15 January
The World Jewish Restitution Organization (WJRO) put Woźniak Legal on a list of trusted attorneys, who are highly recommended for property restitution cases in Poland. The WJRO is an organisation which supports restitution of private property which belonged to Jewish families before the Second World War.
21 February
On 21 February 2017 Woźniak Legal organised the 2. Global Law Conference in Warsaw under the auspices of the Polish National Bar and National Council of Legal Advisers of Poland. This year's topic was “The Future of Legal Professions” which was closely related to the thought-provoking and inspiring book by Professor Richard Susskind under the same title. The role of technology in the practice of law was presented by leading experts in those fields. One of the distinguished speakers was Professor Samuel A. Bleicher of the Georgetown University (Washington, DC). Other speakers were att. Jędrzej Klatka, adv. Wojciech Bergier, prof. Ewa Gmurzyńska and att. Grzegorz Woźniak.
6-7 March
We attended the 22nd Annual International Wealth Transfer Practices Conference which took place in London on 6-7 March 2017. It was organized by the Individual Tax and Private Client Committee of the IBA. The conference was an important annual event to Private Client practitioners from all of the world.
The conference focused on issues related to wealth management, asset protection, matrimonial property regimes, and tax compliance. The conference panels revolved around i.a. recent trends associated with changes to inheritance, estate and wealth taxes across different jurisdictions.
22-25 March
We attended the International Academy of Family Lawyers (IAFL) which took place in Lisbon on 22-25 March 2017. IAFL is a worldwide association of practising lawyers who are recognised by their peers as the most experienced and skilled family law specialists in their respective countries. This year’s topic was surrogacy and transgender issues.
2 April
The Legal 500 ranking for 2017 was published. Woźniak Legal was ranked as No 1 law firm in Poland in the area of private client for the second year running.
26 April
Grzegorz Woźniak and Adrian Andrychowski helped the European Shoah Legacy Institute to prepare the Immovable Property Study 2014-2017. The study examines whether and to what extent Poland is meeting the restitution standards established by the Terezin Declaration of 2009.
15 May
To celebrate the 10th anniversary of the firm the cocktail party was held at our premises at Śniadeckich 17 in Warsaw. This was a special moment for us, which gathered together us, our clients and the friends of the firm. During the cocktail, Grzegorz Woźniak gave a speech on the firm’s future strategies.
29 June
Woźniak Legal attended the international conference “The Confiscation of Property in Poland and Efforts at Restitution” organized in Warsaw by the World Jewish Restitution Organization. Grzegorz Woźniak gave a speech on facts and myths about the so-called “wild reprivatisation” in the panel which revolved around the experience of Polish lawyers dealing with restitution cases.
The conference took place at the Cardinal Stefan Wyszyński University in Warsaw and covered restitution in an international perspective. It featured many international speakers and attendees, including representatives of major world restitution organizations and leading American restitution lawyers.
4 August
Woźniak Legal was shortlisted for the ‘Excellence in International Legal Services’ award by the Law Society of England and Wales. The annual Excellence Awards, run for the 11th time by the association representing and governing the lawyers’ profession, are one of the most sought-after awards in the legal world. It was a great commendation for our firm.
The International Legal Services category recognises law firms with an innovative approach to the delivery of legal services in today’s international marketplace.
5 September
On 5 September 2017, at the request of the Law Society of England and Wales, Woźniak Legal attended a seminar on doing legal business in the CEE countries. Grzegorz Woźniak and Adrian Andrychowski gave a speech on the Intermarium project (or the so called The Three Seas Initiative) and the energy and infrastructure connections in the region. The aim of the seminar was to explore business opportunities in Poland and other CEE countries.
The seminar was a major success for our firm. The discussion panels revolved around the cooperation in the CEE region, including in particular energy and infrastructure. In the history of most countries, opportunities such as the Intermarium project have not cropped up often. In fact, very rarely. Donald Trump's visit to Warsaw on 6 July 2017 and his meeting with regional leaders was the first step towards improving trade, infrastructure and energy links among the 12 nations in the region. Trump's presence in Poland showed how important this project is for the United States. Stable Poland and stable Intermarium translate to stability of the whole region.
The conclusion of the seminar was that the CEE countries require economic integration along the north-south axis and deliveries of LNG could be a game-changer.
15 September
The Chambers HNW (high net worth) 2017 ranking was announced in London during the glamorous gala in the Institute of Directors in London. Woźniak Legal was ranked as No 1 law firm in Poland in the area of private client.
Our law firm was recognised as a one-stop shop for private clients, providing a broad range of services including tax planning, succession planning, wealth management and charitable matters. Grzegorz Woźniak and Grzegorz Dudek were classified as leading private wealth lawyers in Poland.
Grzegorz Woźniak is described as a passionate lawyer, who is also ambitious and set to achieve high international standards, while Grzegorz Dudek is described as diligent, versatile and flexible.
19 October
Woźniak Legal attended the prestigious gala on announcing the Excellence Awards of the Law Society for 2017. We were shortlisted for the “Excellence in International Legal Services”. The gala was held at the London Hilton on Park Lane hotel. The special guest speaker at the gala was Lord Justice Hickinbottom. The awards ceremony was attended by over 700 people representing the best law firms and from the legal profession.
The Excellence Awards are granted by the Law Society in London for over 11 years now. The awards are granted to individuals, teams and law firms. Being shortlisted for the award was a great commendation for our firm.
15 November
The International Advisory Experts chose our associate, Adrian Andrychowski, as the Construction Disputes lawyer of the year in Poland.
International Advisory Experts annual awards recognise law firms and their practitioners who have been particularly successful and have received praise from their peers.
1 December
On 1 December 2017 our network of ex-Allen&Overy lawyers held its meeting in Bratislava. The name “New Circle” was adopted for the network.
It was a great year!