Wolf Theiss appoints Lech Giliciński head of new Warsaw restructuring practice

Lech Giliciński has 27 years of professional experience, focusing on operational and financial turnarounds, distressed asset sales and private equity. Prior to joining Wolf Theiss, he was a partner heading the Banking, Finance and Restructuring Practice in the Warsaw office of DWF (previously K&L Gates). His experience also includes work for White & Case and as principal legal adviser to the Ministry of Justice and the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development during the introduction of Poland’s Bankruptcy and Rehabilitation Law. Lech Giliciński was also the Country Partner for the World Bank in the area of insolvency and restructuring.

“I am really delighted to join this vibrant team of recognized experts at one of the most ambitious law firms in the region, to support its expansion into the high-growth area of corporate restructuring and asset sales,” Lech Giliciński said. “There’s been an increasing number of distressed asset transactions across Europe in past years, notably in the real estate sector. In Poland we’re seeing more and more sales of mortgage and corporate loan portfolios, and this trend is set to continue.”

Also joining Wolf Theiss from DWF is Counsel Joanna Gąsowski, an attorney-at-law admitted to practice in Poland and New York. Joanna Gąsowski, who holds a restructuring advisor license in Poland, focuses on bankruptcy and restructuring proceedings, as well as mezzanine financing for the real estate sector. She has extensive experience representing debtors, funds and Polish and international investors involved in bankruptcies, out-of-court restructurings, foreclosures, distressed asset purchase transactions and trading in loans and claims. In 2018, she won a “Rising Star” award in the IFLR1000 rankings for her work in banking, restructuring and insolvency.

“The arrival of Lech and Joanna marks another important step in the expansion of our firm in Central and Eastern Europe and helps strengthen our truly regional presence,” said Tomasz Stasiak, Co-Managing Partner at Wolf Theiss in Warsaw. “With this new team on board, our clients can rest assured that they are going to obtain best-in-class, expert advice on trading in loan portfolios, distressed asset acquisitions and corporate and financial restructuring.”