Attorney-at-law · Managing Partner
dr Rafał Cieślak
Rafał Cieślak is an attorney-at-law and the founder of the Law Firm. For nearly 25 years, he has been advising public and private entities on the preparation, implementation and financing of infrastructure projects. His experience covers public-private partnerships, public procurement, European funds, investment financing and energy efficiency. He supports clients at every stage of the investment process – from project analysis and structuring, through the preparation of documentation and contract negotiations, to securing financing and the implementation of the investment.
He has been consistently recognised since 2015 in the international legal ranking Chambers & Partners as an expert in the field of public-private partnerships. He has advised on dozens of PPP and concession projects, including Poland’s first government-led PPP project and hybrid projects co-financed by European and national funds. He actively participates in efforts to develop the PPP market, engaging in expert initiatives and legislative work. He is a co-author of the government’s PPP Guidelines and the lead author of the Guidelines for Energy Performance Contracting (EPC).
As an assistant professor at the Faculty of Law and Administration of the University of Warsaw, he conducts research and teaching, focusing on issues related to the functioning of the public sector, public procurement, local government finances and the green transition. He is the author of several dozen academic and expert publications and a participant in national and international academic conferences. He is involved in research projects, combining his academic work with the experience gained from the implementation of infrastructure projects.
Experience
- Ministry of Development Funds and Regional Policy – over a dozen consultancy, expert and training projects in the field of PPPs and concessions
- Central Transport Hub – consultancy on the use of the PPP model and concessions for investments planned under the ‘Port Polska’ programme
- General Directorate for National Roads and Motorways – legal advice on a PPP project concerning the construction of the Tri-City Bypass
- District Court in Nowy Sącz – legal and tax advice on Poland’s first government PPP project – the construction of the District Court in Nowy Sącz
- Association of Polish Cities – comprehensive advisory services on preparations for the implementation of an EPC/ESCO project in Ukraine
- ESEP Ltd – legal advice on the construction of the European Entrepreneurship Centre and the Maritime Research Centre in Croatia
- City of Warsaw – legal advice on the selection of a private partner for the business incubator project entitled ‘Targowa Creativity Centre’
- City of Szczecin – comprehensive advisory services on a pioneering project for the energy retrofit of educational buildings under the EPC/ESCO model, with co-funding from the National Fund for Environmental Protection and Water Management (NFOŚiGW)
- City of Płock – comprehensive advisory services for the development of an Aquapark under a PPP model and on the energy retrofit of 24 public buildings under a PPP/ESCO model
- City of Żory – comprehensive advisory services for the pioneering PPP project involving the development of municipal housing, co-financed through the BGK Subsidy Fund
- City of Piastów – comprehensive consultancy on a PPP project concerning the construction of a general secondary school, including site development
- Czernica Municipality – legal advice on the implementation of a PPP project for the construction of a sewage treatment plant
- Port Polska – legal advice to a private contractor as part of a competitive dialogue for the supply and installation of material-handling equipment
Awards
Selected publications
- Public-Private Partnerships: 100 Questions, Explanations and Interpretations [in Polish], edited by R. Cieślak, Wolters Kluwer Polska, Warsaw 2014, 360 pp.
- Public-Private Partnerships in Local Government [in Polish], R. Cieślak, Infor Expert, Warsaw 2011, 300 pp.
- Local Government Bodies as Beneficiaries of European Funds [in Polish], by E. Kornberger-Sokołowska, J. Zdanukiewicz and R. Cieślak, Wolters Kluwer Polska, 2012, 268 pp.
