The Premier Regional Forum for Disputes Practitioners

The law firm GESSEL & 4 Pump Court commercial set of barristers’ chambers cordially invite representatives of Polish companies and their counsel to a lively breakfast discussion on the practical aspects of handling international disputes involving Polish parties and English law.

The event will provide an opportunity to explore the key considerations that Polish businesses should be aware of in order to effectively navigate legal challenges when English law is applicable to their dispute (potentially in the case of London-seated arbitrations or when English law is applicable to the merits of the dispute). The conversation will take place between the experienced practitioners who routinely take care of cross-border matters for the benefit of Polish parties and who have different backgrounds and perspectives: Polish in-house counsel, Polish external counsel, a solicitor and a barrister called to the bar in England and Wales.

The discussion will cover the importance of choosing the jurisdiction / arbitration seat consciously, the practical implications of such a choice and the aspects of the dispute it affects, as well as the consequences of choosing London as the seat of arbitration in particular, including the contexts of setting aside proceedings, potential interim measures and court interventions, as well as enforcement and recognition of arbitral awards.

Speakers:

• Kajetan Wandowicz, 4 Pump Court, London
• Paulina Marusczyk, Head of Legal, Stellantis Polska
• Joanna Kisielińska-Garncarek, GESSEL, Warsaw

Programme:

• 9:00-9:30 Registration and welcome coffee
• 9:30-9:45 Opening remarks by Prof. Beata Gessel-Kalinowska vel Kalisz
• 9:45-10:45 Discussion
• 10:45-11:00 Q&A session
• 11:00-12:00 Networking over coffee

Moderator:

• Radosław Góral (Clyde & Co)

Speakers:

• Fred Brown (Grant Thornton)
• Magdalena Wątroba (Clyde & Co)
• Patrycja Starczewska (Clyde & Co)

Programme:

• 11:45 – 12:15 Registration
• 12:15 – 13:15 Panel discussion I: Investor-state arbitration in the CEE region
• 13:15 – 13:45 Coffee and snack break
• 13:45 – 14:45 Panel discussion II: Post-M&A disputes in the CEE region
• 14:45 – 15:00 Networking

Panel discussion I: Investor-state arbitration in the CEE region

Speakers and programme:

• Maciej Zych (Wardyński & Partners): „Reinsurance claims: captive to local law?”
• Mateusz Kosiorowski (Wardyński & Partners): „A few words about liability insurance. What happens if it collides with a foreign aspect of an insurance claim?”
• Maciej Kiełbowski (Wardyński & Partners): „The obligation of the insured (and reinsured) party to mitigate damage during international dispute”
• Marcin Janicki and Michał Rozmysłowicz (Crawford): „Product Liability claims handling. Is it really that complicated?”

Registration for this event is available via the ICC YAAF website.

Speakers:

• Francesca Borio, Senior Associate, Walder Wyss, Zurich
• Michael Cole, Chief Operating Officer, Bearstone, Warsaw
• Julia Dyras, Counsel, CMS, Warsaw
• Sebastian Lukic, Partner, Schoenherr, Vienna
• Piotr Paprota, ICC YAAF Representative for Europe and Central Asia; Senior Associate, GESSEL, Warsaw
• Matej Pustay, ICC YAAF Representative for Europe and Central Asia; Partner, Squire Patton Boggs, Prague/Bratislava

Registration for this event is available via the ICC YAAF website https://events2go.iccwbo.org/event/icc-yaaf-enforcement-of-arbitral-awardskeep-your-eyes-on-the-prize.

Registration for the ICC YAAF session closes on 27 March 2025. Participants of all ages are welcome. 

The agenda will include:

• Class actions in Poland and Europe
• Consumer protection – powers of enforcement authorities
• Artificial Intelligence in mass claims disputes
• Litigation funding of mass claims

Speakers:

• Adelina Prokop,
• Michał Magdziak,
• Paweł M. Gadocha,
• Aleksandra Dziemaszkiewicz-Kwiecińska

Join us at GESSEL in Warsaw, Poland, for a lively discussion on blockchain and crypto disputes, followed by a luncheon, held at the occasion of Warsaw Disputes Days and the Asset Recovery CEE conference.

