Interview with: JAKUB GLADKOWSKI LL.M., MANAGING PARTNER

1) What has been your greatest achievement, in a professional and personal capability?

I succeed in predicting and eliminating clients’ problems to the greatest extent possible. Me and my colleagues pursue the goal for which I act both as a litigator and managing partner of our Polish law firm advising foreign businesses in the IT, technology, defence, life science, energy and investment sectors. I identify with the vision of creating real support for foreign entities in Polish jurisdiction. We are always interested in creative, practical solutions. I have always been fascinated by the epic of pillar, aid and development from productive hard work and commitment, such as Ayn Rand’s Atlas Shrugged.

When I represented my law firm at the ABA Conference in New York this year, I passed by this Atlas sculpture at the Rockefeller Center at the Fifth Ave., the Midtown Manhattan, and I realized how important the responsibility in the implementation of entrusted cases is in the hands of lawyers who want to operate internationally. I think that is why people become lawyers and it is a universal value, regardless of where you are from or where you operate.

That is why we have recently created a separate legal project called ISTART1, a platform dedicated to cross-border venture capital and private equity transactions.

 

2) What do you do differently from your peers in the industry?

KIELTYKA GLADKOWSKI’s team and me in particular focus almost purely on cross border cases. 95% of clients that we have assisted and handle are of international origin. This gives us exceptional and unique experience in intricate global legal advisory work, both litigation, regulatory, transactional, corporate and tax. This was particularly noticed by my peers whom I had the honour to meet during my trips this year to New York, Washington D.C., Paris, London and Seoul.

 

3) What advice would you give to your younger self?

Modest beginnings do not stand for modest mind.

 

 

4) Can you give me a practical example of how you helped a client add value to the business?

I advised the Client to apply foreign law to the transfer of IP in cross border transaction, thus securing considerable profits for the Client’s business;

my team prepared the entire strategy for a very complicated years-long multi-million litigation, which was won by our law firm, while being rated at the beginning as standing very poor chances in court;

thanks to my assistance and experience one corporate foreign client avoided a very risky merger, as a result of our thorough due diligence;

thanks to the cooperation of different teams at our law firm we are currently heading to a successful outcome of one of most well known Ponzi scheme international cryptocurrency cases, involving enforcement of liabilities;

I helped the client to enter one of the Polish most regulated markets.

 

5) Within your sector, what do you think will be the biggest challenge for clients over the next 12 months?

Considerate, yet effective use of AI in many spheres, be it data scraping, production chains, employee profiling. Definitely sanctions and competition. If, specifically Polish market is concerned, many clients will be involved in Ukraine reconstruction which will be a multi layered and complex process, involving careful legal assistance and guidance.