EXPERTISE
Małgorzata is a Polish qualified lawyer (radca prawny), partner and head of the Competition Group in Poland and the CEE region. She has over 25 years of experience advising on Polish and European competition law, including merger control, restrictive agreements, cartels, abuses of dominant position, state aid, consumer protection, and private enforcement of competition law. She regularly represents clients before the Polish Competition Authority, Polish competition courts and the European Commission.
Work highlights*
- Merger control cases - providing complex legal advice: on the multifaceted intersection of merger control, including notifications to the European Commission and national competition authorities, compliance with antitrust, state aid rules, and consumer protection laws. The most recent example includes advising Cerberus Capital Management on the acquisition of 100% shares in VeloBank S.A., a Polish universal bank and its subsidiaries.
- Antitrust enforcement cases - advising clients from sectors such as, among others, media, telecommunication, IT, banking, chemicals, pharmaceuticals and energy, in cartel, abuse of dominance and RMP cases. One recent highlight involved representing Dell in antimonopoly proceedings before the Polish Competition Authority, successfully securing a commitment decision (with no fine) relating to compliance of Dell’s distribution system with competition law.
- Consumer protection - providing compliance advice and representing clients in consumer protection proceedings before the Polish Competition Authority. A recent example includes advising a financial institution in an appeal to the Court of Competition and Consumer Protection against the decision of the Office of Competition and Consumer Protection regarding the violation of collective consumer interests.
* Experience gained prior to joining Addleshaw Goddard
- Education
- University of Warsaw, Master of Laws, 1989
- Queen Mary and Westfield College in London, 1995
- Year qualified
- District Chamber of Legal Advisers in Warsaw, 1996
- Professional Memberships
- A board member of the Polish Competition Law Association.
- Publications
- She has published several articles on European and Polish competition law and is a frequent speaker at seminars and conferences on these topics.
- Training delivered
- Dawn Raids, ESG, Compliance
- Recognition
- Chambers Europe, Band 1, ranked since 2007
- Legal 500 EMEA, Hall of Fame, ranked since 2011
- Recommended by Polityka Insight
- Recommended by Rzeczpospolita
- Recommended by Global Competition Review’s GCR 100 (in the “Elite” category for Poland, the review’s highest designation)
- Recommended by Who’s Who Legal
- Testimonials
"She stood out for her deep knowledge and great dedication to our matter. Her profound understanding of competition law, coupled with her strategic insights, has been invaluable to us." Chambers Europe 2025, Competition/Antitrust, Poland
"Her approach, diligence and focus on finding solutions have been continually impressive." Chambers Europe 2025, Competition/Antitrust, Poland
"Her leadership in navigating complex legal challenges and providing clear, effective solutions has earned our utmost respect and confidence." Chambers Europe 2025, Competition/Antitrust, Poland
"Małgorzata Szwaj's commitment, reliability and responsiveness to our needs built a sense of trust and assurance that we were supported at every step." Chambers Europe 2025, Competition/Antitrust, Poland
“I certainly recommend [Malgorzata's] assistance as she is the top expert in Poland in her practice area." Chambers Europe 2025, Competition/Antitrust, Poland
"Małgorzata Szwaj – very articulate, quick-witted and helpful." Legal 500 EMEA 2024, Competition/Antitrust, Poland
“We have had an excellent cooperation over a number of years in a variety of competition law-related topics. [Malgorzata] is a pleasure to work with and I would highly recommend her as a valuable adviser.” Chambers Europe 2024, Competition/Antitrust, Poland
“Małgorzata Szwaj is very well respected as a very seasoned lawyer doing big cases. She is a great lawyer.” Chambers Europe 2024, Competition/Antitrust, Poland
“Malgorzata is a really top-notch lawyer in Poland. She's super smart.” Chambers Europe 2024, Competition/Antitrust, Poland
- Internal roles
- She is a Diversity and Inclusion partner, leading the networking initiative for female clients of the Warsaw office.
- Languages
- Polish – native
- English – fluent
