Maria Szczepańska

Maria Szczepańska is an advocate admitted to practice in Poland, partner in the dispute resolution department of Rymarz Zdort Maruta and the head of the White-Collar Crime practice.

Experience and education:

She specialises in commercial criminal law. For over 15 years, she has acted as a defence counsel and representative of victims (auxiliary prosecutors) in cases relating to, among other things, money laundering, bribery and corruption, fraud, corporate crimes, insider trading, market abuse, bid-rigging and phishing, as well as in criminal tax proceedings.

Maria has experience in representing clients at both the pre-trial and trial stages. She provides clients with support in emergency situations, including during arrests, searches and other procedural activities, as well as representation and providing support in incidental proceedings, including during witness hearings.

She also provides comprehensive advice to clients at the pre-criminal proceedings stage, including assistance in preparing a ‘defence file’ and providing training on mitigating criminal liability risks, the course of individual stages of criminal proceedings (including arrests), as well as drafting internal procedures in the event of searches. Furthermore, she has extensive experience in conducting internal investigations at both the national and international level. Maria supports organisations in carrying out audits within corporate groups, handling internal reports (whistleblowing), routine compliance checks, and what is referred to as opening audits. As part of these proceedings, she comprehensively manages the entire process, including the mitigation of reputational crises that may arise from identified activities, as well as internal communication within the company’s structures and external communication (including that directed at the media or investors). She also supports clients with preventive measures, including the implementation of internal compliance procedures, the segregation of duties structures and internal reporting mechanisms, to minimise the risk of criminal liability.

Maria Szczepańska also provides comprehensive advice on legal, reputational and image crisis management to both individual clients (HNWI) and companies. In cases concerning the protection of reputation and personal rights, she represents clients at the pre-litigation and litigation stages, and also advises on retractions.

Maria Szczepańska also has experience in international criminal cases, particularly those involving the European Arrest Warrant (EAW). She is fluent in French and English. She is one of a dozen or so lawyers in Poland who are members of the European Criminal Bar Association (ECBA) and its affiliated European Fraud and Compliance Lawyers (EFCL). Since 2021, she has also been a member of the Committee for International Cooperation at the Warsaw Bar Association. Maria is also one of the founders and co-chairs of the Polish chapter of the Women’s White Collar Defense Association (WWCDA).

In 2011, she graduated from the Faculty of Law and Administration at the University of Warsaw, having completed a course in European and French law at the Centre for French Law established by the University of Warsaw in cooperation with Université de Poitiers. In 2016, she completed postgraduate studies in criminal fiscal and commercial law at the Jagiellonian University. She was admitted to the bar in 2015.

Awards and rankings:

In 2022, she was named a winner of the 11th edition of the “Rising Stars: Lawyers – Leaders of Tomorrow” competition, organised by Wolters Kluwer Polska.

Since 2020, she has been listed among the recommended lawyers in the field of White-Collar Crime in the prestigious legal ranking The Legal 500.  In 2025 she was also recognised by that ranking as being in the “Leading Associates” category, and in 2026 in the “Next Generation Partners” category.

In 2026, she was named a recommended lawyer by Chambers & Partners Europe in the “Up and Coming” category in the field of White-Collar Crime & Corporate Investigations.

According to recent reports:

‘Maria Szczepańska provides a rarely seen level of commitment and understanding of the client’s needs and has the ability to take a broad view of the issue and tailor an appropriate strategy’. (Chambers and Partners, 2026)

‘Maria Szczepańska exceeds expectations, she has the knowledge, a perfect attitude and performance’. (Chambers and Partners, 2026)

‘Maria Szczepańska demonstrates outstanding effectiveness, procedural intuition and the ability to manage a case of significant strategic importance to our organisation’. (Chambers and Partners, 2026)

‘Maria Szczepańska has excellent knowledge of legal regulations and procedures and the ability to critically evaluate and select materials and consequently choose the right course of action’. (Chambers and Partners, 2026)

‘Maria Szczepańska’s approachable manner, emotional intelligence and ability to connect with clients make her not only highly effective but also a widely respected lawyer’. (Chambers and Partners, 2026)

‘Maria Szczepańska, as our defence attorney, stands out for her swift actions and comprehensive responses to the court, highlighting the prosecution’s weaknesses.’ (The Legal 500, 2025)

‘Maria Szczepańska acts in a non-standard way, while making sure the client feels secure. She provides excellent client care and has repeatedly demonstrated her experience and specialist knowledge at the highest level.’ (The Legal 500, 2023)

‘A senior associate to notice is Maria Szczepańska. She has out-of-the-box thinking, making her approach to handling legal problems unique. Often, her way of thinking enables her to efficiently tackle such obstacles which other lawyers consider insurmountable.’ (The Legal 500, 2022)

‘Maria Szczepańska is hardworking, highly responsible, knowledgeable, and very good at finding innovative solutions. She was fully committed to every project she was working on for my company.’ (The Legal 500, 2022)

‘The team is highly specialized in multiple areas of law, hence offering clients a comprehensive, holistic approach to legal advice – including but not limited to criminal matters. Their expertise is not limited to white collar crime, but encompasses other areas of law, such as corporate law or corporate governance, relevant to the effective case management in criminal cases. All lawyers are emphatic and work well under pressure, which is of utmost importance from criminal clients’ standpoint. The team is also unique because of its mostly female composition, providing a fresh perspective and definitely standing out from the still male-dominated legal industry.’ (The Legal 500, 2022)