URÍA MENÉNDEZ opens an office in Poland
The firm begins its integration in Eastern Europe with a new office in Warsaw and the creation of a Polish and Eastern European Desk
June 20, 2007Uría Menéndez opens a new office in Warsaw as a starting point for its international strategy in Eastern Europe. The establishment of the firm in Poland will take place in conjunction with the creation of a Polish and Eastern European Desk that will coordinate the business activities of the firm’s clients in the region.
The Warsaw office will be headed up by Agustín Redondo. Agustín has been a lawyer at Uría Menéndez since 1997 and was seconded to the London office from 2002 to 2004. He has ample experience in the corporate and real estate sectors. Romana Sadurska, who is a partner and a member of the senior management team in charge of co-ordinating the day-to-day running of the firm, will manage the firm’s Polish and Eastern European Desk. Romana has been a lawyer at Uría Menéndez since 1992 and is an honorary member of the Spanish-Polish Chamber of Commerce.
The firm strengthens its international strategy with the same approach as that used successfully in other offices such as London and New York. With this new opening, several lawyers of the firm will be seconded to Warsaw with a view to assisting the firm’s clients in their deals in Eastern Europe.
Uría Menéndez decided to begin this expansion to cater for the significant growth of Spanish and Portuguese investments in Eastern Europe, especially in Poland. Companies require the presence of lawyers that will work with them throughout the development of their projects abroad. The firm is eager to respond to its client’s needs and assist them in their foreign investments.
The same reasoning prompted the firm’s first globalisation stage with the opening of offices in Brussels, London and New York fifteen years ago. A second stage followed in 1997, when offices were opened in several Latin American countries. The firm has now set its sights on Poland to begin its expansion into Eastern Europe.
The Polish and Eastern European desk will coordinate the activities of the firm’s lawyers in Poland, Spain and Portugal. The members of the firm located in Warsaw will analyse, among other things, the market opportunities and the most important differences in the legal systems involved in order to provide support and assistance in the development of the investments made by Spanish companies in Eastern Europe.
José María Segovia, managing partner of Uría Menéndez said that “with the opening of an office in Eastern Europe we start a new stage in our international strategy, which has always been directed to offer the best services to our clients. Uría Menéndez is an Iberian firm and we believe companies in Spain and Portugal are in need of a similar type of office in Poland to that which we offer.”
Agustín Redondo, head of the Uría Menéndez office in Warsaw added that “the attraction for Eastern Europe shown by the investor countries is more than evident. We are confident that our privileged position in Warsaw will help us follow our clients in the development of their projects.”
Romana Sadurska, partner and co-ordinator of the Polish and Eastern European Desk stated that “there is a mature legal market in Poland ready to offer high quality legal assistance to Spanish and Portuguese investors. We know the law firms and maintain close ties with them to ensure that our clients always receive legal advice of the highest calibre in this region.”
URÍA MENÉNDEZ has offices in Spain (Madrid, Barcelona, Valencia and Bilbao), Portugal (Lisbon and Porto), the United Kingdom (London), Belgium (Brussels), the United States (New York), Brazil (São Paulo), Chile (Santiago de Chile), Argentina (Buenos Aires), Mexico (Mexico D.C.), Peru (Lima) and Poland (Warsaw).