ABSTRACT
Doradca Consultants Ltd. is one of the oldest consulting companies in Poland. It has been involved in the processes of privatization and restructuring in Poland, Central Europe and the former Soviet Union republics since the beginning of the cold war thaw. Established in 1985 in Sopot by a group of lawyers, economists and scientists from the University of Gdansk, Doradca Consultants was involved in establishing cooperatives and joint ventures and provided accounting, tax, legal and organizational consultancy services for Poland’s emerging private sector throughout the late 1980s. At that time Doradca was supported by the underground Solidarity trade union, as one of the very first independent initiatives and a place where Solidarity activists dismissed from state sector jobs could find work. At the end of this period Doradca commenced rendering services to foreign investors and developed the first full-fledged feasibility studies for the International Finance Corporation. Some people connected with Doradca, known as Gdańsk liberals, played a prominent role in Poland’s economic and social life during the transition a few years later.