 This event offers an opportunity to discuss and explore the issues at the intersection of blockchain, crypto assets and dispute resolution, including the implications, challenges and opportunities of blockchain technology for international arbitration, as well as current trends, typical categories of disputes relating to this disruptive field, suitability of arbitration as a mechanism for resolving such disputes in both on-chain and off-chain contexts, and the role of arbitral institutions and state courts in the blockchain dispute resolution ecosystem.

Keynote speaker:

• Nino Sievi, Partner, Nater Dallafior Rechtsanwälte AG, Zurich

Panelists:

• Mihaela Apostol, Independent Counsel, Tribunal Secretary and Arbitrator, London
• Roman Bieda, Head of Investigations, Token Recovery and Virtual Asset Expert, OSCE, Warsaw
• Rumen Cholakov, Barrister, 3VB, London
• Joanna Rindell, Head of Legal, Trilitech, Berlin
• Alexander Mike Stachniewicz, Partner, Kleros, Vienna

Moderator:

• Piotr Paprota, Senior associate, GESSEL, Warsaw

Programme:

• 12:00 – 12:15 Registration
• 12:15 – 12:20 Opening remarks
• 12:20 – 12:35 Keynote address by Nino Sievi (‘Crypto in a Trumpian Age – is Arbitration up to the Task?’)
• 12:35 – 13:45 Panel discussion and Q&A
• 13:45 – 15:00 Luncheon and networking

We invite you to Ligit for an insightful discussion on dispute avoidance, organised as part of Warsaw Dispute Days and the Asset Recovery CEE conference.

How much is dispute avoidance a real, effective strategy, and how much is just theory? Our panel will explore whether it is a practical tool for managing risks and protecting business relationships or merely an overused concept. We will look at key approaches, best practices, and real-world experiences to assess the effectiveness of proactive dispute management.

Join us for a thought-provoking conversation with leading experts who will share their insights on the realities, limitations, and potential of dispute avoidance.

Panelists:

• Monika Diehl – Counsel at Clifford Chance
• Wioletta Kałoska – General Counsel at Symfonia
• Jakub Wołkowicz – Partner at White & Case
• Tomasz Sztyber – Senior Corporate Counsel at Genesys

Moderator:

• Jan Kieszczyński, Partner at Ligit

Programme:

• 15:00 – 15:30 Registration and pre-event networking
• 15:30 – 16:15 Panel discussion and Q&A
• 16:15 – 18:00 Networking

The agenda will include:

• Investigations and early case strategies
• Gathering information and identifying assets
• Navigating the turbulent global landscape
• Enforcing a judgment and making a recovery

Speakers:

• Annabel Thomas
• Rebecca Meads
• Yves Klein
• Begüm Biçer İlikay
• Dmytro Marchukov
• Andrew de Roy

Asset Recovery CEE is the premier Polish event for the dispute resolution and investigations sectors. Aimed at international legal professionals, litigation funders, corporate investigations specialists, and asset recovery experts, the event brings together leading experts and industry practitioners from the CEE region and beyond.

Asset Recovery CEE 2025

The way arbitration proceedings are conducted has changed in the last decade. The expectations of arbitration users towards arbitral institutions and arbitrators have also changed. Familiarity with international arbitration practice has increased. Arbitration institutions around the world have introduced new solutions in their rules to enhance proceedings. With this in mind, the Arbitration Council of the Court of Arbitration at the Polish Chamber of Commerce decided that, almost 10 years after the current arbitration rules had been adopted, it was necessary to draw up new rules which were adopted by the Arbitral Council on 10 October 2024, and approved by a resolution of the PCC Presidium on 17 October, they will come into force on 1 January 2025.

Speakers:

• Agnieszka Durlik – Arbitral Council.
• Michał Kocur – member of the Arbitral Council, leader of the the Rules Amendment Committee.
• Adelina Prokop – member of the Arbitral Council.

Speakers:

• Piotr Golędzinowski – Wardynski (Warsaw) – moderator
• Jana Lefranc – HKA (Paris)
• Maria Kostytska – Winston & Strawn (Paris)
• Marta Cichomska – Dentons (Warsaw)
• Prof. Maciej de Abgaro Zachariasiewicz (Warsaw)

Speakers: