Baker McKenzie partner promotions for 2026: two new partners, Katarzyna Grodziewicz and Dr. Alicja Szczęśniak

Leading global law firm Baker McKenzie today announced the promotion of Katarzyna Grodziewicz from the Capital Markets Team and Dr Alicja Szczęśniak from the Litigation and Arbitration Practice. Additionally, the Firm announces the promotion of 47 lawyers to partner¹ globally, effective 1 July, 2026 (with the exception of some locations in the Americas (including North America)), where promotions took effect earlier this year).

The promotions of both lawyers confirm the strength of the Warsaw team's capabilities in advising on complex transactions and disputes. Katarzyna Grodziewicz is an attorney specialising in capital markets law, advising clients on domestic and international public and private offerings, share and bond issues, as well as M&A.

"The Polish capital market is once again gaining momentum. Increasingly projects require a combination of regulatory knowledge with a practical understanding of business and investor expectations. In my new role, I intend to continue building trust and being involved in the most important decisions that shape our clients' businesses," commented Katarzyna Grodziewicz.

In recent years, Katarzyna has participated in a number of major transactions on the Polish capital market, advising, among others, on the IPOs of Rex Concepts, Zabka Group and Diagnostyka S.A., the establishment of Bank Pekao's EMTN programme and related bond issuances. She has also advised on numerous ABB transactions, including for Benefit Systems, Creotech Instruments and other Warsaw Stock Exchange listed companies. Her experience and expertise have been repeatedly recognised by clients and international legal rankings, including Chambers & Partners, The Legal 500 and IFLR1000. Since 2020, Katarzyna is a member of the expert panel of the European Securities and Markets Authority (ESMA), focusing on issues related to prospectuses, transparency and corporate governance.

"For me, Katarzyna's promotion is a natural next step in her career path, reflecting the role she has been building within our capital markets practice for years and her strong market position. Kasia combines extensive experience gained in handling the largest international transactions with a deep, practical understanding of how the market operates, together with the perspectives of issuers, financial institutions and investors. This approach translates into the quality of our work and the leading position of our team," says Marcin Chyliński, Head of the Capital Markets practice and Managing Partner at Baker McKenzie in Warsaw.

Dr Alicja Szczęśniak is an attorney specialising in commercial disputes, domestic and international arbitration and proceedings before the Court of Justice of the European Union.

"The most demanding disputes are increasingly rarely about purely legal problems. They involve business strategy, partner relations, regulatory risks and corporate reputation. Today, clients expect advice that takes all these aspects into account. In my new role, I intend to continue developing our transactional disputes and arbitration practice, supporting clients in the most challenging situations they face, where a strategic approach is required," says Alicja Szczęśniak.

Alicja advises clients on commercial disputes, including those related to M&A transactions, shareholder disputes and post-transaction settlements, such as earn-outs or price adjustments. She has represented clients in complex arbitration and court disputes related to high-value acquisitions and investments, and also has extensive experience in banking and financial disputes. She represents financial institutions and businesses in proceedings before the CJEU. In addition, she advises clients on disputes related to economic sanctions, export controls and the consequences of discontinuing operations in markets subject to regulatory restrictions. Alicja holds a PhD in Civil Procedure and Arbitration. She also acts as an arbitrator and is an active participant in the local arbitration community, as well as being a recommended arbitrator of the Court of Arbitration at the Polish Chamber of Commerce and the Court of Arbitration at the Lewiatan Confederation. Her experience has been recognised in the Chambers & Partners and The Legal 500 rankings.

"For years, Alicja has distinguished herself by combining litigation and arbitration experience with a strong academic background. In the most demanding disputes, she is known as a lawyer who can take a broader perspective and handle matters with great precision and a strong understanding of their business context. Her promotion reflects the importance of her role in shaping the future direction of our dispute resolution practice" commented Łukasz Hejmej, Head of the Litigation and Arbitration practice and Managing Partner at Baker McKenzie in Warsaw.

Alongside 44 lateral partner hires during financial year 2026, Baker McKenzie has welcomed a total of 91 new partners globally, further strengthening its ability to deliver a seamless client experience across markets.

This year's partner promotions reflect the Firm's continued investment in talent and its strategic focus on building the capabilities needed to advise multinational clients on their most complex, cross-border matters.

The Firm's Transactional practice saw the largest number of promotions this year, with Dispute Resolution, Commercial and Tax welcoming the second and joint third largest number of promoted partners. Women represent 43% of this year's partner promotions.

¹ Promotions made across Baker McKenzie's Member Firms. References to "partner" means a person who is a partner or partner equivalent in a Member Firm, and references to an "office" means an office of any such Member Firm.