the same on behalf of Rymarz Zdort Maruta. This is a great honour for us and serves as recognition of the strategy and development path we have been following together. We would like to wholeheartedly thank the judges for the award and congratulate all the law firms and lawyers we have been competing against this year” said Marcin Maruta.
“The Lawyer” is the UK’s leading legal weekly and an information portal for business lawyers. The key criteria by which jury members assess law firms in this competition include the implementation of strategy, financial results, the quality of legal assistance provided and human resources management. The jury included general counsel of prominent corporations and representatives of leading UK law firms.
A full list of all the winners, as well as those individuals and firms who were commended or shortlisted, can be found on www.thelawyer.com
A huge thank-you for the recognition and congratulations to the winners.
The law firm of Rymarz Zdort Maruta, in line with its strategy, is continuing its dynamic growth by expanding the scope of support it provides to also cover the Life Sciences sector. Over the coming months, our new Life Sciences team will be joined by a dozen experienced advisors who have for years worked with clients in the Life Sciences sector. This initiative is a response to the ever-changing and developing healthcare sector in Poland and Europe, as well as the growing needs of clients in this area. At the beginning of November, four new Partners already started working at Rymarz Zdort Maruta: Michał Czarnuch, Dr Anna Partyka-Opiela, Marcin Pieklak and Tomasz Kaczyński.
“The successive expansion of our client base and the extension of our law firm’s competencies to include further significant and market-leading practices is a key element of our market strategy, which we have consistently pursued since becoming an independent law firm. The establishment of our Life Sciences practice and the addition of such renowned lawyers to our team is a response to our clients’ needs. I am confident that by combining their knowledge and experience with the strength of our existing practices, we will be able to offer clients comprehensive and multidisciplinary legal advice at the highest level in a way not previously seen on the market“- says Paweł Zdort, managing partner at Rymarz Zdort Maruta.
Michał Czarnuch will head the new practice, with Dr Anna Partyka-Opiela, Marcin Pieklak and Tomasz Kaczyński as co-heads.
Michał is one of the best lawyers in Poland servicing clients in the broadly defined healthcare sector. He specialises in administrative law, with a focus on pharmaceutical law, medical device regulation medical advertising law, EU law and competition law, as well as compliance in cases involving allegations of corruption. He is involved in advising entities from the pharmaceutical and FMCG sectors (including alcohol and tobacco producers) on advertising and promotional activities, reimbursement, distribution, labelling, and manufacturing and quality control. Michał advises on the development of medicinal product distribution and trade systems in connection with issues related to healthcare, including healthcare financing, the establishment and restructuring of healthcare entities, telemedicine and health insurance. He has participated in numerous legislative processes, including the development of healthcare laws, as well as the drafting of opinions and reports on the functioning of these laws. He is one of the initiators of the Telemedicine Working Group and a board member of the Telemedicine Working Group Foundation. He advises on projects related to outsourcing and access to medical data in cooperation with the Healthcare Information Systems Centre and the Ministry of Health. He is also a member of the Interoperability Council at the Healthcare Information Systems Centre. Previously, he headed the Life Sciences practice at DZP.
Leading the Compliance team within the Life Sciences practice, has over 15 years of experience in advising on compliance, whistleblowing, ethics, corruption prevention, AML and legal communication (Legal Design). Anna provides ongoing consultancy services in the field of corruption prevention and compliance, with a particular focus on issues related to process transparency, communication, and the redesign and optimisation of compliance systems. She has also supervised numerous projects involving the implementation of comprehensive compliance systems, including in relation to ISO standards, whistleblowing, AML, sanctions regulations and the proper functioning of supply chains. She also has many years of experience in the areas of compliance and investigative audits, as well as fraud and abuse risk management. She also leads projects related to the simplification of Legal Design and governance consulting in ESG projects. She is a member of the Compliance Committee of the WSE and a member of the Council of Innovators of the Polish ESG Association. Previously, she headed the Compliance team at DZP.
