Green Guide Profile: Sołtysiński Kawecki & Szlęzak

Poland

With an interdisciplinary ESG team comprising environmental and energy law experts, Sołtysiński Kawecki & Szlęzak stands out in the renewable energy space for its focus on the offshore wind and photovoltaic sectors. The team also provides comprehensive advice on sustainable energy sector infrastructure investments, compliance with energy regulatory obligations and emission allowances, and sustainable financing instruments such as green loans and sustainability-related loans.

In addition to recently advising Alternus Energy Group, an international producer of independent electricity from renewable sources, on the purchase of the 65 MW Witnica solar park, the firm assisted Sunly Group in the acquisition and financing of 202 photovoltaic and energy storage park projects in Poland.

For German client Kelfield Deutschland, the firm managed the development of one of the first large agro-PV projects in Poland with a capacity of 1.1 MW in the Pomerania region, along with an onshore wind farm with a capacity of around 30-100 MW.

Two other noteworthy projects are assisting major Polish food retailer Jeronimo Martins Polska in obtaining a record 1.5-billion-zloty financing to improve energy efficiency and sustainable development, and advising Korea Development Bank, the Export-Import Bank of Korea and NongHyup Bank on all aspects of Polish law related to financing the construction of one of the first large-scale lithium plants in Europe.

Internally, the firm continues to participate in WLG | impact, World Law Group’s third annual corporate social responsibility project, where the team was recently involved in planting trees for 10 days in a row, donating PLN 1 for each tree planted.

The team includes head of the firm’s energy practice Krzysztof Cichocki, known for his extensive knowledge of both conventional and renewable energy power plants, energy and natural resources law specialist Tomasz Młodawski, who is also a member of the Polish Association of Energy Lawyers, and Łukasz Wyszomirski, who specialises in the development of complex infrastructure and renewable energy projects.

Krzysztof Cichocki | Partner, Attorney-at-Law 

His expertise covers energy law, public procurement and real estate law. Advises on construction and infrastructure projects. Has gained extensive experience in industrial (greenfield) projects in special economic zones. A member of the Energy Law Group. 

Tomasz Młodawski | Partner, Attorney-at-Law 

Specialises in energy law, with a focus on regulations for the power, gas and district heating sectors. Advises and represents entrepreneurs in regulatory disputes, as well as in connection with the implementation of projects and takeovers in the energy sector. Advises on optimisation of the cost of the acquisition of energy. His practice also covers consultancy and representation in the field of natural resources. 

Dr. Łukasz Wyszomirski | Partner, Attorney-at-Law 

Supports clients in preparing and implementing complex infrastructure projects, primarily in the energy sector, with a particular focus on offshore wind energy and in the acquisition of such projects. He advises at all stages of the investment process, i.e. real estate acquisition, permitting, and contracting (EPC, technology supply, and O&M). Moreover, he offers legal support on environmental and waste management matters. He represents clients in disputes in this area before administrative authorities and administrative courts. He has authored publications on administrative law, and co-authored a leading commentary on the Code of Administrative Procedure. 

Zbyszko Wizner | Senior Partner, Attorney-at-Law 

Head of the firm’s Infrastructure practice group. In addition, he focuses mainly on advising clients from the energy and construction sectors. Provides advice on energy, construction and infrastructure projects, including on construction contracts (FIDIC and non-FIDIC), and those subject to public procurement procedures, handles administrative and court proceedings related to the energy sector and construction projects. Appears as a lecturer and moderator at workshops and conferences on the infrastructure sector. 

Dr. Marcin Olechowski | Partner, Attorney-at-Law 

Partner and coordinator of the Banking and Finance Department. Provides advice on complex regulatory issues regarding banking law and financial institutions. Works on merger and acquisition transactions as well as loan transactions. Represents clients in proceedings before the Polish Financial Supervision Authority (KNF). Acts as an attorney-in-fact in numerous international arbitration proceedings in Vienna, London, the Hague, and Geneva under the Vienna, LCIA, UNCITRAL, and ICC rules and as an attorney-in-fact before the Court of the First Instance of the European Communities. An Assistant Professor at the Institute of Civil Law, Faculty of Law and Administration, University of Warsaw, where he runs classes, and a Lecturer at the School of French and European Law, Faculty of Law and Administration, University of Warsaw and University of Poitiers. Holds the function of an arbitrator of the Court of Arbitration at the Polish-German Chamber of Industry and Commerce in Warsaw. A member of the Henri Capitant Association of Friends of French Legal Culture, Young International Arbitration Group (YIAG), Association Européenne de Droit Bancaire et Financier (AEBDF), the Polish Arbitration Association (PSSP), and the International Bar Association (IBA). He is a Co-Head of the firm’s ESG Team. 

