Our associations
To realise its aim of being a leading independent Polish law firm operating internationally, our Law Firm has built up an extensive network of relationships with many professional associations.
Whether as a firm or through the personal engagement of our individual Partners, we are members of many international professional organisations: The American Bar Association, The International Trademark Association, The Polish Wind Energy Association among others. Together, we provide full multi-jurisdictional integrated advice.
Our contacts within the professional organisations provide us with access to legal expertise and solutions worldwide. Thus we can offer advisory services to Polish firms that are interested in expanding their operations to the international market and also to foreign firms seeking advice on Polish law. Our network of associations also enables us to obtain opinions and information on solutions that are frequently applied abroad, to foster innovation through publications, conferences and standards development.
International Bar Association
The International Bar Association (IBA), which was founded in 1947, is an international organisation of lawyers, lawyer societies and bar associations. It fulfils a leading role in shaping the international law reform and the future of the legal profession. It consists of over 35,000 individual lawyers and 197 bar associations and law societies all over the world. The IBA facilitates the exchange of information related to the law and legal practices in various countries, promotes the lawyers' right to practise without interference and supports human rights for lawyers.
International Lawyers Network
International Lawyers Network is an association of 91 law firms and over 5,000 lawyers in 66 countries. It has been created in order to meet the increasing demand for legal advice in cross-border transactions and disputes as well as to provide reliable advice on the laws and regulations in various countries. The ILN members offer help and guidance in a wide range of practice areas, such as corporate and commercial law, securities law, taxation, commercial litigation, employment and expatriate law, government contracting, intellectual property law, estate planning and administration, alternative dispute resolution.
International Trademark Association (INTA)
International Trademark Association (INTA) - founded in 1878, is a worldwide not-for-profit membership association of more than 5,500 member companies and firms from more than 190 countries. INTA is dedicated to the support and advancement of trademarks and related intellectual property.
Union of European Practitioners in Intellectual Property (UNION-ip)
UNION-ip is an association of practitioners in the field of intellectual property, that is of individuals whose principal professional occupation is concerned with patents, trade marks or designs and related questions and who carry on their profession independently or as employees. UNION-ip is an organisation having approximately 600 members.
The British-Polish Chamber of Commerce
The British-Polish Chamber of Commerce (BPCC) has been active in Poland and Great Britain for almost 20 years. Currently, there are around 500 members, companies with offices in Poland and Great Britain. The Chamber has daily contact with over 1680 representatives (managers and owners) of companies in Poland and Europe. Among the corporate members are leading British investors in Poland, whose investments have guaranteed them a strong position in the top ten of foreign investors in Poland. Member companies employ hundreds of thousands of people in Poland. The BPCC is an independent, non-governmental organisation. Its main objective is to develop British-Polish business relations. The BPCC is first and foremost a reliable source of information on the business climate and on running a business in Poland (for those from Great Britain) and vice-versa (for businesses from Poland). The Chamber organises regular meetings such as seminars, conferences, working breakfasts or less official cocktail parties and balls. These meetings are held in Katowice, Kraków, Łódz, Poznań, the Tri-City area, central Warsaw, Wrocław and London. The BPCC publishes a magazine "Contact International Business Voice" (also available on line: www.contactbpcc.pl) and manages the British-Polish business portal: www.bpcc.org.pl, one of the most comprehensive bi-lingual sources on business conditions in Poland and Great Britain, offering interesting partnership opportunities for companies from both countries.
The French Chamber of Commerce
The French Chamber of Commerce (CCIFP) started in April 1994, as an initiative of French companies. CCIFP is a member of the Union of French Chambers of Commerce in Paris. There are currently over 330 members operating in different sectors. Among them there are large companies, but also small and medium-sized French and Polish enterprises. Approximately 80% of the companies are located in Warsaw, the rest in the other regions of the country. CCIFP members consist of both French companies (with a presence in the Polish market) and Polish companies (cooperating with France). One of the priorities of the Chamber’s strategy for further development is to intensify its efforts to increase cooperation with Polish companies. The French Chamber is an association of employers. It is an independent structure and does not receive any financial assistance from any public institutions. Its revenue comes from the services and benefits offered to member companies.
