- LITIGATION, ARBITRATION AND ADR
- WHITE COLLAR CRIME, CYBERCRIME
- PROCEEDINGS RE DAMAGES
- MARITIME LAW
- CORPORATE MATTERS, OWNERSHIP AND ORGANISATIONAL RESTRUCTURING
- EMPLOYMENT LAW, RETAINING MANAGEMENT TALENT
- COMMERCIAL CONTRACTS – NEGOTIATION, DRAFTING AND PERFORMANCE
- E-COMMERCE
- ADMINISTRATIVE PROCEEDINGS
- INVESTMENTS
- ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION
- INDUSTRIAL PROPERTY LAW
- COPYRIGHT, MEDIA LAW
We represent business enterprises before the courts in civil, commercial, administrative, criminal, and employment law cases, and also before arbitration tribunals.
Our partners specialise, in particular:
In representing clients:
- In litigation cases involving property and personal damage, including unusual traffic, maritime, managerial (D&O insurance), real estate development, medical damages
- Before the administrative courts, also with respect to environmental decisions
- In unfair competition cases
- In employment law cases
We also handle cases from all realms of family law.
We attach especial importance to the pre-trial stages so as to maximise opportunities for settlement of the case before it goes to court.
Our services in the field of white collar crime include:
- Internal investigations
- Due diligence focusing on the criminal law aspects of business operations
- Representation of clients before law enforcement agencies and the courts
- Support in cases involving the FCPA and the British Bribery Act
- Advice on criminal liability of collective entities
- Support to entities endeavouring to reclaim losses suffered as a result of cybercrime
We support our clients at all stages of damages proceedings, pre-trial as well as before the courts:
- Attendance to damages procedures at the pre-trial stage
- Filing claims with insurers and/or other relevant entities
- Negotiations with insurers and other relevant entities
- Criminal proceedings against parties liable for accidents
We also:
- Liaise with physicians and experts in other areas in comprehensive preparation for damage claims
Within the broadly understood maritime law, our Law Firm provides legal services in the field of:
– matters related to the Offshore industry, with particular emphasis on the specificity of cases concerning extraction of natural resources from the seabed, status of extraction units in the form of Jack Up drilling platforms, Mobile Offshore Drilling Units (MODU) and auxiliary units;
– advising on insurance of offshore oilfields;
– providing opinions on chartering agreements for commercial and specialized offshore units, with particular emphasis on the requirements applied by the Baltic and International Maritime Council (BIMCO) in connection with international conventions on prevention of oil pollution from ships.
– We advise our clients at every stage of transporting their cargoes while sailing. Bearing in mind both the safety and the economic interest of the shippers, we strive to optimize their decisions regarding:
- selection of the right insurer,
- the level of insurance rates for the indicated types of cargo,
- the type of maritime transport contracts concluded,
- participation in joint accidents and collisions,
- arrest of maritime units on civil and administrative principles.
– At the request of our Clients we also conduct cases in the field of:
- analysis and drafting of shipyard contracts,
- procedures for registration of maritime units,
- establishing mortgages, pledges and privileges on sea-going vessels,
- restructuring of shipping assets,
- proceedings before Polish and foreign maritime administration bodies,
- wet & dry shipping,
- analysis of legal risks related to incidents of vessels in relations ship terminal, ship coastal infrastructure, ship collision sea and inland, ship crew member,
- crisis management of information with the media in case of maritime incidents.
– we also represent domestic and foreign shipowners and other participants in maritime trade in Polish ports, as well as in court and arbitration proceedings, including litigation with captains of vessels for contractual and labour claims,
– through a network of partners cooperating with us, including ship and crewing agents, we secure shipowners’ interests in relations with port terminals, with particular emphasis on container terminals and management companies.
We advise on company law in the context of establishment and current operation of business enterprises:
- Selection of the legal form for business operations
- Incorporation of commercial companies
- Services for governing bodies of commercial companies: general meetings, management board and supervisory board sessions
- Drafting resolutions of the governing bodies of commercial companies
- Drawing up of internal documents (rules, by-laws)
We also advise on transformations and ownership changes of business enterprises:
- Devising new corporate structures
- Corporate transformations, mergers, and demergers
- Transactions for sale and purchase of shares
- Transactions for sale of business enterprises and of their organised parts, sale of assets
- Legal due diligence for M&A transactions
- Winding down of companies
- Exits by partners, associated settlements and claims
- Applications for announcement of bankruptcy
Our services in this field cover:
- Individual labour law:
- Selecting the optimum form of employment (employment contract, commission contracts, etc.), establishment, modification, and termination of the employment relationship
- Day-to-day advice on remunerations and payrolls, working times, leave from work, etc.
