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Eligiusz Krześniak is the managing partner of our Warsaw office and Professor of the Faculty of Law and Administration at the Lazarski University in Warsaw, where he teaches business law. His practice focuses mainly on telecommunications and media, energy, information technology and M&A transactions, including some of the largest projects in those areas in recent years in Poland. Eligiusz is also arbitrator at the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) in Lausanne, Switzerland, regarded as the Supreme Court of world sport.
Eligiusz, along with the Squire Patton Boggs team, supported, amongst others, T-Mobile S.A., Polkomtel S.A. and Orange Polska S.A. in groundbreaking projects implemented on the telecommunications market – building strategic alliances with partners from other areas of the market, contracts with the regulator or introduction of virtual operators into the Polish market.
For almost two decades, Eligiusz has represented renewable and conventional energy producers, participating in many breakthrough transactions and projects on the Polish market.
He also has extensive experience in advising on mergers and acquisitions. Eligiusz has acted as the lead lawyer on a number of projects regarding the acquisition of enterprises and the assembly, service and licensing of information systems for banks, insurance companies, and IT and telecom equipment suppliers.
In his practice, Eligiusz has repeatedly represented clients in civil and administrative cases, primarily in precedent setting cases in the field of energy law and telecommunications law. He also served as a side arbitrator, the sole arbitrator and chairman in numerous arbitration procedures within two leading arbitration courts in Poland – the arbitration court at the National Chamber of Commerce and the arbitration court at the Polish Confederation of Private Employers, PKPP Lewiatan. Eligiusz also settled international commercial disputes under ad hoc arbitration.
Eligiusz is continually recognised as one of the top lawyers in Poland by Chambers Europe and The Legal 500. He is a frequent speaker at conferences and seminars and the author and co-author of over 60 publications, including six books on commercial laws and sport laws in several countries.
Eligiusz was a member of a nine-person Supervisory Board of PZU S.A. (2016-2017) and up to the end of 2009, he acted as Deputy Chairman of a seven-person Supervisory Board of PKO BP – the largest bank in Poland and one of the largest financial institutions in Central and Eastern Europe.
Until recently he has served as Chairman of the Alior Bank’s Supervisory Board in Poland. Alior is the seventh largest Polish bank with over 10,000 employees and over US$16 billion balance sheet total.
Eligiusz is a member of the board of the Polish Association of Legal Employers.
- Representing Boryszewo Wind Invest Sp. z o.o. from the Enerco/Invenergy group in a 2017 successful dispute with Energa S.A. before one of the courts of appeal and the Supreme Court for unlawful premature termination of a long-term contract for the purchase of green certificates.
- Advising T-Mobile Polska S.A. on a strategic partnership with one of Polish banks to offer a multi-channel access to a wide-range of banking products and services to over 15 million customers of the operator in Poland.
- Representing T-Mobile Polska S.A. in all-embracing negotiations to set up joint venture “Everything Everywhere” with its competitor Orange Polska S.A. The negotiations resulted in setting up the Networks! Sp. z o.o. responsible for the construction of telecommunications infrastructure shared by both operators and in a series of radio access network (RAN) agreements by Orange and T-Mobile; the transaction is an example of one of the few Radio Access Network Sharing projects in the world.
- Representing China National Electric Engineering Co. Ltd., a major Chinese energy construction firm in public procurement proceedings, including before the National Appeal Chamber, concerning construction of two new power stations of a capacity of 1,000 MW and 910 MW, respectively, worth US$1.7 billion and US$1.3 billion, respectively.
- Advising a number of Spanish, Greek, Canadian and German investors operating in the wind energy sector on various corporate and regulatory matters including: regulatory obligations, negotiating the interconnection agreement with the grid operators, negotiating lease agreements with land owners, and taking over existing projects at various stages of development.
- Representing a major Polish renewable energy developer in court proceedings related to the EU funding of a number of biogas projects throughout Poland, involving the total funding of appr. €15 million. The engagement included representation at all stages of administrative and court proceedings, including before the Supreme Administrative Court, and resulted in obtaining high-level rulings of key significance to the practice of distribution of EU funds for similar projects.
- Advising a group of subsidiaries of Invenergy LLC and major Polish renewable energy developers in relation to the financing of two phases of wind farm development to be located in Darłowo in northern Poland. BRE Bank led the consortium of international banks provided the financing, and Wind Invest Sp z o.o. was the main borrower.
- Advising a group of subsidiaries of Invenergy LLC and major Polish renewable energy developers in relation to the obtaining of the interconnection to the national electricity grid of a 250 MW group of wind farms to be located in northern Poland. Squire Patton Boggs’ assistance included the drafting of the full set of documentation covering the connection to the grid, sharing use of infrastructure and management of infrastructure, and distribution of revenue.
- Representing a private equity investor in a venture capital investment in a nationwide cable operator.
- Acting as the lead lawyer in negotiations on behalf of a leading global IT company in agreements for Lukas Bank S.A. regarding the assembly, service and licensing of a computer system.
- Representing and advising Poland-based operators in numerous transactions and projects concerning mobile virtual network operators (MVNOs) and mobile television in digital video broadcasting – handheld (DVB-H) standards.
- Advising Google UK on the launch of the Google Talk project.
- Representing a television broadcaster in arbitration proceedings in Poland and in judicial proceedings in the US, of a value of over US$50 million - in a dispute with a licensee holding limited rights to one of the broadcaster’s channels.
Education
- University of Wroclaw, Dr. Hab., 2017
- University of Wroclaw, Ph.D., 2002
- University of Wroclaw, LL.M., 1998
- Rheinische Friedrich-Wilhelms-Universität Bonn , 1997
- State University of North Carolina, 1996
- Philips Universität Marburg, 1994
Admissions
- District Bar Council, Warsaw, 2002
Languages
- English
- German
- Polish
- Warsaw Office Telecommunications practice recommended as one of the leading practices in Poland according to the Polityka Insight ranking 2017.
- Warsaw Office Energy practice recommended as one of the leading practices according to the Polityka Insight ranking 2017.
- Recognized by The Legal 500 EMEA 2017 for Energy and TMT.
- Recommended in Chambers Europe 2017 for TMT.
- Recommended in The Legal 500 Europe, Middle East & Africa 2016 in energy and natural resources, Poland.
- Recommended in Chambers Europe 2016 for TMT.
- Recommended in The Legal 500 Europe, Middle East & Africa 2016 in TMT, Poland.
- Recommended in The Legal 500 EMEA 2016.
- Recommended in Chambers Europe 2015 for TMT.
- Recommended in The Legal 500 EMEA 2015.
- Recommended in Chambers Europe 2014 for TMT.
- According to The Legal 500 Europe, “At the ‘excellent’ Squire Patton Boggs Swiecicki Krzesniak sp. k., Eligiusz Krześniak and senior associate Igor Hanas ‘are proactive and have an in-depth knowledge of the energy sector’.”
- Chambers Europe states “Eligiusz Krzesniak heads the TMT practice at Squire Patton Boggs. He is best recognised for his experience in the telecommunications sector. He also advises on new technologies.”
- Recommended in Chambers Europe 2013 for TMT.
- Selected by peers as the best Polish TMT lawyer for 2013 and 2014 (Rzeczpospolita rankings).