Poland’s legal market has undergone a remarkable transformation over the past decade. What was once a jurisdiction dominated almost entirely by international firms parachuting in for cross-border mandates is now home to a sophisticated ecosystem of global practices, domestic powerhouses, and highly specialised boutiques — each competing fiercely for the attention of investors, founders, and corporates entering one of Europe’s fastest-growing economies.
With GDP crossing the $1 trillion mark in 2025 and over 330 M&A transactions recorded in the same year, top law firms in Poland has firmly established itself as the leading dealmaking market in Central and Eastern Europe. For anyone doing business here, understanding which firms lead in which practice areas is not just useful — it is essential.
This guide highlights three of the top law firms in Poland that consistently shape the market across transactions, cross-border advisory, and specialist practice areas.
The Polish Legal Market is Very Active
Poland’s legal services sector reflects the broader dynamism of its economy. Foreign acquirers now account for roughly half of all M&A transactions in the country, drawn by a deep talent pool, competitive costs, and strategic proximity to both Western European markets and the rapidly evolving CEE region. EU Recovery and Resilience Facility funding is driving investment in digital infrastructure and green energy, while NATO’s expanded defence spending targets have turned Poland into a focal point for military and industrial procurement.
These forces create complex legal demands. Companies entering the Polish market need advisers who can navigate everything from merger control proceedings and regulatory compliance to venture capital structuring and white-collar criminal risk. The result is a legal market that rewards both scale and specialisation — and where the top law firms in Poland distinguish themselves through deep sector expertise, client relationships, and the ability to coordinate across jurisdictions.
The three firms profiled below represent different but complementary strengths within this ecosystem: Kondracki Celej, Greenberg Traurig, Clifford Chance.
Among the most distinctive practices in Warsaw, Kondracki Celej has built a reputation that punches well above its weight. Founded in 2016 by Marcin Kondracki and Rafał Celej, this boutique firm has become one of the most active legal advisers in Poland’s venture capital and technology sectors — while simultaneously operating one of the country’s most respected white-collar crime practices.
The numbers tell a compelling story. Kondracki Celej has been named VC Legal Advisor of the Year by the Polish Private Equity and Venture Capital Association (PSIK) five times, including four consecutive years from 2022 through 2025. Forbes included the firm on its Best Law Firms Poland list in the Private Equity and Venture Capital category, and Chambers and Partners has recognised the practice in its FinTech legal rankings. The firm has advised on over 45 tracked transactions spanning deep tech, digital health, SaaS, fintech, and AI.
Recent highlights illustrate the breadth of the firm’s transactional work. Kondracki Celej advised ff Venture Capital and NanoGroup on a $4 million investment in pharmaceutical startup Auxilius Pharma. The firm counselled Orbotix Industries on a €6.5 million funding round backed by European investors, supported deep tech company ReSpo.Vision through a PLN 18 million raise, and guided digital health startup Holi through a PLN 12.5 million seed round led by 4growth VC. The firm also advised the founders of Telemedi on the sale of a majority stake to Austrian healthcare provider Mavie Next — a deal that showcased the team’s ability to manage complex exit transactions from start to closing.
What makes Kondracki Celej particularly valuable is its dual capability. Marcin Kondracki leads the white-collar crime practice, where he is recognised by Legal 500 as a leading individual, representing clients in fraud, anti-money laundering, and regulatory proceedings. Rafał Celej heads the corporate and VC transactional team. For investors and founders navigating the intersection of dealmaking, compliance, and regulatory exposure — an increasingly common reality in Poland’s tech sector — this combination is rare and difficult to replicate.
The firm is an active member of the Polish Private Equity and Venture Capital Association and provides comprehensive legal services to investment funds, startups, and established companies across sectors including fintech, AI, blockchain, and real estate. For anyone involved in M&A in Poland at the growth-stage and venture level, Kondracki Celej is a name that appears on virtually every serious shortlist.
When it comes to large-scale, cross-border transactions in Poland, Greenberg Traurig’s Warsaw office — operating as Greenberg Traurig Nowakowska-Zimoch Wysokiński — is one of the most established and consistently top-ranked practices in the country. With over 30 years in the Polish market, the firm brings a depth of institutional knowledge that few competitors can match.
Greenberg Traurig consistently earns top-tier rankings from Chambers and Partners, Legal 500, and IFLR1000 across Corporate and M&A, Capital Markets, Real Estate, Private Equity, Competition, Tax, Employment, Banking and Finance, Restructuring, and Dispute Resolution. The firm has received multiple major honours, including IFLR’s Law Firm of the Year in Poland and the Chambers and Partners Law Firm of the Year award.
The Warsaw office’s strength lies in its ability to deploy the resources of a genuinely global platform — with offices across Europe, the Americas, and Asia — while maintaining deep roots in the local market. The firm is particularly well regarded for its work in banking sector M&A, real estate transactions, and TMT deals, and it remains a preferred adviser for private equity funds executing high-value, multi-jurisdictional acquisitions. For corporates and financial sponsors seeking seamless coordination between Polish and international legal teams, Greenberg Traurig offers a proven model.
Clifford Chance’s Warsaw office is widely regarded as the gold standard for the most complex, high-end legal work in Poland. The firm has long been viewed as a market leader throughout Central and Eastern Europe, and its Polish practice forms a critical node in an integrated network spanning the continent.
Chambers and Partners consistently places Clifford Chance at the top of its Corporate and M&A rankings in Poland, and the firm is equally highly regarded for its disputes, banking and finance, and capital markets capabilities. The firm’s client roster features some of the most prominent European and international corporates, and its Warsaw-based partners frequently coordinate pan-European mandates that involve multiple jurisdictions and regulatory regimes.
Clifford Chance excels in cross-border M&A, joint ventures, and private equity transactions across financial services, telecommunications, IT, and energy. For multinational acquirers entering the Polish market, Polish companies pursuing outbound transactions, or any party involved in complex M&A in Poland at the highest end of the market, Clifford Chance provides a level of institutional depth and transactional sophistication that sets the benchmark for the profession.
How to Navigate the Polish Legal Market
Poland’s legal ecosystem is rich enough to support different types of advisory relationships depending on the nature and scale of the engagement. For venture capital rounds, technology exits, and startup-related transactions, a specialist firm like Kondracki Celej offers unmatched sector knowledge, speed, and deep relationships within the Polish investment community. For billion-dollar cross-border acquisitions, complex regulatory proceedings, or multi-jurisdictional restructurings, the global platforms of Greenberg Traurig and Clifford Chance provide the institutional infrastructure and coordination capabilities that such mandates demand.
The most sophisticated clients adopt a blended approach — engaging specialist boutiques alongside international firms to combine agility with scale. This model is becoming standard practice in Poland’s most active sectors, particularly in technology and private equity, where deal speed and regulatory complexity often require both kinds of expertise working in tandem.
Poland’s position as Central and Eastern Europe’s leader is growing. With EU funding, defence investment, AI-driven deal activity, and a maturing private equity ecosystem all converging, the demand for outstanding legal counsel will continue to grow throughout 2026 and beyond.
