Chambers Global 2020
Andrzej Kubas is highly praised by interviewees, who characterise him as an “excellent litigator and extremely experienced lawyer.” He maintains a stellar reputation within the market, with sources acknowledging his skills in civil and commercial litigation. He is also a respected academic.
Rafał Kos is recognised by market sources to be an active litigator, with a track record in handling domestic and cross-border mandates.
Legal 500
Kubas Kos Gałkowski “addresses all of the crucial issues in a detailed manner”. The firm routinely represents citizens in class actions against public entities, but also acts for a number of large companies, especially in infrastructure disputes. Andrzej Kubas heads the department. Dominik Gałkowski and Rafał Kos combine “logical thinking and easy communication”.
The most prestigious Polish ranking of law firm conducted by Rzeczpospolita – the leading daily newspaper in Poland.
National ranking of law firms based on the number of attorneys-at-law – 34th place (promoted from 41st)
Ranking of law firms in Małopolska – 3rd place
Two distinctions for our activity during the pandemic:
- for a website dedicated to legal advice during the epidemic
- and for the internal organisation of the firm’s operation during the epidemic
Rising Stars – the most revered ranking of young lawyers, organized by the Gazeta Prawna Daily, the largest Polish business daily.
“Innovative Law Firm 2010” announced in FORBES magazine.
The award was granted for the implementation of the innovative B2B Legal Help Desk (LHD) system, a tool facilitating more effective cooperation with the corporate client.
Who’s Who Legal Arbitration 2020
Recommended in the Lawyers category: Rafał Kos, PhD
Who’s Who Legal: Rafał Kos is commended by peers for as „extremely active and visible with a highly international practice” in the arbitration sphere.
Recommended in the Future Leaders category: Maciej Durbas
Best Lawyers 2019
Recommended attorney in litigation category:
- Rafał Kos, PhD
- Kamil Zawicki
In the frames of the actions on the improvement of legislation in Poland, Kubas Kos Gałkowski’s Partners actively participate in the works aimed at drafting new legal acts and collaborating with Polish Government, Parliament & President RP.
Professor Andrzej Kubas and Rafał Kos, PhD prepared a legal opinion on a draft bill on class actions. In addition, Rafał Kos, PhD was a professional during the Parliament’s Justice and Human Rights Committee sessions. The mechanism of class actions entered into force on July 19, 2010.
Rafał Kos, PhD and Dominik Gałkowski participated in the works of the Minister of Justice’s Expert Team for the amendment of the Insolvency and Rehabilitation Law which prepared recommendations in terms of specific changes in this law in Poland: legislative and institutional solutions. The new Restructuring Law, replacing the previous Insolvency law, entered into force in January 1, 2016.
Rafał Kos, PhD and Kamil Zawicki took part in the works of the Minister of Economy’s Alternative Dispute Resolution Expert Team. The comments made by the team have been taken into consideration in the new act, amending the Code of Civil Procedure in the scope of mediation and arbitration in 2016.
Kamil Zawicki took part in the works of the ADR Social Council for the Minister of Justice. The tasks of the Council included proposing and leading actions in the direction of the development of alternative dispute resolution methods, specifically: proposing solutions serving the development of ADR, providing opinions on draft acts in law as well as preparing and propagating the ethical principles of the work of a mediator and mediation proceedings and also mediator training standards.
Rafał Kos, PhD and Kamil Zawicki participated as experts of the Business Law Task Force for the Minister of Development, the duties of which included the identification of areas requiring the legislator’s intervention or indicating issues requiring extra-legislative measures. The team worked on amendments to the Class Action Act.
In 2018 Rafał Kos, PhD was appointed as an advisor of the President of Poland. Rafał Kos, PhD advises the President on issues connected with improving regulations in the scope of commercial law and conditions for stable development for Polish entrepreneurs. He is the President’s representative in the Presidential Entrepreneurship Council.
Rafał Kos, PhD was appointed as a member to the Jury of the Presidential Economic Award (17th and 18th edition).
