Kochański & Partners is entering the next stage in the consistent pursuit of its business strategy – consolidation, while increasing the number of its Partners and Equity Partners. Piotr Kochański, Managing Partner, has become head of the integrated New Technologies Practice, with one team being led by Monika Maćkowska-Morytz in her role as Partner. The Firm is joined by Dariusz Dobkowski and Marek Król, who will lead the Global Commercial Practice and the Banking & Finance Practice, respectively. Dariusz Dobkowski, Markiyan Malskyy and Karol Połosak have become Equity Partners. Kochański & Partners has also announced extensive expansion and its plans to open new offices in key Polish business centres.

Increasing the reach of our market offering is being achieved through the diversification and constant expansion of our practices, as well as through increased operational efficiency, with the expected result being cost optimisation and increased potential for innovation. The leadership team will be strengthened by two new Partners, high-calibre lawyers and managers with an excellent reputation and the confidence of the market.

Dariusz Dobkowski, who managed KPMG’s law firm for 25 years, takes on the role of Head of the Global Commercial Practice. Dariusz is an attorney at law admitted in Poland and also a member of and the Bar Associations of the Czech Republic, Hungary and Slovakia. He is also a co-founder of “KPMG Law” in Poland. In his role of Head of Legal CEE,  Dariusz was a member of the Steering Committee of KPMG Global Legal Services and was responsible for the organisation of legal practices in 180 countries worldwide. He has gained vast experience in the area of business law, including M&A, capital restructurings, real estate and forensic proceedings. He has managed hundreds of projects in various sectors of the economy, involving leading Polish and foreign market players.

“For many years I have been impressed by the visionary development plan that Piotr Kochański has drawn up for the Firm. I therefore had no hesitation in accepting the offer to join this ambitious project. I see it as a personal challenge, but at the same time I have no doubt about the result in terms of added value for the market, clients and the Firm itself that will come from combining our potential and experience,” says Dariusz Dobkowski.

Marek Król, one of the most respected figures in the financial sector in Poland, will head the Banking & Finance Practice. He has built his professional experience working with global law firms and banks such as Raiffeisen Bank Polska, Credit Agricole, BNP Paribas, Deutsche Bank, NordeaBank Polska, Svenska Handelsbanken, Citibank, HSBC, Deutsche Bank, ING Bank, Pekao S.A., and PKO BP S.A.

Marek has represented clients in numerous projects in the telecommunications, power, water and gas infrastructure, petroleum, road and commercial real estate industries. He has advised on investment, infrastructure and IT projects. Marek is an expert in project finance, leveraged finance, MBO, LBO, restructurings, syndicated loans, structured finance, leasing and factoring.

“The Firm’s international cooperation and its focus on leading the projects of its global clients provide an ideal environment for implementing client projects around the world. This is my next big professional challenge, and I want to succeed. The current global situation, changes in capital flows, Poland’s changing role in the international arena and challenges related to environmental protection and sustainable development in the broadest sense pose challenges for lawyers, who also bear a great responsibility for their success,” stresses Marek Król.

Significant changes have also been made to the management of the Firm’s third key practice area, the Technology Practice, which will be led by Piotr Kochanski, our Managing Partner.

The new, strengthened structure of this practice will include teams responsible for:

Piotr Kochański has extensive experience in this area, having been one of the leaders who built the legal services market for the innovation and new technology industries, both in its beginnings in the US and later in Poland. He has advised the world’s largest technology companies, such as Intel and Google, in the early days of their operations in Poland.

“My current involvement is a kind of return to my roots, it's very interesting and inspiring, as specialising in dealing with clients using, transferring, financing and protecting their cutting-edge technologies was the foundation of my career, which enabled me to break through and establish myself professionally,” says Piotr Kochański.

Monika Maćkowska-Morytz, an expert in data protection law, compliance, new technologies and cyber security, has also been appointed Partner.

The number of Equity Partners in the Firm has now risen to 16. In addition to Dariusz Dobkowski, the new Equity Partners are Markiyan Malskyy, Partner in charge of the International Commercial Arbitration Practice and our Ukrainian Practice, and Karol Połosak, Partner leading the Corporate Transformation and Consolidation Practice.

Kochański & Partners currently has a team of over 200 people working with global clients on a daily basis from modern offices in Warsaw and Kraków. A new office will soon be opened in Łódź, followed by Bialystok and other major cities in the near future. This is part of a consistent strategy to increase the scale of the Firm's operations and strengthen its position as a Polish National Law Firm.

“We are focused on growing our global practice. Hence the strategic building of alliances and close professional relationships with Pinsent Masons and with our joint network of law firms across Europe. And also with those law firms around the world that want to work specifically with us,“ emphasises Piotr Kochański.