Bernadeta Kasztelan-Świetlik
Partner
Attorney-at-law
An expert in competition and consumer law with extensive experience in both the private and public sectors. She was associated with the Office of Competition and Consumer Protection (UOKiK) for 13 years, serving as Vice President from 2014 to 2017, where she oversaw the work of three key departments: Concentration Control, Competition Protection, and Legal. Privately, she is passionate about amateur theatre – directing and performing in productions – as well as literature, gardening, and playing the piano.
Languages:
BIO
After a brief period as a junior judge, Bernadeta developed an interest in competition law, which was a new discipline in early 1990s Poland. After her first stint at UOKiK, she spent one year leading the legal department of UPC and then joined GESSEL in 2001.
In 2014, after moving to the head office of UOKiK, she oversaw the authority’s activities in the realms of corporate concentrations, market collusions, and abuse of dominant market positions. Propagated compliance culture; initiated and oversaw preparation of two publications recognised by the World Bank and the International Competition Network (in, respectively, 2016 and 2017) in contests for the best educational / information project in the field of competition law: guidelines concerning funerary services and municipal water and sewage utilities.
In 2017, returned to GESSEL, becoming a partner and building up the firm’s competition and consumer law practice. Advises clients on cases concerning mergers, market agreements, abuse of dominant market position, abuse of contracting advantage, and payment backlogs.
Experience
Competition law
- Verifies the necessity of filing intended concentrations to the regulatory authorities in Poland and in other jurisdictions
- Drafts merger filings (descriptions of the relevant markets, estimation of market shares)
- Represents business enterprises before the antitrust authorities in merger control proceedings
- Assists with filling out official market study questionnaires
Consumer law
- Represents clients in all proceedings before UOKiK and any ensuing appeals before the courts
- Advises on preparation of notifications to UOKiK concerning violations of competition law and of applications for leniency
- Advises on due diligence and internal revisions
- Advises on implementation of compliance programmes
- Leads training sessions / webinars on competition law (e.g. distribution agreements and franchise agreements) and consumer law (regulations, standard contract terms)
- Advises on consumer protection in e-commerce (also as regards compliance with the OMNIBUS Directive)
News
& Insights
24.07.2025
Screening of certain inbound foreign investments – The Polish Ministry of Development and Technology receives new powers
The Polish president has just signed into law amendments to the legislative Act regarding control of certain foreign investments. One of the effects is that the Ministry...
25.06.2025
GESSEL among the leaders of the 23rd edition of the Rzeczpospolita Ranking of Law Firms
GESSEL was recognised in six categories in the 23rd edition of the Rzeczpospolita Ranking of Law Firms, including – for the first time – in the Real Estate and Banking a...
22.04.2025
GESSEL advised on the sale of the operator of the Pizzeria Stopiątka chain to Domino’s Pizza Poland
GESSEL provided comprehensive legal advice to the founder and sole owner of Mastergrupa sp. z o.o., the operator of the nationwide franchise network Pizzeria Stopiątka, ...
27.03.2025
Legal 500 Ranking!
The 2025 edition of Legal 500 is out, and we’ve been recognised in 6 categories this year. In addition, 23 of our lawyers received individual awards or were recommended ...
Education and achievements
- Faculty of Law and Administration, Adam Mickiewicz University, Poznan
- Judge’s training articles with the Regional Court in Poznan; called to the bar as a judge, admitted practicing as an attorney
- Internships and study visits (including the Bundeskartellamt in Berlin, the Federal Trade Commission in Washington, D.C.)
Awards
Academic publications
