Legal News

Welcome to Warsaw: K&L Gates Takes Hogan & Hartson Poland Practice

By Brian Harris

By Gina Passarella
Of the Legal Staff

K&L Gates has followed up its entrance into the Tokyo and Moscow markets this year with a new office in Warsaw, Poland.

The firm will officially open up shop March 15 with a team of attorneys from Hogan & Hartson.

With its planned merger with U.K.-based Lovells on May 1, Hogan & Hartson would soon have two Warsaw offices. The firm said it was parting ways with its existing 38 lawyers there along with the office space. But Hogan will gain Lovells? Warsaw presence and about 60 attorneys.

"We have enjoyed working with our colleagues in Warsaw, we appreciate their many contributions to our firm over the years, and we wish them the best," Warren Gorrell, Hogan & Hartson?s chairman, said in a statement. "We fully support this arrangement and we are working cooperatively with our Warsaw lawyers and their new firm to facilitate a smooth transition."

A K&L Gates spokesman said about 30 attorneys would be joining the new Warsaw office.

"Warsaw is a strategic location for a global law firm, and we are delighted that this distinguished group of practitioners will found K&L Gates' Warsaw office," K&L Gates Chairman Peter J. Kalis said in a statement. "Poland is a Top 20 global economy and one that has withstood the challenges of the global financial crisis. It is a nation focused on a mission of growth and prosperity, and K&L Gates is honored by this opportunity."

Maciej Jamka will serve as administrative partner of the new office. The team will focus on representing Polish and international clients on transactional, advisory and dispute resolution services. The team joining K&L Gates has worked on some of the country?s largest foreign investments and has done work for the Polish government, the firm said.

"Our clients in Poland will benefit from a truly diversified and dedicated service based on the in-depth knowledge of the local legal system, business culture, and political environment,? Jamka said in a statement.

Full post as published by The Legal Intelligencer Blog on March 01, 2010 (boomark / email).