Rafał Kos

Arbitration

Business Litigation and Specialized Sector Disputes Practice

Austrian Arbitration Association

German Arbitration Institute (DIS)

The Board of Visitors at the Columbus School of Law (CUA, Washington D.C.)

LEGAL PRACTICE

Attorney at law. Has extensive experience handling cross-border arbitrations, litigations, and group proceedings. He has served as counsel in over 150 international commercial arbitrations and post-arbitration litigations, including several of the largest institutional cases (VIAC, ASA, ICC, LCIA, FAI). He has sat as an arbitrator in more than 40 international and domestic arbitrations.

He has been the Vice President of the Confederation Lewiatan Arbitration Court in Warsaw since 2014. He was appointed as a Permanent Arbitrator and Conciliator at the Arbitration Court at the Office of the Attorney General of the Republic of Poland in 2020. In 2022, he was appointed as President and Judge of the Warsaw Stock Exchange Arbitration Court, serving until 2025.

He has been recommended as a leading expert on arbitration in the Lexology Index (as Thought Leader since 2023), as well as on dispute resolution in the most prestigious Polish law firms ranking conducted by Rzeczpospolita daily (constantly since 2011, and as a leader in the 2023, 2024, and 2025 editions), by Chambers and Partners, and by Legal 500.

BUSINESS ACTIVITIES

He served on the Supervisory Board (Deputy Chairman) of PFR TFI from 2018 to 2020 and was a Member of the Supervisory Board of PKO BP from 2020 to 2024.

PUBLIC SERVICE

From 2018 to 2025, he served as an advisor to the President of Poland on business law legislation and international business affairs. He was a. o. a member of Polish delegations to the 78th and 79th sessions of the UN General Assembly, WEF Davos (2019, 2022-2025), QEF Doha (2022-2025), COP conference (2022-2024), as well as several dozen other bilateral meetings and state visits with heads of state (2019-2025).

Before serving as an advisor to the President of Poland, he was a member of several committees: 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). He also represented the Presidential Office in the Corporate Law Reform Committee at the Ministry of State Assets, Group of Companies Law (2020-2022).

He was a member of the Polish delegation as an expert to UNCITRAL's 73rd-78th sessions, Working Group II.

He has been a member of the Board of Visitors at the Columbus School of Law at the Catholic University of America in Washington since 2017.

Commemorative medal “Merited for Justice" as members of the Minister of Justice Team for the Amendment of the Bankruptcy and Restructuring Law, for the outstanding involvement in the team's works

Minister of Justice

2014

Special diploma in recognition for exceptional involvement in the works of the Team for systemic solutions in the scope of ADR methods in commercial disputes, facilitating the pursuit of business activities at the Ministry of Economy

Minister of Economy

2014

Honourary Badge of Merit in the Development of the Economy of the Republic of Poland

Minister of Economy

2015

Recommended lawyer in Dispute Resolution (Poland)

Chambers Global

2015

Recommended lawyer in Dispute Resolution (Poland)

Chambers Global

2016

Recommended lawyer in Litigation

Best Lawyers

2016

Recommended lawyer in Dispute Resolution (Poland)

Chambers Europe

2017

Recommended lawyer in Dispute Resolution (Poland)

Chambers Global

2017

Recommended lawyer in Dispute Resolution & Arbitration category – 1st place

Rzeczpospolita

2017

Recommended lawyer in Litigation

Best Lawyers

2017

Recommended lawyer

Who’s Who Legal Arbitration

2017

Recommended lawyer

Who’s Who Legal Arbitration

2018

Recommended lawyer in Dispute Resolution (Poland)

Chambers Europe

2018

Recommended lawyer in Dispute Resolution (Poland)

Chambers Global

2018

Recommended lawyer in Dispute Resolution & Arbitration category – 3rd place

Rzeczpospolita

2018

Recommended lawyer in Litigation

Best Lawyers

2018

Distinguished Recent Alumni Award

Catholic University of America Columbus School of Law

2018

Recommended lawyer

Who’s Who Legal Arbitration

2019

Recommended lawyer in Dispute Resolution (Poland)

