Rafał Czyżyk, Co-founder and Managing Partner of CMW Legal.

Attorney at law since 2001. Intern with City law firm in London. In 2002 completed post-graduate studies of European law.

Expert on Polish law before foreign common and arbitration courts (e.g. in England, Israel and South Korea). Author of a number of articles and lectures about shipping, seaports and rail infrastructure. Regular participant in legislative work in the Polish Parliament. Advisor to the Councils of Stakeholders of the Ports of Gdańsk, Gdynia, Szczecin and Świnoujście. Was active on the forum of Polish Shipowners’ Association in Gdynia (PSA) and European Community Shipowners’ Associations in Brussels (ECSA). Co-founder of the Polish Maritime Law Association. President of the Association “By Odra into the World” in Szczecin, which lobbies for the reconstruction of the Odra Waterway. From 2016 to 2021, President of the Dispute Resolution Chamber of the Polish Football Association. Arbitrator of the Football Arbitration Court of the Polish Football Association.

Specialist and practitioner in the fields of seaports, rail infrastructure and transport, freight forwarding, international trade, maritime law and inland navigation. Works on M&A and financing transactions, in particular ship financing. Regularly appears in common courts and arbitration tribunals, both Polish and abroad. Takes interest in legal aspects of Industry 4.0.

Pawel Mickiewicz, Co-founder and Coordinating Partner of CMW Legal.

Studied and graduated a law degree at the University of Szczecin. Since 2005, attorney at law at the District Chamber of Attorneys at Law in Szczecin. In 2002-2003, completed post-graduate studies of the European Law at the Nicolaus Copernicus University in Torun (Poland), and in 2004 – the Maritime Law Short Course at the Institute of Maritime Law, School of Law, University of Southampton (UK). In 2004, Pawel was seconded to and trained at UK law firm, Barlow, Lyde & Gilbert (now Clyde & Co.) in London and in 2008 – at US law firm, Holland & Knight in New York. Cooperated with legal working group and high level ferry group of the European Community Shipowners’ Associations. He is the co-founder and the Secretary of the Board of Management of the Polish Maritime Law Association.

Paweł specialises in domestic and international trade in contractual and non-contractual relations, including domestic and international maritime law. His practice also includes legal services for banking sector, corporate law (including M&A projects), investment financing, including legal advisory on financing projects related to acquisition of ships and other watercrafts.

He has a long-term experience in providing legal services for shipyards and shipping companies, in particular ferry owners and carriers.

Regularly appears in common courts (including securing claims, e.g. through an arrest of a ship) and arbitration tribunals, both Polish and abroad.

Dariusz Szymankiewicz, Attorney at law at CMW Legal.

He graduated a law degree at the University of Szczecin. Since 2001, attorney at law at the District Chamber of Attorneys at Law in Szczecin. He is a lecturer of maritime law at the Maritime University of Szczecin. The author of a number of scientific publications and articles on maritime law and regulations, including maritime safety, maritime insurance and marine environment protection. Member of the Maritime Experts Association of Szczecin. Co-founder and Member of the Audit Committee of the Polish Maritime Law Association. 

Dariusz specializes in national and international maritime law, maritime insurance law, transport law, international trade, as well as sports law. His interests also focus on issues related to registration, construction, repair and purchase of ships, including financing.

He provides legal representation before common courts and arbitration courts, both in Poland and abroad. He also appears in proceedings concerning investigations of causes and circumstances of maritime accidents, including before Polish Maritime Chambers and the State Commission for Investigation of Maritime Accidents.

Sebastian Kita, Attorney at law at CMW Legal.

Head of CMW Legal’s Office in Gdynia and Gdańsk.

Studied and graduated a law degree at the Nicolaus Copernicus University in Torun. Attorney at law at the District Chamber of Attorneys at Law in Gdansk.

He has authored many articles and lectures in the field of shipping and seaports. He was a speaker at theon Annual International Maritime Law Seminar in London. Member of the Polish Maritime Law Association.

Specialist and practitioner in the fields of seaports, infrastructure and transport and contractual and non-contractual relationships.

He advises Clients in the field of intellectual property law, in particular in respect of works, patents, trademarks and industrial designs, as well as provides legal assistance in registering trademarks, industrial designs and patents and represents Clients in litigation proceedings before the Polish Patent Office.

Sebastian provides legal assistance in registering biocidal products in Poland. Regularly appears in common courts and arbitration tribunals, both Polish and abroad.

Piotr Porzycki, Chartered Tax Adviser at CMW Legal.

