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 theater – 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, then 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
06.03.2025
We advised Enterprise Investors on the acquisition of an 80% stake in Expobud Domy
We advised Enterprise Investors on the acquisition of an 80% stake in Expobud Domy As a trusted legal advisor supporting clients at every stage of the investment cycle,...
06.03.2025
We advised BNP Paribas Bank Polska on equity investment in Profi
We are pleased to announce that GESSEL once again advised BNP Paribas Bank Polska S.A., this time on a co-investment executed through a special purpose vehicle controlle...
20.12.2024
UOKiK and four other European antitrust authorities clear an acquisition by our client, MS Galleon GmbH
We advised the investment company MS Galleon GmbH on its acquisition of Corab S.A., as a result of which our client is poised to assume exclusive control over the target...
09.12.2024
We advised Estiko-Plastar AS
We advised the Estonian company Estiko-Plastar AS on the acquisition of the innovative Polish packaging manufacturer, Sefko. Our support included conducting due diligen...
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