The German-Polish Chamber of Commerce
Founded in 1994 (AHK Poland) (German: Deutsch-Polnische Industrie-und Handelskammer, Polen AHK) is the largest bilateral chamber of Poland, with a membership of over 950 companies. AHK Poland is one of 83 German Foreign Chambers of Commerce (AHK), recognized by the German Association of Chambers of Commerce and National Chamber of Commerce. The main tasks of the Chamber consist of supporting German companies in Poland, Polish companies in Germany and the provision of information about the German market in general. To fulfill its function, AHK Poland offers a variety of services: market and legal advice, Incasso, VAT refunds abroad, arbitration, the outsourcing of accounting services, cooperation exchanges, advice on environmental protection, assistance with EU subsidies, various training courses, the organisation of various events as well as advertising through AHK Poland media. The German-Polish Chamber of Commerce offers a full media portfolio which includes: a website (www.ihk.pl), a B2B (Business-to-Business) sales and purchases platform (www.marktplatz.pl), a free monthly newsletter (also on sale in Empik) and the bimonthly “Wi”, consisting of news on the economy. The Chamber’s media provides information and news about the latest activities and events of AHK Poland, on the economic (and cultural) situation in Poland and Germany and also offers opportunities for both member and non-member companies to introduce themselves.
The Polish-Spanish Chamber of Commerce
The Polish-Spanish Chamber of Commerce was established in 2000 and is a non-profit, official, non-government institution that represents Polish and Spanish companies engaged in mutual commercial and scientific co-operation.
The Chamber comprises of over 120 member companies and is one of the most dynamic bilateral chambers functioning in Poland, with a continuous increase in the number of companies joining. The Chamber protects and represents the interests of its members through facilitating the search for trade partners and creating information about member-firm activities in both Poland and Spain.
In addition, the Chamber provides market and financial-economic information to promote exports, scientific-technical-industrial co-operation and helps to organise exhibitions, trade fairs, seminars and other promotional activities. Members are updated on a day-to-day basis about any events connected with the economies of Poland and Spain.
The Chamber works together with the Spanish Embassy in Poland, the Polish Embassy in Madrid, the Polish Consulate General in Barcelona, trade departments of diplomatic posts, the Polish Chamber of Commerce and other regional, industry specific chambers.
The Legal 500
The Legal 500 series of guides has been published for more than 20 years. It presents the most comprehensive information on the providers of legal services. It is considered to offer a reliable and definitive opinion on the strengths and strategies of law firms in over 90 countries. The content of the series is now available on a website at Legal500.com. The website also contains numerous articles, briefings and updates. The publisher, Legalease, was founded in 1987 and since then it has created high-quality legal publications such as magazines, journals, textbooks and online articles.
Mackrell International
Mackrell International is a network which consists of more than 60 medium-sized law firms worldwide. It was founded in 1987 and named after John Mackrell, a 19th century London lawyer, who was known for his commercial approach to legal matters and who founded a scholarship for legal excellence. The members of MI are characterised by a high standard of the offered services and by the adaptability to the changing commercial and financial conditions.
Martindale-Hubbell
Martindale-Hubbell is a network of legal contacts, offering a huge database of more than one million lawyers and law firms all over the world, as well as a legal resources section and a career center. It is also an effective way to promote legal services. Martindale-Hubbell Connected is an online community for legal professionals which enables them to communicate and collaborate with their colleagues worldwide.
Practical Law Company
Practical Law Company (PLC) provides legal know-how, transactional analysis and market intelligence for lawyers. They cooperate with both private and commercial client lawyers, offering them innovative and practical solutions in know-how, technology and practice development. They do not simply publish resources, but they maintain and deliver guidance, analysis and materials to lawyers. The company also provides a library of publications, a Which lawyer? database of lawyers and law firms worldwide as well as e-learning courses for non-lawyers.
The Polish Wind Energy Association
The Polish Wind Energy Association is a non - governmental organization established in 1999 (formerly known as „VIS VENTI Association for Supporting Wind Energy"). The Association acts on the basis of the Associations Act.
The Association was established by a group of people interested in implementation of wind power technologies in Poland. It is one of the most effective organizations lobbying for creation of a suitable legal framework allowing for development and operation of renewable energy sources in Poland, in particular of wind power.