Rafał Kos, PhD and Mirosław Cejmer, PhD participate in the works of the Ministry of State Assets on the proposal for a comprehensive reform of the law on the functioning of ownership supervision in commercial companies. Rafał Kos, PhD has been appointed member of the Corporate Law Reform Committee, the activities of which will be supported by a group of specialists forming five expert teams, including the Expert Team for Improving the Effectiveness of Supervisory Boards, composed of, among others, Rafał Kos, PhD and the Expert Team for Group of Corporation Law, including Rafał Kos, PhD and Mirosław Cejmer, PhD.
International cooperation is a vital part of our operations. Thanks to our ties with international industry and commerce chambers as well as cooperation with law firms in Europe, North America and Asia, we are able to provide our clients with fast and effective legal solutions, also in large, complex cases. Such cooperation also enables us to offer comprehensive legal services in the area of international transactions, while taking the specificity of foreign jurisdiction into consideration.
Our extensive experience in the provision of services to German-speaking clients has led us to create a German Desk. Members of the German Desk team speak German fluently and also possess practical knowledge of the economic realities as well as legal systems of Germany and Austria.
The German Desk provides comprehensive legal services to clients from German-speaking countries. We conduct trans-border court and arbitration disputes plus negotiations and provide support in international transactions (in the area of Polish and German law as well as international agreements). We also offer consultancy services to businesses with German-speaking investors and have in-depth knowledge of the business customs and legal culture of our partners.
The German Desk consists of a team of lawyers with extensive experience in providing services to German-speaking clients under the leadership of Mirosław Cejmer, PhD.
France has been the biggest foreign investor in Poland for the past five years. Business exchanges are continuing to intensify each year. Kubas Kos Gałkowski is proud to be able to provide legal services and aid in the development of business relations of French companies in Poland.
The French Desk consists of a team of lawyers with extensive experience in broadly understood commercial law, with a fluent command of French and in-depth knowledge of the French business culture. The team provides high-quality legal and consultancy services to entities with an already established business as well as those just beginning their operations in Poland or intending to do so in the future.
The department is headed by Wojciech Wandzel, attorney-at-law.
Kubas Kos Gałkowski has also made a point of creating a separate Italian Desk within its structure. The team provides services spanning a broad spectrum of matters related to business activities conducted in Poland and also provides legal assistance to Italian companies commencing or intending to commence business operations in Poland.
The Italian Desk also carries out international projects that require the involvement of foreign law firms, leading us to establish regular cooperation ties with: Studio Legale Guida Senatore & Associates with its seat in Rome and branches in Naples, Milan, Bergamo plus Cava de’Tirreni.
The department is headed by avv. Vincenzo Senatore
The professional experience of our lawyers acquired in Japan and in China, as well as the interest of Asian companies in investing in Poland have contributed to the establishment of the Kubas Kos Gałkowski Asian Desk. Our aim is to support Asian investors starting to intending to start business activities in Poland.
The Asian Desk team are specialists possessing both education and experience in the scope of cooperation with countries of the Far East, specifically Japan, China and South Korea. Our preparation allows us to understand the specifics of the business and legal culture of the countries and to ensure versatile legal assistance. Within the framework of the submitted projects we cooperate with law offices from a majority of the Far East countries, including: Japan, South Korea, Hong Kong, Singapore, or Vietnam.
The works of the department are led by Aleksandra Czubak, attorney at law.
New York: Morgan, Lewis & Bockius LLP, Shearman & Sterling LLP
Washington: Clark Hill PLC, Jones Day, Morgan, Lewis & Bockius LLP, RULG-Ukrainian Legal Group L.L.C., Weisbrod Matteis & Copley PLLC, WilmerHale
Miami: Morgan, Lewis & Bockius LLP
London: Baker Botts LLP, Debevoise & Plimpton LLP, Lewis Silkin LLP, Sullivan & Cromwell LLP, WilmerHale
Paris: Davis Polk & Wardwell LLP, Herbert Smith Freehills Paris LLP
Frankfurt: Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer, GvW Graf von Westphalen, HengellerMueller, King & Spalding, Shearman & Sterling LLP
Philadelphia: Cozen O’Connor, Weisbrod Matteis & Copley PLLC
Beirut: Jaber Law Firm
Madrid: Cuatrecasas, L.C. Rodrigo Abogados
Bilbao: Cuatrecasas
Riga: TGS Baltic
Vilnius: SORAINEN, TGS Baltic
Kiev: Arzinger, Egorov Puginsky Afanasiev & Partners, Integrites, RULG-Ukrainian Legal Group L.L.C.
