Prof. Robert Zawłocki
Dr Michał Gałęski
Our services
#01
Representation in proceedings
Defence and other forms of representation at every stage of criminal proceedings.
#02
Opinions and reports
Comprehensive, practice-oriented legal analysis of the issues presented.
#03
Consultations
Find out how we can help – we will propose the right form of assistance in your case.
Criminal liability in business
– from risk prevention to representation in criminal proceedings
Areas of support
Criminal defence
We defend suspects and accused persons at every stage of the proceedings.
WHEN TO CONTACT US:
- You have received a summons for questioning
- A decision to bring charges against you has been issued
- You have been detained or a search has taken place
Representation of victims
We support businesses that have been victims of crime.
WHEN TO CONTACT US:
- Your company has been the victim of a crime
- A partner or contractor acted to your detriment
- You want to claim redress for damage caused by a crime
Criminal-law compliance
We act preventively, before a problem arises: audits, expert opinions, risk assessment.
WHEN TO CONTACT US:
- You want to protect members of the company’s governing bodies against the risk of criminal liability
- You are planning a decision with uncertain legal consequences
- You need an opinion that will clarify the legal position
Specialisations
Where business needs a defence
Mismanagement
If you manage someone else’s property — as a board member, proxy or manager — you bear the risk of criminal liability for the consequences of your decisions. In practice, charges under Art. 296 of the Criminal Code are often brought unjustly: a manager is held to account for the failure of a venture, although risk is a natural part of business. We help to establish the line between permissible business risk and genuine mismanagement.
Pyramid schemes
These are large-scale cases in which liability depends on the actual role of a given person in the capital-raising structure. Establishing whether an activity was a “pyramid” at all requires combining economic analysis with a precise interpretation of the law – not every participant in such a structure bears criminal liability. We present the full economic picture of the venture – its model, financing and the client’s real business objectives. The failure of a project does not mean that an offence was committed.
Stock market offences
The capital market is tightly regulated, and the most serious breaches – operating without a licence, using inside information or manipulating prices – carry criminal sanctions. The rules of this liability differ from, and are more complex than, those in administrative proceedings before the Polish Financial Supervision Authority (KNF). We translate the mechanisms of the capital market into the language of criminal procedure.
Asset protection
Frozen accounts or seized assets can affect an honest market participant too – long before any judgment. Criminal law gives the authorities broad powers to interfere with the property of businesses and individuals. We provide comprehensive support in defending against allegations of money laundering, extended confiscation and measures securing assets.
Fraud and misappropriation
Fraud and misappropriation are broad legal concepts with very wide application in business. They can become a source of legal risk when, in a dispute, a contractor or partner reports an offence – but they also give protection when you are the one who has been deceived. We represent both persons who have been charged and victims.
Offences against creditors
Insolvency is an unwelcome but unavoidable feature of business – and yet failing to satisfy creditors often ends in criminal proceedings. It is hard to tell where rescue measures end and the alleged “flight with assets” begins – especially since the rules in this area are complex and inconsistent. We reconstruct the debtor’s financial situation and the sense of the decisions taken in a crisis.
“Invoice” offences
The use of so-called empty invoices carries very severe penalties. The problem is that an honest entrepreneur who simply failed to verify a contractor sufficiently can also be charged. We help you get through such proceedings and find the best solution in them.
Regulatory breaches
Beyond the Criminal Code there are hundreds of criminal provisions scattered across sector-specific statutes. If you operate in a regulated sector, you face a constant risk of liability for breaching requirements you may easily not know about. We analyse regulatory obligations and defend in cases concerning their breach.
Subsidy and credit offences
Applying for a loan, a grant or other financial support can end with a charge of making false statements or using unreliable documents. Even minor, substantively insignificant shortcomings become the basis of serious accusations under Art. 297 and 286 of the Criminal Code. We show that irregularities and disputes surrounding financing need not mean an offence.
Our team of attorneys
Prof. Robert Zawłocki
Attorney-at-law, criminal law scholar
Full professor at the Department of Criminal Law, Faculty of Law and Administration, Adam Mickiewicz University in Poznań. His work focuses on criminal law, especially substantive and economic criminal law. Author of several hundred academic studies. Member of the Criminal Law Codification Commission at the Minister of Justice in 2012–2016 and since 2024.
Dr Michał Gałęski
Attorney-at-law, PhD in Law
Graduate and former academic of the Faculty of Law and Administration, Adam Mickiewicz University in Poznań. Member of the Wielkopolska Bar Association. Defence counsel and representative in economic crime proceedings. He turns doctrinal knowledge into procedural practice. Author of publications on criminal law.
Dr Katarzyna Urbanowicz-Sobczak
Attorney-at-law, PhD in Law
Graduate of master’s and doctoral studies at the Faculty of Law and Administration, Adam Mickiewicz University in Poznań. Member of the Wielkopolska Bar Association. Author of publications on criminal law, with particular emphasis on compensation and procedural consensualism. Partner at the law firm Zawłocki Gałęski Adwokaci.
Klaudia Woźniak
Attorney-at-law
Graduate of the Faculty of Law and Administration, Adam Mickiewicz University in Poznań. Member of the Wielkopolska Bar Association. Specialises in criminal law in the broad sense.
Publications
We write about what we do every day
CH BECK
2026
Criminal liability of collective entities.
The Act on the Liability of Collective Entities has been in force for more than twenty years, yet the courts apply it only sporadically – and responsibility for irregularities in a company falls in practice on its managers. The monograph, co-authored by the firm’s lawyers, comprehensively analyses the rules governing the liability of collective entities, as well as the announced amendments that may significantly broaden the Act’s scope.
- Prof. Robert Zawłocki
- Dr Michał Gałęski
- Dr Katarzyna Urbanowicz-Sobczak
Monitor Prawniczy
9/2025
Lawful extravagance of an administrator.
When can a business decision that resulted in a loss become grounds for a charge of mismanagement? Using the example of compulsory administrators, Dr Michał Gałęski explains that liability under Art. 296 of the Criminal Code is determined by the duties that actually rested on the manager, not by a vague “good steward” standard invoked after the fact to support the prosecution.
- Dr Michał Gałęski
“Metodyka Becka”, CH Beck
2022
The risk of criminal liability in business. Compliance.
Criminal provisions affecting business activity are found not only in the Criminal Code but also in dozens of sector-specific statutes – and breaching them can be an offence regardless of whether anyone suffered harm. This practical guide, prepared jointly by lawyers and forensic auditors, shows how to build procedures, conduct internal investigations and respond to whistleblower reports.
- Prof. Robert Zawłocki
- Dr Michał Gałęski
Authority that works for your case
The firm’s co-founder is Prof. Robert Zawłocki — one of the most recognised authorities in Polish economic criminal law. His academic output and his part in shaping the law translate directly into the quality of the arguments in your case.
~350
publications and academic studies in criminal law
30 years
of academic work at the Faculty of Law and Administration, AMU – now full professor in the Department of Criminal Law
2×
appointed to the Criminal Law Codification Commission (2012–2016 and since 2024)
9
monographs, including “Economic Criminal Law” — the foundation of the field in Poland
Find out how we can help you
Zawłocki Gałęski Adwokaci Spółka komandytowa
ul. Cicha 8, 61-710 Poznań
NIP: 7831897893
This message is covered by attorney–client privilege. By sending it, you agree to the site’s privacy policy.