Team
Gracjan Pietras
Partner, Advocate
Specialises in technology law, banking and financial instruments as well as in litigation.
Advises Polish and foreign entrepreneurs from various market sectors in connection with acquisitions of advanced IT systems and related services.
Represents entrepreneurs in numerous and complex commercial disputes, in particular concerning financial instruments, agency agreements, copyrights, trademarks, unfair competition and press law. Has appeared before common courts, the Supreme Court in Poland and the Court of Justice of the European Union. He authored significant lines of legal arguments which were reflected in important court decisions in matters concerning financial products and agency agreements. Also specialises in alternative dispute resolution, including arbitration and mediation.
Since 2019, annually recommended as a leading lawyer in Poland in The Legal 500 EMEA ranking in categories Dispute Resolution (Spory) and TMT (Technology, Media and Telecommunications). In 2007, recognised as “Rising Star” in the field of intellectual property in Poland by Chambers and Partners (Chambers Europe 2007).
Gracjan Pietras is a technology enthusiast. Follows technological trends and the market for IT solutions for business. Combines passion for technology with legal knowledge, publishing columns in popular media such as iMagazine, contributing to spreading knowledge on legal aspects of new technologies.
Created within DJP the so-called Bitcoin Desk, i.e., a group of lawyers specialising in Bitcoin. Within this group, advises entrepreneurs operating in the Bitcoin-related services market and human rights organisations using Bitcoin (www.djp.pl/bitcoindesk).
Graduated in law at the University of Warsaw. Fluent in English.
Podcast on Radio Wnet:
Trump announces creation of strategic cryptocurrency reserve. Crazy idea or total breakthrough? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=99vc-7elQnc
In private life, for many years, practices meditation according to the S.N. Goenka method, does yoga and winter swimming. Passionate about Austrian economics, monetary history and Bitcoin.
Awards
Leading Firm 2019 - 2025 by EMEA Legal 500 Technology Media Telecom (TMT) & Dispute Resolution
Strengths
Experience
Transactions Involving the Acquisition of IT Technologies and Related Services
Since 1999, Gracjan Pietras has represented prominent clients in dozens of transactions involving the acquisition of IT systems and related services. These transactions cover key software for large enterprises, including banks, insurance companies, State Treasury-owned companies, energy firms, real estate enterprises, and nationwide retail chains.
Gracjan Pietras currently leads a specialized team at the firm providing comprehensive legal support in negotiating, drafting, and finalizing such agreements. The scope of services also includes advisory work on the legal aspects of IT system security and ensuring business continuity.
Since 2019, this practice has been continuously recognized in the prestigious Legal 500 EMEA rankings, with Gracjan Pietras listed as one of Poland’s leading lawyers in this field.
Disputes Arising from Forward and Derivative Transaction Agreements
Since 2009, Gracjan Pietras has led a team of lawyers successfully representing one of Poland’s leading banks in disputes arising from forward and derivative transaction agreements. These disputes are among the most complex and require in-depth knowledge of banking treasury products.
The firm’s team now possesses a unique level of expertise and experience in handling such cases in the Polish market. Since 2019, Gracjan Pietras has been consistently recognized in the Legal 500 EMEA ranking as one of Poland’s leading lawyers in dispute resolution.
Disputes Arising from Agency Agreements
Since 2007, Gracjan Pietras has led a team of lawyers representing Polish banks and other enterprises in disputes arising from agency agreements before courts of all instances, including the Supreme Court.
Some of these cases were precedent-setting, addressing issues that had not previously been resolved in case law. In one such case, the Supreme Court referred a preliminary question to the Court of Justice of the European Union concerning the scope of EU rules on an agent’s right to commission on follow-on sales. Gracjan Pietras represented one of Poland’s leading banks in this matter, achieving a favorable outcome. In its 2022 judgment in Case C-64/21, the Court endorsed the line of argumentation proposed by the firm, influencing the development of case law in similar cases across all EU Member States. Since 2019, Gracjan Pietras has been consistently recognized in the Legal 500 EMEA ranking as one of Poland’s leading lawyers in dispute resolution.
Bitcoin
Since 2023, Gracjan Pietras has been leading the work of the Bitcoin Desk—the first department in Poland within a law firm specializing in Bitcoin-related matters. The desk serves leading enterprises operating within the global Bitcoin ecosystem.
The scope of services includes, in particular, regulatory advisory related to conducting business within the EU, drafting terms and conditions for Bitcoin-related services, supporting the implementation of Bitcoin payments in the Polish market, as well as tax and accounting matters.
The firm’s team offers a level of expertise unique in the European market, encompassing technological, economic, and philosophical aspects of Bitcoin.