- Day-to-day advice on social insurance and payroll taxes
- Litigation in the field of employment law
- Collective labour law:
- Drawing up and implementation of internal labour law sources and their subsequent modification (in-house collective labour agreements, work rules, remuneration and bonus rules, in-house social fund rules)
- Employment restructuring (group redundancies, transformation of the employing establishment)
- Preparation and implementation of other internal regulations (employee assessment systems, anti-mobbing procedures, rules re improvement of qualifications, business travel and employee benefits policies, voluntary departure rules, etc.)
- Support in relations with trade unions and works councils
- Employment of managerial staff
As part of its legal services for commercial contracts, WP Law provides comprehensive services for real estate development projects (from the purchase of investment property, through disputes with contractors, to handling contracts for the sale of real estate).
Our services with respect to commercial contracts include:
- Drafting contracts
- Assessment of legal risks
- Negotiation of contracts
- Identification of optimum legal forms for security
- Elaboration and implementation of contract performance procedures
- Monitoring due performance
- Monitoring contractual settlements
- Enforcement of contractual claims
Our partners bring to the table experience gained, among other projects, during:
- Execution of joint undertakings (joint ventures, consortiums)
- Structuring of financing arrangements
- Machinery and equipment leasing packages of values exceeding PLN 100,000,000
- Negotiation of copyright and licensing deals
- Structuring of advertising, marketing, barter, and sponsoring arrangements
Our services in this dynamic field refer to:
- Devising legal frameworks for operation of internet portals and for provision of services on their basis
- Internet sales of audio and audio-visual content
- Day-to-day advice for internet service providers, including disclosure duties and consumer liability issues
- Advice on roll-out of internet services and platforms
- Personal data management
- Standard form contracts executed on a long-distance basis
- Drawing up rules for online competitions / contests
We bring our extensive experience to bear at all stages of administrative proceedings, in particular as regards:
- The regulatory aspects of construction and infrastructure investments
- Legal support in obtainment of development conditions
- Legal support in obtainment of environmental permits
- Representation in obtainment of construction permits, siting decisions and similar authorities
- Legal support in proceedings before construction oversight authorities
- Advice with respect to water law
- Water development and use, with especial emphasis on issues unique to the river Vistula
- Legal support and advice re geodetics and surveying
- Legal support in private matters, e.g. proceedings concerning foreigners in Poland or change of given names and surnames
- Support in cases regarding environmental damage and exploitation of the natural environment
We provide comprehensive support with respect to construction, infrastructural, and other investments, from the planning stage through final settlement.
Past briefs of our partners include:
- Representation of business enterprises in a project for installation of fibre optic networks
- Representation of developers in residential construction projects
- Certification of multi-unit housing
- Legal support in construction of a natural gas network
- Support in selection of entities for public-private partnerships
- Power generation installations – support in design, approvals, and construction
We provide legal support at all stages of administrative proceedings with respect to environmental law, especially as regards:
- Environmental impact assessments, obtainment of decisions defining environment-related conditions
- Environmental damage cases
- Water law cases
- Analyses and expert opinions needed for environmental impact assessments
To date, our partners have:
- Worked on the regulatory aspects of wind-driven power plant construction
- Worked on proceedings concerning operations of sewage treatment plants and their environmental impact
- Provided legal support on the environmental aspects of securing permits for road construction
- Participated in proceedings re citing of a public utility facility in a nature reserve
- Participated in proceedings re repairs of storm damage at the mouth of the Vistula
- Advised in proceedings for definition of duties re preventing potential damage to the environment
The law firm provides comprehensive services in the field of industrial property rights, including:
- Representing clients in proceedings for obtaining protection rights for trademarks, registration rights for industrial designs and patents for inventions before the Polish Patent Office, administrative courts in Poland, the European Union Intellectual Property Office (EUIPO) in Alicante and the World Intellectual Property Office (WIPO) in Geneva.
- Performing an audit of the legal status of exclusive rights in the enterprise, including analysing the client’s business goals and develops a trademark/product protection strategy on this basis both in terms of the choice of protection in given territories and financial optimization.
- Offering comprehensive services in the field of assessing the registrability of industrial property rights and maintaining the protection of exclusive rights.
- Offering comprehensive support to start-ups, choosing the appropriate protection tools for a particular right, taking into account the optimal scope of commercialization of the solutions
We advise on:
- The legal aspects of media operations, including the electronic media
- Operations of television broadcasters
- Licencing of audio-visual content, including distribution of line-based television channels and VOD
- Licencing of audio content, including securing of music and making it available via music portals
- Discharge of duties vis a vis collective copyright management agencies (e.g. ZAiKS)
- Sale and purchase of air time for commercials, also through advertising brokers
- Cooperation with media houses
- Marketing and PR activities, including:
- Contracts for production of TV and radio commercials and for organisation of advertising campaigns (also outdoor)
- Legal support for cultural and entertainment events, including contracts with artists
- Contracts with institutions rating and researching viewership and marketing impact
- Legal support for competitions, including preparation of contest rules
- Barter and sponsorship agreements
- Licence and copyright agreements for purposes of internet use