- EU Funds 2007–2013: A Guide for Entrepreneurs [in Polish], edited by R. Cieślak, Unimex, Wrocław 2007, pp. 328
- The Act on Municipal Self-Government. Commentary [in Polish], edited by P. Drembkowski and P. Suwaj, co-author, C.H. Beck Publishers, Warsaw 2023, pp. 676
- The Public Finance Act. The Act on Liability for Breaches of Public Finance Discipline. Commentary [in Polish], edited by W. Misiąg, co-author, C.H. Beck Publishers, Warsaw 2019, pp. 1472
- Act on Concession Contracts for Construction Works or Services. Commentary [in Polish], edited by R. Cieślak, C.H. Beck Publishers, Warsaw 2018, pp. 300
- The risk of guaranteed savings in energy performance contracts in the EU and Polish perspective, Springer Nature, „Energy Efficiency” 18(5), 2025
- Towards the EU Net-Zero: Energy Performance Contracting in the European Union Policy and Regulatory Framework, Conference Proceedings, Goce Delcev University, 2025, North Macedonia
- Specific-purpose grants from the budget of a local government unit to co-finance investment costs under public-private partnership agreements [in Polish], “Annales Universitatis Mariae Curie-Skłodowska. Sectio G, Ius”, 2024
- Political risk in public-private partnership projects leading to the abandonment of a project [in Polish], “Samorząd Terytorialny”, Issue 1–2, 2024
- Hybrid projects during the 2021–2027 EU programming period [in Polish], “Tributum tolerabile as facile?” A jubilee volume dedicated to Professor Elżbieta Kornberger-Sokołowska, Wolters Kluwer Polska, Warsaw 2023
- The concept of public-private partnership in Poland, Journal of University of Latvia. Law, No 15/2022
- Between PPPs and privatisation. The statutory limits of public-private partnerships [in Polish], The Private Sector and the Public Sector: An Interdisciplinary Approach, edited by M. Gruchelski, ASPRA, Warsaw 2020
- Public-Private Partnerships in Water Management [in Polish], Water Management: Key Challenges within the New Planning Cycle, Wolters Kluwer, Warsaw 2020
- Hybrid PPP Projects in the Programming Periods of 2007-2013 and 2014-2020 (co-author), „Financial Law Review”, University of Gdańsk, No 2/2016
- Issues relating to the classification of liabilities arising from public-private partnership agreements as public debt [In Polish], Good Law – Effective Governance, edited by B. Jaworska-Dębska, Łódź 2015
- Public-private partnerships in the energy efficiency sector [in Polish], ‘Public-Private Partnership Bulletin’ No. 8/2013
Education
- 1998–2003 – Faculty of Law and Administration, University of Warsaw (Master of Laws)
- 2000–2002 – British School of English and European Studies, University of Warsaw and University of Cambridge (diploma)
- 2004–2005 – Postgraduate Studies in Regional Development and Regional Policy, EUROREG, University of Warsaw
- 2005–2009 – Faculty of Law and Administration, University of Warsaw (doctoral studies)
- 2011 – Doctor of Laws degree awarded by resolution of the Academic Council of the Institute of Legal and Administrative Sciences, University of Warsaw
- 2023 – Negotiating and Managing PPP Contracts, Oxford Management Centre (certificate)
- 2025 – The Paris Agreement, Sustainable Development and the Law, University of Cambridge (certificate)
Professional and social activities
- Member of the Warsaw Bar Association of Attorneys-at-Law
- Member of the Global ESCO Network – UNEP Copenhagen Climate Centre
- Member of the Working Group on Green PPP Projects and expert at the UNECE International PPP Centre
- Member of the Public Procurement Law Association
- Member of the Polish Society for Public Management
- Member of the Research Network on EU Administrative Law (ReNEUAL)
- Member of the European Environmental Law Forum (EELF)
- Member of the Association for Energy Performance and Verification (AEPV, UK)
- Assistant Professor at the Department of Public Administration and Digital Transformation, Faculty of Law and Administration, University of Warsaw
- Leader of Task Teams within the Expert Working Group on Public-Private Partnerships at the Central PPP Unit of the Ministry of Development Funds and Regional Policy
- National Correspondent for the European Procurement & Public Private Partnership Law Review (Lexxion)
- Deputy Chair of the Regional Commission for Environmental Impact Assessments at the Regional Directorate for Environmental Protection in Warsaw
- Member of the Supervisory Board of CHROBRY S.A.
- Vice-President of SKT No. 134 of the Social Educational Society
- Vice-President of the SBN Łopienka Club at the Inter-University Branch of PTTK in Warsaw
- Friend of the ‘Niezła Sztuka’ Foundation for the Promotion of the Arts
