EXPERTISE
Cezary is a Polish-qualified lawyer (radca prawny) and academic with over 30 years of experience. He has advised many major multinational corporations and financial institutions investing in Poland, as well as Polish corporations on their cross-border transactions. He has represented numerous clients in high-profile international arbitrations, particularly those involving bilateral investment treaty (BIT) disputes. He is a well-established arbitrator, participating in proceedings under various rules, such as the United Nations Commission on International Trade Law (UNCITRAL), International Chamber of Commerce (ICC), Stockholm Chamber of Commerce (SCC), Vienna International Arbitral Centre (VIAC), and the Court of Arbitration at the Polish Chamber of Commerce (KIG) in Warsaw. He served as the President of ICC Poland from 2018 to 2025.
Cezary is a member of the working group of the Civil Law Codification Commission on commercial law, established by the Minister of Justice. He is also the co-editor of the Commercial Law Review and has authored numerous publications in the fields of commercial law and arbitration. He frequently appears as a panellist and lecturer at various international arbitration-related seminars and conferences.
Cezary is ranked Band 1 by Chambers Global and Chambers Europe for Arbitration and Arbitrators, and as Leading Partner by Legal 500 EMEA for Dispute Resolution in Poland.
Work highlights*
- PL Holdings: representing the client in an investment arbitration initiated by PL Holdings against the Republic of Poland under the Luxembourg-Poland Bilateral Investment Treaty. The proceedings was conducted under the SCC arbitration rules and concerned the uncompensated expropriation of the client's equity investment in a Polish bank, FM Bank PBP.
- Polish manufacturer of rail vehicles: representing the client in an arbitration under the SCC arbitration rules regarding the delivery of tramway equipment for the City of Moscow.
- PESA Bydgoszcz: representing the client in an arbitration under the rules of the Court of Arbitration at the Polish Chamber of Commerce (KIG), concerning claims for contractual penalties under a contract for the delivery of train sets.
- A leading toll motorway concessionaire in Poland: representing the client in an ad hoc UNCITRAL arbitration against the Ministry of Infrastructure, involving a claim for increased expenditures and lost profits due to a breach of the concession agreement.
- Orange Polska: representing the leading Polish telecom company and subsidiary of France Telecom in a precedent-setting case involving a lawsuit brought by P4 against Orange Polska, T-Mobile Polska and Polkomtel for compensation relating to allegations of abuse of their collective dominant position.
- PKP PLK: representing the client in a series of disputes related to access to rail infrastructure in Poland, in particular regarding compensatory claims against the company and the Polish State Treasury.
- A leading owner and operator of shopping centres in Poland: advising the client in arbitration proceedings under the ICC arbitration rules, related to the unforeseen impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and the war in Ukraine.
* Experience gained prior to joining Addleshaw Goddard
- Education
- University of Warsaw, Doctor in Law, 1995
- University of Bonn, 1991
- University of Warsaw, Master of Laws, 1984
- Year qualified
- Warsaw Chamber of Legal Advisers, 1992
- Professional Memberships
- President of ICC Poland from 2018 to 2025
- Member of the working group of the Civil Law Codification Commission on commercial law, established by the Minister of Justice
- Law Society (as foreign lawyer)
- Chairman of the Expert Council of the Łazarski University
- Publications
Selected publications:
- Commercial Law, co-authors: Ł. Gasiński, J. Krauss, M. Litwińska-Werner, M. Modrzejewska, J. Modrzejewski, J. Okolski, D. Opalska, W. Opalski, M. Safjan, K. Zaradkiewicz, Wolters Kluwer, 2022
- Corporate Disputes in Arbitration Practice: Polish and German Perspective, with Witold Jurcewicz and Karl Pörnbacher, C.H. Beck, 2017
- Who Should Know The Law: The Arbitrators Or The Parties?, with Alicja Zielińska, Kluwer Arbitration Blog, 3 October 2016
- Arbitrability of corporate disputes - the Polish perspective, with Witold Jurcewicz, the Commercial Law Review, 2015
- Arbitration - Friendly for Whom?, Arbitraż i Mediacja, 2015
- Polish arbitration with prospects for the future, with Marek Furtek, Rzeczpospolita daily, 6 August 2014
- Bilateral Investment Treaties and the State sovereignty, with Marcin Dziurda, the Commercial Law Review, 2013
- Extent of the Jurisdiction of Arbitral Tribunal on the Basis of BITs, co-author: Olga Górska, the Commercial Law Review, Issue 12, 2012
- Commercial law: change is inevitable, co-author: Jerzy Modrzejewski, Rzeczpospolita daily, 9 February 2011
- Twilight Existence of Minimum Capital – What Next?, co-author: Jerzy Modrzejewski, Professor Okolski Anniversary Book, December 2010; the Commercial Law Review, Issue 12, 2010
- Why do we need bilateral investment treaties, Rzeczpospolita daily, 2008 No. 281
- The Usury Act and Issuance of Financial Instruments, co-author: Marcin Schulz, the Commercial Law Review, Issue 11, 2006
- Reimbursement of Additional Payments in a Limited Liability Company in a Balance Sheet Loss, co-author: Marcin Schulz, the Commercial Law Review, Issue 1, 2005
- The Council of Europe’s Legal Standards: Texts and Comments. Volume 5. Commercial Law, co-authors: T. Komosa, Z. Mrowiec, J. Sadomski, K. Piasecki, A. Ryng, M. Modrzejewska, Scientific Office, Institute of Justice, 1999
- Debt-to-Equity Conversion in Companies, the Commercial Law Review, Issue 9, 1996
- Meaning Of Share Capital in a Limited Liability Company, Tax Review, Issue 2, 1992
- Training delivered
- A lecturer on civil and commercial law at the University of Warsaw.
- Recognition
Chambers Global (ranked by Chambers Global since 2004)
- Arbitration – Poland, Band 1
- Arbitrators – Poland, Band 1
Chambers Europe (ranked by Chambers Europe since 2007)
- Arbitration – Poland, Band 1
- Arbitrators – Poland, Band 1
Legal 500 EMEA, Dispute Resolution, Leading Partner, (ranked since 2020)
Recommended by Lexology Index (formerly Who’s Who Legal), Arbitration
- Testimonials
"Cezary Wiśniewski is one of top Polish arbitration practitioners.” Legal 500 EMEA 2025, Dispute Resolution, Poland
“Practice head Cezary Wiśniewski is ‘a very experienced expert in court and arbitration processes’, and he has experience handling bilateral investment treaty disputes.” Legal 500 EMEA 2024, Dispute Resolution, Poland
"Cezary Wiśniewski is always keen to get involved and provide the wider context to the issues in question.” Legal 500 EMEA 2024, Dispute Resolution, Poland
- Languages
- Polish – native
- English – fluent
- German – good