Borys D. Sawicki | Senior Counsel, Attorney-at-Law 

Borys supports clients on all matters related to sustainable transformation, including sustainability reporting in accordance with the CSRD and the ESRS, the EU Taxonomy, as well as financial market participants’ disclosure obligations under the SFDR. He also advises on sustainability financings, including sustainability-linked loans and „green” loans under, among others, the LMA Green Loan Principles and the Equator Principles (EP 4). 

He is a member of the ESG Committee at the National Chamber of Commerce, a member of the EFRAG support group for the development of reporting standards for small and medium-sized enterprises (VSME ESRS) and a member of the ESG Innovators Council at the Polish ESG Association. Borys is also an expert working within a working group on application of the EU Taxonomy under the auspices of the Polish Ministry of Development and Technology and a member of the minimum safeguards working group at the Polish Banking Association (Polish: Związek Banków Polskich). He co-heads the firm’s ESG Team. 

Borys regularly publishes and lectures on matters related to sustainable development and ESG. Among others, he is a lecturer at the ESG School organised by the National Chamber of Commerce and at post-graduate courses in sustainability and financing organised by the University of Wroclaw and the Kozminski University. He also advises on project finance, structured finance, and leveraged finance transactions particularly in the energy, infrastructure, and real property sectors, as well as on securitisation, factoring, and leasing transactions. 

Sołtysiński Kawecki & Szlęzak (SK&S) is an independent Polish law firm, that provides comprehensive legal services to businesses from Poland and abroad. Since 1991, we have secured a leading position in the legal services market. Our team consists of over 180 lawyers, and we regularly collaborate with the largest international law firms. 

Our lawyers, in addition to their knowledge of business law, have rich experience gained while advising Polish and foreign companies operating in various industries and sectors of the economy. 

Energy Law 

SK&S offers comprehensive legal services to the energy sector, drawing on years of experience and a deep understanding of industry regulations. Our team provides expert advice on investments, regulatory compliance, emission rights, and dispute resolution. 

Whether you’re investing in energy infrastructure, navigating regulatory challenges, or optimising energy costs, SK&S is your go-to partner. We offer tailored solutions for energy companies, investors, producers, network operators, traders, and clients from energy-intensive sectors. 

Our team of specialists in energy law advises investors, energy companies, energy project developers, producers, network operators, energy traders and sellers, energy buyers, as well as clients from energy-intensive sectors. We also work for the providers of financing in energy projects. We provide comprehensive advice on investments in energy infrastructure, regulatory duties, emission rights, and regulatory disputes. 

We provide comprehensive advice on all the issues that are relevant to the energy sector, such as investments in energy infrastructure, the regulatory duties in the energy and fuels markets, compliance with regulatory requirements and disputes, optimisation of costs of acquisition of energy and fuels and emission rights. We represent clients in regulatory disputes concerned with penalties, tariffs, State aid as well as in disputes arising in situations where a party intends to connect to the network, and over the designation of network operators. 

Environmental Protection 

We advise companies and public agencies on all aspects of environmental law. Our services include environmental impact assessments, waste management, gas emissions, noise, water, wastewater, recycling, greenhouse gases, and REACH compliance. We serve clients from various sectors such as industry, commerce, energy, mining, waste management, automotive, transport, and agriculture. 

We advise on the implementation of investments in power plants, networks, storage facilities, and DSR resources. We support clients in acquisitions, due diligence, and contract negotiations. We provide guidance on compliance with regulatory duties in energy, fuel, and emission rights markets. We represent clients in disputes involving fines, network connections, tariffs, and state aid settlements. We advise on the purchase and cost optimisation of energy and fuels, and we advise on project analyses, loans, bonds, and capital investments. 

ESG (Environmental, Social, and Corporate Governance) and Sustainability 

Our team of specialists in Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) provides guidance to the clients on navigating the complex landscape of new European Union regulations promoting sustainable development. These regulations include the Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD) and its associated European Sustainability Reporting Standards (ESRS), the EU Taxonomy, and the Sustainable Finance Disclosure Regulation (SFDR). We assist in understanding and complying with these requirements, helping to integrate sustainability into the business operations and reporting. 

In essence, our ESG team helps businesses become more sustainable and meet the increasing demands of regulators and investors. 

Key areas where we provide advice and expertise regarding ESG and sustainability issues: 

  • Sustainability reporting 
  • EU Taxonomy 
  • Green and social financing 
  • Credit institutions 
  • SFDR 
  • Greenwashing 
  • M&A transactions 
  • Proceedings by the Financial Supervisory Authority 
  • Energy efficient buildings