Odessa: Arzinger
Prague: Havel & Partners
Lviv: Arzinger
Bratyslava: Barger Prekop s.r.o.
Zürich: Heuking Kühn Lüer Wojtek, LALIVE, Prager Dreifuss AG, Walder Wyss Ltd.
Geneva: LALIVE, Tavernier Tschanz
Tokyo: Anderson Mori & Tomotsune
Perth: MinterEllison
Stockholm: Mannheimer Swartling Advokatbyrå AB, Setterwalls Advokatbyrå AB, VINGE
Sofia: Djingov, Gouginski, Kyutchukov & Velichkov Attorneys and Counsellors at Law
Istanbul: AKSAN Law Firm
Minsk: Revera Law Firm
Helsinki: Hannes Snellman, HPP Attorneys Ltd
Beijing: Jia Yuan Law Office
Shanghai: AllBright Law Offices
Brussels: Altius, Covington & Burling LLP
Amsterdam: NautaDutilh
Vienna: BAIER Rechtsanwälte, Graf & Pitkowitz Rechtsanwälte GmbH, zeiler.partners Rechtsanwälte GmbH
Seoul: Bae Kim & Lee LLC
Moscow: BGP Litigation
Belgrade: Joksović, Stojanović & Partner
Hong Kong: Mannheimer Swartling Advokatbyrå AB
Milan: Galantini Heilbron Cocco-Ordini
Düsseldorf: HengellerMueller, Heuking Kühn Lüer Wojtek
Budapest: Lakatos, Köves and Partners
Bucharest: Maravela Asociații
Ljubljana: Šelih & Partnerji
Lisbon: PLMJ
Tallinn: TGS Baltic
Copenhagen: Bech-Bruun
Munich: GLNS, HengellerMueller
Stuttgart: Menold Bezler, OPPENLÄNDER Rechtsanwälte
Ridgeland: Weisbrod Matteis & Copley PLLC
San Juan: Weisbrod Matteis & Copley PLLC
Attorney at law, senior partner. Professor at Jagiellonian University (Krakow). A specialist in the scope of civil and commercial law, as well as transborder arbitration and litigation who supervises court and arbitration proceedings practices. Arbitrator of the Arbitration Court at the Polish Chamber of Commerce. An expert of the Justice and Human Rights Committee on class actions. A former member of the Legislative Council of the Prime Minister. As of 2014 Advisory Board Member of the Czech (& Central European) Yearbook of Arbitration. Former Vice-President of the Polish Bar Council and the Deputy Dean of the District Bar Council in Krakow. Distinguished by the Minister of Justice with the "Award of Merit to the Justice System” badge.
Attorney at law. He has extensive experience in conducting cross border litigations and group proceedings. He is the Vice-President of the Confederation Lewiatan Arbitration Court in Warsaw (since 2014). Appointed as Permanent Arbitrator and Conciliator of the Arbitration Court at the Office of the Attorney General of the Republic of Poland (since 2020). He was a member of the following: the Parliamentary Justice and Human Rights Committee on Class Actions (2009); the Minister of Justice Team for the Amendment of the Bankruptcy and Restructuring Law (2012); the Minister of Economy’s Alternative Dispute Resolution Expert Team (2013); and the Business Law Task Force at the Ministry of Economic Development (2015). Currently a member of the Corporate Law Reform Committee and expert teams at the Ministry of State Assets: for Improving the Effectiveness of Supervisory Boards and for Group of Corporation Law (2020). He has been recommended as a leading expert on arbitration in Who’s Who Legal, as well as on dispute resolution in Chambers and Partners and in the most prestigious Polish ranking of law firms conducted by the Rzeczpospolita daily. Member of the Polish Bar Council Arbitration Committee (since 2015) and The Board of Visitors at the Columbus School of Law of the Catholic University of America in Washington (since 2017). Deputy Supervisory Board Chairman of the PFR TFI (since 2018-2020). Member of the Supervisory Board of the PKO BP (since 2020).
