Weil, Gotshal & Manges has retreated from its last outpost in central Europe, after a decision to spin off the firm's Polish office as an independent firm.

The Warsaw practice, which comprises an 80-lawyer team, will be owned and operated by the firm's Warsaw partners, going under the name Rymarz Zdort. The formal ownership change will take place at the end of this year.

The fate of the office had been under discussion for well over a year, with Law.com's Legal Week reporting in 2018 that talks were ongoing on the firm's future operations.

The move marks a complete withdrawal by the firm from the central Europe market. Last year, the firm closed both its Prague and Budapest offices, with the former launching an independent firm in its place.

The firm also exited its Middle Eastern outpost in Dubai in 2017.

In a statement, Weil executive partner Barry Wolf commented: "We are very proud of all that our colleagues have achieved and we believe they will continue to go from strength to strength.

"We thank them for their many contributions to Weil and wish them all the best."