Report from the conference “Lawyer in the offshore wind sector – maritime economy law in practice” through the eyes of the lawyers from Zbroja Adwokaci

On 5 December 2025, our law firm, Zbroja Adwokaci, had the pleasure of co-organising with the Faculty of Law and Administration of the University of Szczecin, the conference “Lawyer in the offshore wind sector – maritime economy law in practice”. 

Why offshore wind? 

In our daily work we see that the Baltic Sea is no longer merely a transport route. It is increasingly becoming an investment space where the interests of ports, shipyards, energy investors, financing institutions and public authorities intersect. Offshore wind energy is one of the most demanding areas here – both in business and regulatory terms. 

The conference aimed to show what the lawyer’s role looks like in such an environment in practice: not in the theory of statutes, but in real-life projects, with infrastructure constraints, complex schedules and time pressure. 

First panel – a lawyer closer to the quay than the courtroom 

The first panel featured: 

• dr Oliwia Mróz-Malik (Polish Wind Energy Association),
• dr hab. Daniel Wacinkiewicz, prof. US (Faculty of Law and Administration, University of Szczecin),
• att. Marek Czernis (Law Office of Attorney at Law Marek Czernis),
• adv. Patryk Zbroja (Zbroja Adwokaci),
• trainee advocate Stanisław Kaup (Zbroja Adwokaci) as moderator. 

The discussion revolved around the question of what function lawyers currently perform in offshore investments carried out in ports and shipyards. From our firm’s perspective, the conclusions are very close to our everyday practice: the traditional role of a “litigation representative” moves to the background. 

A lawyer in offshore wind projects: 

• identifies and systematises legal risks at the intersection of many branches of law (maritime, energy, construction, environmental),
• participates in investment planning rather than only in firefighting,
• must understand how a port, shipyard or installation terminal actually operates. 

Second panel – three practical roles of a lawyer in offshore wind 

The second part of the conference focused on contracts and the organisation of legal work in large offshore projects. The speakers included: 

• adv. Łukasz Gembiś (DWF Poland) – a law firm lawyer,
• att. Berenika Sepczyńska (Ocean Winds) – in-house,
• att. Mateusz Filipp (CRIST Offshore) – lawyer in management bodies,
• adv. Patryk Zbroja (Zbroja Adwokaci) as moderator. 

From our perspective, the comparison of these three roles was particularly valuable: 

• Law firm lawyer – an external adviser who sees many investments simultaneously, often on both sides of a contract. This allows them to transfer good solutions from other projects and markets and to indicate which clauses are already industry standards and which require additional safeguards.
• In-house lawyer – the person ensuring that the agreement “works” within the organisation. They translate extensive contractual provisions into procedures, document flow, reporting and compliance. In offshore wind this role is important because projects last many years and involve numerous interconnected contracts.
• Lawyer in management – combines legal insight with responsibility for the company’s financial performance. They decide what risks can be accepted, when to enter a dispute, and when it is more cost-effective to seek an amicable solution. 

Competencies beyond the “code regulations” 

As a law firm operating in the maritime economy for years, we fully agree with the panellists’ conclusions regarding the competencies required in this sector. In addition to knowledge of the law, the market expects lawyers to have: 

• an understanding of the basic technologies used in offshore projects,
• the ability to work in interdisciplinary teams (engineers, financiers, logisticians, port operators),
• a high proficiency in English. 

From our perspective, the conference confirmed two things: 

1. Szczecin has a real chance to become one of the key hubs of legal services for offshore wind in Poland, provided it makes good use of the potential of its ports, shipyards and academic facilities.
2. For students and young lawyers, this is the right moment to consciously direct their development – towards maritime, energy and contract law, combined with practical experiences in organisations that actually operate “by the water”. 

We are glad that we could help create a space for such a conversation – bringing together the academic community, business practitioners and future lawyers who in the coming years will help shape the legal framework of Polish investments in the Baltic Sea. 

We also thank the Faculty of Law and Administration of the University of Szczecin for co-organising the event, as well as our honorary and media partners.