Attorney at law, co-managing partner. A specialist in corporate law, insolvency law, banking law and public procurement law. An expert in the scope of legal due diligence and financial institutions, as well as corporate audits. He conducts projects regarding subjective changes in enterprises – mergers, acquisitions, and other forms of restructuring and insolvency. A corporate client advisor, mainly in matters regarding the trading of financial instruments, he represents them in both court and out of court matters as well as negotiations. An expert member of the Team of the Minister of Justice's for Insolvency and Rehabilitation Law (2012).
Attorney at law, co-managing partner. An expert in the field of energy law, recommended in the Rzeczpospolita daily ranking. Specialises in the area of litigation and arbitration proceedings, including investment arbitration, as well as international trade agreements. Acts as an advisor to numerous companies from the energy law sector. Involved in a number of multi-thread court proceedings commissioned by one of the largest groups from the energy sector in a dispute set against the background of long-term framework agreements concerning electric power sales and green certificates. He supervises the Energy Law Department at Kubas Kos Gałkowski. Member of the Minister of Economy’s Alternative Dispute Resolution Expert Team (2013) and the Business Law Task Force at the Ministry of Economic Development (2015). Head of the Allerhand Institute Dispute Resolution Section. Member of the Czech (& Central European) Yearbook of Arbitration Editorial Board. Arbitrator at the Lewiatan Court of Arbitration, member of the Arbitration Court Arbitration Committee at the Regional Chamber of Commerce in Kalisz (2019) and the Social Committee for ADR at the Ministry of Justice (2015).
Attorney at law, co-managing partner. Assistant at the Chair of Civil Law at Jagiellonian University (Krakow). A specialist in substantive civil law, procedural law as well as insolvency law. An expert in the scope of warranty of public faith of the land and mortgage register. Her legal practice also focuses on companies law and private economic law. She provides comprehensive services in the scope of investment processes, especially concerning real estate and developer transactions, including strategic consulting on real estate transactions for foreign investors and capital groups. Of counsel in the course of numerous proceedings, including international arbitration proceedings, additionally in the area of disputes arising against Bilateral Investment Treatises. Laureate of the Gazeta Prawna – Rising Stars 2012 ranking.
Attorney at law. Graduate of comparative law studies at the University of Bonn (M.iur.comp.), conducted research on German and community companies and consortium law at the local Institute of Commercial Law, under the supervision of Prof. M. Lutter and Prof. K. Schmidt. He specialises in Polish and European Community company law as well as concern law, and also the legal-comparative analysis of capital corporation issues and the capital market in Europe and the United States. He also concentrates on the fields of civil and commercial law. He was a member of the Civil Law Codification Committee task team, handling the preparation of provisions of the Civil Code on representation. Member of the expert team for Group of Corporation Law at the Ministry of State Assets (2020). Supervises the German Desk in the law firm and provides legal assistance to investors from German speaking countries. Author of articles and publications on company law in national and foreign press, as well as the European Company law series. A consultant for many European projects. At the invitation of, among others, the European Commission, the Ministry of Justice of the Republic of France, and European economic organizations, he was a speaker at many international conferences and seminars devoted to Company Law, specifically the European Private Company.
