Experience
Anna is a corporate / M&A lawyer focused on the gambling and insurance sectors.
With respect to gambling, she advises clients on establishing and licencing of gambling operations in Poland, multijurisdictional provision of gambling services to Polish residents, promotional lotteries, sports betting, supplies of games on gaming machines, gambling features of computer games and lotteries, acquisition of gambling companies and structuring cooperation among shareholders in those companies, outsourcing of gambling functions, gambling restrictions related to payments and advertising, as well as gambling tax matters. Prior to joining DWF, Anna was involved in the legislation process representing the offshore gambling sector and she assisted clients in challenging unfavourable decisions before the administrative courts.
With respect to the insurance sector, Anna provides corporate, transactional and restructuring advice for insurers and insurance brokers, including legal assistance in the processes of acquisition or sale of shares or insurance assets / business, mergers of insurers or transfer of insurance portfolios as well as ongoing corporate advice.
Based on her over 15 years of experience in corporate and restructuring transactions in different sectors, she regularly provides comprehensive legal advice to W&I insurers in underwriting processes related to shares or asset transactions on the Polish market.
Anna specialises in complex or innovative projects, also with a cross-border aspect, requiring coordination of numerous workstreams provided by different teams from different jurisdictions and/or sectors, like multijurisdictional transfer of shares or assets, restructurings and reorganisations, downstream mergers, structuring cooperation between companies in capital groups or conversions.
She publishes articles on corporate, insurance and gambling matters in national and international media and actively participates in gambling conferences, also as a speaker. In 2018 she co-authored a book on the compliance of the Polish gambling law with EU law, published by Wolters Kluwer.
She also has experience in knowledge management and in-house lawyer work.
Memberships
- Attorney-at-law, The Warsaw Bar Association
Testimonials
Anna’s corporate work has resulted in receiving the following recognitions: by Legal 500 in 2011 for being “diligent”, Chambers Europe in 2011 for having “an eye for detail”, Chambers Europe in 2012 for “expertise in corporate and restructuring issues” and Chambers Europe in 2013 for “quick advice”. In 2022 edition of Legal500 Anna has been recommended in Intellectual Property, Private Equity as well as Commercial, Corporate and M&A categories.
Work for insurance providers resulted in recognition as a member of the Tier 1 insurance team which “often handles insurance company M&A and other transactions, on which Anna Wietrzyńska-Ciołkowska takes the lead” by Legal 500 in 2019 and as a counsel who regularly works “alongside the insurance team on matters involving corporate transactions and restructuring” by Legal 500 in 2020. In 2021-2022 Anna received an individual recommendation of Legal 500 for being "a very experienced and highly qualified lawyer", "adept at providing corporate, transactional and restructuring law advice to insurance companies and insurance brokers", as well as a member of Tier 2 insurance team for "the knowledge and experience necessary to represent insurance companies in complex matters.
Recent Cases
- Teufelberger GmbH – advising on the Polish aspects of the joint acquisition of Maillis Plastics Solutions, Poland, including the support of the client in the course of insuring the transactional risks related to that project (both W&I and title insurance policies).
- One of the international betting operators - assisting in conducting legal and tax due diligence of a Polish gambling company in the course of the planned share acquisition, including anti-trust advice. Apart from the due diligence we have advised the client on regulatory, data protection, AML and tax aspects of conducting gambling business activity in Poland.
- Private investor - assisting in conducting legal and tax due diligence of a Polish gambling company and two Maltese gambling companies in the course of the planned share acquisition. Our advice included structuring the transaction and the terms and conditions of the future investment and cooperation.