Polish Association of Legal Employers
The Polish Association of Legal Employers is an organization that brings together law firms operating on the Polish legal services market.
Advocates, legal advisors and lawyers that are un-affiliated with any professional governing body, all work together in law firms. Each of these groups is subject to different regulations of professional conduct or disciplinary responsibility. The Polish Association of Legal Employers gathers together legal employers and is particularly interested in the reform of the legal professions that would harmonize these regulations and facilitate the functionality of law firms. It is important to member firms that their views be taken into account in the legislative work on the reform of the legal professions.
The Polish Association of Legal Employers has the following aims:
- to represent law firms before state and local government institutions;
- to develop standards of functionality of modern law firms in the legal services market;
- to organize and co-ordinate the efforts of law firms aiming to enhance the professional qualifications of lawyers;
- to promote a favorable image of the legal professions and of law firms;
- to facilitate the exchange of knowledge between law firms.
The Association intends to implement these aims by presenting its views upon issues connected to the legal professions before public authorities, professional legal governing bodies and legal organizations in matters concerning legal employers. Providing opinions on legal regulation proposals is a further way we implement our aims.
The Polish Association of Legal Employers also wishes to play a central role with developing the legal services market through organizing training courses, seminars, conferences etc to facilitate the exchange of opinions and knowledge. Members can be legal employers (individuals, legal entities or organizational entities without legal personality) who operate businesses in Poland consisting of providing legal services and who employ staff.
Members have the right to: participate in the work of the Association and its bodies, support from the Association in matters covered by its statutes, access any information about the Association and put forwards proposals concerning the Association’s scope of activities.
Currently, the Polish Association of Legal Employers consists of the following law firms:
- Allen & Overy, A. Pędzich, limited partnership;
- Baker & McKenzie Gruszczyński & Partners, limited partnership;
- Beiten Burkhardt P. Daszkowski limited partnership;
- Chajec, Don-Siemion & Żyto;
- Clifford Chance, Janicka, Namiotkiewicz, Dębowski & Partners, limited partnership;
- CMS Cameron McKenna Dariusz Greszta limited partnership;
- Dewey & Leboeuf Grzesiak limited partnership;
- Domański Zakrzewski Palinka limited partnership;
- Hogan & Hartson Jamka limited partnership;
- Kochański, Zięba, Rąpała and Partners registered partnership;
- Linklaters C. Wiśniewski i Wspólnicy limited partnership;
- Norton Rose Piotr Strawa i Wspólnicy, limited partnership;
- Nowosielski, Gotkowicz i Partnerzy Advocates & Legal Advisors;
- Kancelaria Adwokacka Marcina Radwan-Röhrenschefa RöHRENSCHEF;
- Salans, D.Oleszczuk Kancelaria Prawnicza limited partnership;
- Sołtysiński & Szlęzak Kancelaria Radców Prawnych i Adwokatów, limited partnership;
- Tokarczuk, Jędrzejczyk i Wspólnicy - Kancelaria Prawna GLN limited partnership;
- Wardyński i Wspólnicy, limited partnership;
- Weil, Gotshal & Manges - Paweł Rymarz, limited partnership;
- White & Case W. Daniłowicz, W. Jurcewicz i Wspólnicy - Kancelaria Prawna, limited partnership;
- Wierciński, Kwieciński, Baehr, limited partnership.
www.pracodawcyprawniczy.org.pl
American Bar Association
The ABA is the largest voluntary professional association in the world. With more than 400,000 members, the ABA provides law school accreditation, continuing legal education, information about the law, programs to assist lawyers and judges in their work, and initiatives to improve the legal system for the public.
The ABA current structure includes 22 sections, six divisions, and six forums. Sections range in size from about 2,300 members to more than 70,000. They draw their membership from lawyers, judges, academicians and law students with common professional interests, and operate much like independent bar associations with their own officers, dues, programs, publications, and committees.
The ABA addresses professional development, improvement of laws, and continuing education through the work of more than 3,500 committees and publications of outstanding quality. Collectively, these entities publish numerous magazines, journals, newsletters and new books each year, making the ABA one of the largest publishers of legal information in the world. Sections also contribute to policy-making, both in their subject areas and association-wide.