Fieldfisher has hired a team of 25 lawyers including five partners to debut in Poland, as the UK-founded firm continues its European buildout. 

Fieldfisher will open offices in Warsaw and Krakow with a team hired from Polish boutiques B2RLaw and LSW, the firm said Thursday (8 May). The group practices across corporate and M&A, capital markets, dispute resolution, technology, IP, real estate, tax and finance law. 

Entry into Poland will provide Fieldfisher with a strong foothold in the fast-developing Central and Eastern European (CEE) market and is part of its strategy to become Europe’s leading law firm, Fieldfisher said. 

The firm has been building up its European network over the past decade, including opening in Austria in 2023 and Milan last year with a large team recruited from its former Italian ally. The firm’s Polish debut takes its footprint in continental Europe to 16 offices across nine countries, alongside bases in the UK, Ireland, China and the US. 

Robert Shooter, Fieldfisher’s managing partner, pointed to Poland’s robust export performance and significant foreign investment as reasons for the launch.  

Poland’s exports rose by $100bn between 2018 and 2023 when they hit $357bn, according to the OEC. The country’s strategic location, EU membership and skilled labour at a competitive cost is also making it an increasingly attractive location for foreign direct investment, which stood at $28.6bn in 2023 according to UN research – making Poland the 14th-largest recipient worldwide.

“Fieldfisher Poland will enable us to significantly consolidate our presence in CEE, making our platform a compelling option for clients and investors operating in this region,” Shooter added.

Rafal Stroinski and Piotr Szelenbaum will serve as the firm’s joint managing partners in Poland. Both have joined from B2RLaw, where Stroinski was senior partner and practised across private equity and M&A and Szelenbaum led the capital markets and public M&A practices. 

The other partners include Roman Iwanski, who was head of the commercial law and arbitration practices at B2RLaw, and former LSW duo Marcin Huczkowski and Krzysztof Marzynski, who specialise in IP and real estate and construction law respectively. 

The incoming team is completed by a senior counsel, six counsel, 13 lawyers and a further seven business services team members. 

Fieldfisher said the team brought a roster of clients including technology companies, energy providers, investment groups, corporates and manufacturers, in alignment with its sector programme.

“In combination with the firm’s established presence in Germany and Austria, this will place Fieldfisher in a prime position to capitalise on regional opportunities arising from ongoing investment in infrastructure, innovation and sustainable development,” the firm said.  

Fieldfisher’s Europe-focused strategy helped push its revenues up 10% to £359m in the 11 months of trading to 31 March 2024, its new year-end date. Profits per equity partner rose 4% in that time to £966k. 

Its Poland move follows Addleshaw Goddard entering the market earlier this year after taking over Linklaters’ 80-lawyer Warsaw office, in a move that meant the latter no longer has an on-the-ground presence in CEE.

Similarly, DWF recruited Hogan Lovells’ Warsaw head and her nine-lawyer team last December following the transatalantic firm’s decision to shutter the office, citing a focus on “strategic markets”, while in late 2023 Clyde & Co added 20 lawyers from Dentons for its Poland debut.