Co-head of the Life Sciences practice, is a lawyer with many years of experience in the healthcare sector, pharmaceutical law, food law and contract law. He specialises, among others, in reimbursement proceedings, the financing of guaranteed services and tenders. He gained his experience by representing clients before health authorities, including the Minister of Health, the Chief Pharmaceutical Inspector, the Chief Health Inspector and the Chairman of the National Health Fund. He has advised on numerous reimbursement proceedings that resulted in the financing of new, innovative medicines, foodstuffs and medical devices. His extensive knowledge of the legal system and market conditions allows him to support clients from the very first stages of a process, i.e. in early access or emergency treatment programmes. He has experience working on the side of the public payor, on behalf of which he has conducted reimbursement proceedings, appeared before administrative courts and co-developed a reimbursement policy. He is the author of the most comprehensive study on the reimbursement market. He also provides ongoing advice to companies in the Life Sciences sector, including pharmaceutical and food companies. His previous work in regulatory bodies has allowed him to provide extensive support not only in the marketing of products, but also in their advertising and promotion. His experience in the field of contracts based on general contract law has enabled him to provide services to multinational corporations in respect of cross-border matters.
Co-head of the Life Sciences practice, has nearly 20 years of experience in pharmaceutical law, ranging from issues related to product registration, reimbursement, manufacturing and distribution, to advertising law and clinical trial regulation. He advises businesses operating in the pharmaceutical, cosmetic, medical device and food markets, including manufacturers, wholesale distributors and pharmacy chains. He provides regulatory support for mergers and acquisitions and advises on the development of distribution structures for regulated markets. His areas of expertise also include franchising, food law (in particular the regulation of FSMPs and dietary supplements), consumer protection law and combating unfair competition. Additionally, he advises on the regulation of the livestock feed market and genetically modified food, and participates in control proceedings in the agri-food market. He has worked on public health issues in territorial administrative bodies, where he was responsible, inter alia, for the restructuring of public healthcare institutions in Mazowieckie Voivodeship. He is the chief expert on pharmaceutical law of the Union of Entrepreneurs and Employers. He was a co-managing partner of the Life Sciences practice at DZP.
fot. Bartosz Maciejewski
“I am delighted that the law firm Rymarz Zdort Maruta has recognised the very dynamic development of the Life Sciences industry and has decided to entrust us with the mission of establishing this practice within the firm. I am convinced that our strong position and the reputation we have enjoyed in the market for many years will enable us to provide effective advice to both existing and new clients of the law firm. I very much look forward to the synergies we will be able to achieve with the firm’s other practices, such as TMT and M&A, and supporting existing and future clients. It is a combination of the best pharma experience with transactional and technology experience” – comments Michał Czarnuch, partner in charge of the Life Sciences practice.
The new Life Sciences team will provide advice on pharmaceutical law, biotechnology, food law, healthcare, MedTech and veterinary medicine. The team will support Polish and foreign entities in the pharmaceutical, healthcare, food, and chemical industries, as well as to alcohol and tobacco businesses.
“The addition of Life Sciences specialists to our team is the third development this year that significantly expands the scale and scope of our company’s services – following the merger with the Maruta Wachta’ team and the addition of Agnieszka Skorupinska’s environmental and ESG team. A question can therefore be raised as to how many more steps we are planning for 2024. Unfortunately, it is not possible to answer this question at the moment. However, there is certainly room in Poland for a top-quality law firm of a size larger than our current one. What we will certainly not abandon is ensuring that we remain leaders in every area in which we practise. The new Life Sciences team, with such comprehensive and detailed knowledge and many years of experience, is certainly in line with this policy” – adds Paweł Rymarz, managing partner at Rymarz Zdort Maruta.
We are pleased to announce that in the most recent edition of the IFLR1000 2023 ranking, our law firm has once again been recognised as one of the best law firms in Poland in the following categories:
M&A – Tier 1
Capital markets: Equity – Tier 1
Capital markets: Debt – Tier 2
Project development: Power – Tier 1
Project development: Infrastructure – Tier 2
Banking – Tier 2
Project finance – Tier 3
Ten Rymarz Zdort Maruta partners have also been recognised individually:
Pawel Rymarz, Market Leader – Restructuring and insolvency, Capital markets: Equity, Private equity, M&A
Paweł Zdort, Market Leader – Private equity, M&A
Ewa Bober, Highly regarded – Capital markets: Equity, M&A
Zofia Frydrychowicz, Highly regarded, Women Leaders – Banking, Capital markets: Debt, Real estate finance
Marek Durski, Highly regarded – Project development, M&A