Attorney at law. A specialist in representing clients in civil, administrative, and court administrative cases, as well as arbitration proceedings. He provides standing corporate services to commercial law entities, heading long-term projects in corporate and commercial matters. He supports clients in strategic and safe management - from negotiation tactics to the latest corporate instruments, and also in the implementation of long-term strategic projects. He is experienced in the handling of comprehensive investment processes, specifically in the scope of developer investments, as well as new technologies. Responsible for the compliance policy in the scope of personal data protection. Chair of the Ethics Subcommittee, which is part of the Commercial & Business Litigation Committee, at the American Bar Association.
Attorney at law. A specialist in the scope of corporate law and civil procedural law. He handles the provision of comprehensive legal services and prepares effective procedural strategies. Focused on IT and start-up projects as well as mergers, acquisitions, and other forms of restructuring and bankruptcy. A client advisor to domestic and foreign investors during negotiations on the signing of land lease, building and premises lease agreements at further stages of the investment process. He carries out projects in the scope of securing financial instruments at various stages of the investment. Kubas Kos Gałkowski representative at the European Federation for Investment Law and Arbitration (EFILA) and a member of the Dispute Resolution Section of the Allerhand Institute. Poland’s Representative at iBNex - International Lawyers Network as the Regional Honorary Advisor. The Head of the Arbitration Court Arbitration Committee at the Regional Chamber of Commerce in Kalisz.
Attorney at law. A specialist in civil substantive and procedural law. Represents clients in court proceedings, including group proceedings and provides consultancy services to commercial entities in the scope of the widely understood civil, commercial and companies law. Experienced in complicated civil cases, in which problems in the scope of private international law and international commercial arbitration occur, as well as in business matters, including disputes between company shareholders. In her practice, she has conducted successful negotiations aimed at the amicable settlement of disputes. Editor-in-chief of the portal on class actions in Poland and worldwide: www.ClassAction.pl. Laureate of the Gazeta Prawna – Rising Stars 2014 ranking. From 2018 an expert of The Law Reviews Expert Panel and the author of publications regarding class actions in Poland The Class Actions Law Review.
Attorney at law. A specialist in business law with a specific focus on banking law as well as civil procedural law. An experienced negotiator and procedural strategist. Provides support in the scope of handling financial transactions and financial turnover. He has conducted numerous legal analyses of large business entities with a specific consideration of the real estate transactions market and the provision of investment related services, also in the context of broadly understood reprivatization matters. A consultant on projects carried out in the banking, insurance, and industrial sectors. Co-Chair of the International Litigation Subcommittee, which is part of the Commercial & Business Litigation Committee, at the American Bar Association.
Attorney at law. Assistant at the Chair of Civil Law at Jagiellonian University (Krakow). An expert on court proceedings in the scope of civil law, and also broadly understood commercial law, in which she represented companies, among others, from the construction, energy, financial, and trade sectors. Experienced in preparing procedural tactics in civil court proceedings. Represents clients in cases in the scope of re-privatization claims, administrative proceedings, and court-administrative proceedings. She has participated in projects in the scope of real estate transactions conducted for one of the largest real estate owners in Poland. Author of numerous academic articles, didactic publications and monographs on civil law, civil procedure, arbitration and constitutional law.
Kubas Kos Gałkowski belongs to the narrow circle of the founding members of the European Federation for Investment Law and Arbitration (EFILA) - Brussels, whose aim is to become the main platform representing the interests of the parties resorting to ADR mechanism in investor-state disputes on a European level.
The Law Firm is also a co-founder of The Allerhand Institute - a Polish independent research center, which conducts interdisciplinary and comparative studies on the role of legal institutions in creating and working in economic markets, both in terms of the shape of the regulation and the institutional framework they create.
Kubas Kos Gałkowski is the editor of two portals dedicated to Polish jurisdiction, which can be helpful to both investors and foreign lawyers who want to advise clients on issues related to doing business in Poland.
IN POLAND is a set of the most important guidelines on setting up and running a business, as well as on choosing the right capital investment method or dispute resolution solution.
ClassAction.pl explains the mechanisms of pursuing claims in group proceedings in Poland and globally. It also provides definitions of key terms while presenting the latest case law, bibliography and our analyses and commentaries concerning class actions.