Chambers Europe

2019

Recommended lawyer in Dispute Resolution (Poland)

Chambers Global

2019

Recommended lawyer in Litigation (civil, penal, commercial, administrative) and Arbitration category

Rzeczpospolita

2019

Recommended lawyer in Litigation category

Best Lawyers

2019

Recommended lawyer in Litigation (civil, penal, commercial, administrative) and Arbitration category

Rzeczpospolita

2020

Recommended lawyer

Who’s Who Legal Arbitration

2020

Recommended lawyer in Dispute Resolution – Most in Demand Arbitrators in Poland

Chambers Europe

2020

Recommended lawyer in Dispute Resolution – Most in Demand Arbitrators in Poland

Chambers Global

2020

Recommended lawyer

Who’s Who Legal Arbitration

2021

Recommended lawyer in Commercial Litigation (Excellent) and International Arbitration (Recommended)

Leaders League

2021

Recommended lawyer in Dispute Resolution (Band 3) and Most in Demand Arbitrators in Poland (Band 3)

Chambers Europe

2021

Recommended lawyer in Dispute Resolution (Band 3) and Most in Demand Arbitrators in Poland (Band 3)

Chambers Global

2021

Recommended lawyer in Litigation (civil, penal, commercial, administrative) category

Rzeczpospolita

2021

Recommended in the Global Leader category

Who’s Who Legal Arbitration

2022

Recommended lawyer in Dispute Resolution (Band 3) and Dispute Resolution: Arbitration (Band 3)

Chambers Global

2022

Recommended lawyer in Dispute Resolution (Band 3) and Dispute Resolution: Arbitration (Band 3)

Chambers Europe

2022

Recommended lawyer in Litigation (civil, penal, commercial, administrative) category

Rzeczpospolita

2022

Recommended in the Global Leader category

Who’s Who Legal Arbitration

2023

Recommended lawyer in Dispute Resolution (Band 3) and Dispute Resolution: Arbitration (Band 2)

Chambers Global

2023

Recommended lawyer in Dispute Resolution (Band 3) and Dispute Resolution: Arbitration (Band 2)

Chambers Europe

2023

Recommended lawyer Private Practice Arbitration Powerlist - CEE Region

Legal 500

2023

Recommended lawyer in Litigation and Arbitration category - leader

Rzeczpospolita

2023

Recommended lawyer

Who’s Who Legal: Thought Leader in Arbitration

2023

Recommended lawyer

Who’s Who Legal Arbitration

2024

Recommended lawyer in Dispute Resolution (Band 3) and Dispute Resolution: Arbitration (Band 2)

Chambers Global

2024

Recommended lawyer in Dispute Resolution (Band 3) and Dispute Resolution: Arbitration (Band 2)

Chambers Europe

2024

Recommended lawyer in Litigation and Arbitration category - leader

Rzeczpospolita

2024

Recommended lawyer

Who’s Who Legal: Thought Leaders in Arbitration

2024

Recommended lawyer

Lexology Index: Arbitration

2025

Recommended lawyer in Litigation (Band 3), Arbitration (Band 2) and Arbitrators (Band 2)

Chambers Global

2025

Recommended lawyer in Litigation (Band 3), Arbitration (Band 2) and Arbitrators (Band 2)

Chambers Europe

2025

Recommended lawyer in Litigation and Arbitration category - leader

Rzeczpospolita

2025

Recommended lawyer

Lexology Index: Thought Leaders in Arbitration

2025

Nominated lawyer in "Poland Arbitration Lawyer of the Year"

Benchmark Litigation

2025

Nominated lawyer in "Poland Litigator Lawyer of the Year"

Benchmark Litigation

2025

Distinction in the Thought Leaders category

Lexology Index: Arbitration

2026

Recommended lawyer in: Arbitration (Band 2), Arbitrator (Band 2) and Litigation: Elite (Band 4)

Chambers Global

2026

Recommended lawyer in: Arbitration (Band 2), Arbitrator (Band 2) and Litigation: Elite (Band 4)

Chambers Europe

2026

Recommended lawyer in Litigation and Arbitration category

Rzeczpospolita

2026