Head of CMW Legal’s Tax Department.

A graduate of the Faculty of Law and Administration at the University of Szczecin (Law) and SGH Warsaw School of Economics (Transfer Pricing & Tax Risk Management). Author of numerous publications on tax law and participant of scientific conferences devoted to this branch of law.

He also gained his experience in Tax Structuring division of the tax department of KPMG in Poland.

Piotr specializes in advising to companies involved in domestic and international capital groups as well as individual clients i.e. in tax structuring and transaction – tax advisory services, including management buyouts, tax planning for investment scenarios, tax management in private estates, as well as transfer pricing and tax risk management in business and investment activity.

His experience also includes current tax advisory for commercial law companies and individual entrepreneurs in the field of income taxes, indirect taxes, customs and corporate accounting.

He regularly takes cases in tax and customs authorities, as well as administrative courts, including those concerning authorisations to perform customs procedures, reduction of the amount of the customs guarantees, AEO status, temporary storage facilities and TIR Carnets.

Piotr developed and implemented both tax structuring schemes in capital groups, as well as tax planning for transactions of mergers and acquisitions, operations related to real estate deals, projects in the field of debts restructuring and transformations, in

favour of entities operating in such sectors of economy as: banking and finance, maritime transport, shipping and logistics, trade and commodities, energy and real estate.

His interests also include legal and tax advisory related to investments in superyachts, including their construction, financing and registration processes.

Aleksander Karandyszowski, Attorney at law at CMW Legal.

Studied and graduated with a Master of Law degree at the Jagiellonian University in Krakow. At 2017 he passed his bar exam with distinction and became attorney at law at the District Chamber of Attorneys at Law in Szczecin.

Aleksander specializes in Polish and European Data Protection Law, supporting CMW Legal’s Clients in all data protection aspects, in particular those involving business transactions, employment, finance and international trade.

He also practices in Intellectual Property Law and New Technologies Law, providing legal assistance in the field of e-commerce, creative industries, domain name rights, digital marketing, software licenses, copyright infringement and legal aspects of data privacy in IT solutions and online services.

Aleksander represents CMW Legal's Clients before courts in civil and commercial cases, as well as before administration authorities, including proceedings before the Personal Data Protection Office (UODO) and the Office of Competition and Consumer Protection (UOKiK).

Łukasz Radosz, Attorney-at-law in CMW Legal.

The graduate of the Faculty of Law and Administration of the University of Szczecin. In addition, he graduated in economics of the Faculty of Economics and Management of the University of Szczecin.

His main interests are in the following areas: labour, civil, commercial and economic laws. He has extensive experience in comprehensive legal services for business entities, in particular in the area of labour law and social security, including labour agreements, internal company regulations, employee liability, individual and group redundancies, employment litigation, occupational health and safety, inspections in workplaces or relationships with trade unions.

He also deals with issues of temporary work, posting of workers and employing foreigners. As part of his practice, he participates in carrying out investment and restructuring projects, including preparing legal audits, and provides support in negotiating, preparing and reviewing contracts. He represents Clients in proceedings before courts, offices and public administration bodies.

Marcin Borowski, Attorney at law at CMW Legal.

Marcin’s practice, in particular, focuses on providing legal assistance to entrepreneurs in both the private and public sectors and to non-profit organizations, preparing, assessing and participating in negotiations aimed at conclusion of commercial agreements.

He provides consulting services regarding planning (including preparing of due-diligence reports) and implementing of investment and restructuring projects of business entities as well.

Marcin also works in the field of bankruptcy and restructuring proceedings of companies, representing both creditors and debtors at every stage of these proceedings, as well as he provides comprehensive legal services related to real estates.

Gracjan Butkiewicz, trainee attorney at CMW Legal.

He graduated in law from the University of Szczecin.

Gracjan provides ongoing legal services to entrepreneurs in the field of corporate law and debt collection. Moreover, his professional practice focuses largely on all issues related to registration proceedings.

Mikołaj Machnio, Legal assistant at CMW Legal.

A graduate of the Faculty of Law and Administration at the University of Szczecin (Law). During his academic studies he gained experience in bailiff's offices and law firms located in Szczecin, Poland.

Mikołaj is a certified specialist in management accounting and a finalist of practical knowledge competitions in the field of tax law, organized by representatives of the "Big Four".

The subject of his interest is tax law and environmental law. He also focuses on issues related to enforcement and bankruptcy proceedings.

He is fluent in English and German.