Michał Gajdus

Partner
Advocate
Michał is extremely intelligent and well-rounded lawyer whose versatility and legal insight are truly impressive.
Chambers Global, Intellectual Property, 2026
About

Michał Gajdus has more than 10 years of experience in advising clients on intellectual property and civil law, with a particular emphasis on IP and commercial litigation.

He has a proven track record as a leading lawyer in complex, precedent-setting cases and strategic commercial and impact litigation before Polish courts and authorities, international arbitration tribunals, the Court of Justice of the European Union and the European Court of Human Rights. He advises top-tier clients from a variety of sectors, including life sciences, energy, finance, banking, telecoms, insurance and real estate.

Michał is also heavily involved in pro bono work, primarily focusing on protecting the rule of law in Poland. He has represented independent Polish judges in unprecedented proceedings before the Court of Justice of the European Union, the European Court of Human Rights and the European Commission (securing numerous interim measures granted by the ECHR) and has acted as their defence attorney before the Polish Supreme Court and general courts. He has also been involved in providing legal aid to Ukrainian war refugees in Warsaw.

Bar admissionsAdvocate (Adwokat) registered with the Warsaw Bar Association of Advocates (Okręgowa Izba Adwokacka w Warszawie)

EXPERIENCE

  • Advising a multi-utility company in patent disputes concerning a one-of-a-kind industrial unit.
  • Advising a company specialising in obtaining EU funds in a dispute with one of its contractors regarding copyright and know-how.
  • Advising a global pharmaceutical and healthcare company on defending the patent and the supplementary protection certificate which protects a category-defining medicinal product.
  • Advising an international life sciences company in infringement proceedings concerning the breakthrough subsequent medical use of a known substance.
  • Advising a leading global healthcare company on defending a suite of patents and supplementary protection certificates which protect one of the client’s key medicinal products used to treat one of the most common endocrine diseases.
  • Advising a global pharmaceutical and healthcare company on defending the patent which protects one of the most common veterinary products for dogs.
  • Advising an international pharmaceutical company that develops innovative drugs in preliminary injunction proceedings against leading generic companies in Poland concerning a birth control product.
  • Advising a prominent real estate company managing A-class buildings in a dispute with a general contractor.
  • Advising a global food company in a dispute covering several major European jurisdictions, involving civil law, criminal law and arbitration, to retrieve a multi-million-dollar debt.
  • Advising a real estate developer in a dispute concerning an unduly demanded contractual penalty.
  • Advising a major telecoms operator in an unprecedented dispute with its former agent in charge of the operator’s sales network in Poland.
  • Advising a global hemp company in a contractual dispute with a former member of its management board.
Languages
  • Polish
  • English
  • French

AWARDS AND RECOGNITION

  • Ranked in Intellectual Property – Chambers Europe 2026
  • Ranked in Intellectual Property – Chambers Global 2026
  • Ranked Bronze in Litigation – IAM Patent 1000, 2022 – 2025
  • Recommended in Intellectual Property – Legal 500 EMEA 2018 – 2025
  • Recognised as Rising Star – IP Stars 2022 – 2024
  • Recommended Lawyer in Dispute Resolution – Legal 500 EMEA 2019 – 2024
  • "Michał is extremely intelligent and well-rounded lawyer whose versatility and legal insight are truly impressive." – Chambers Global, Intellectual Property 2026
  • "Michał Gajdus is an excellent lawyer but more than that, he is super knowledgeable of the market and challenges for our industry in the Polish market." – Chambers Europe 2026, Intellectual Property
  • "Michał Gajdus is an up-and-coming partner who assists clients with the defence and enforcement proceedings. He acts on patent, trade mark and copyrights cases." – Chambers Global, Intellectual Property 2026
  • "Michał Gajdus is the best IP litigator in Poland. Despite his age he is known to handle the most complex and difficult IP contentious matters. He is a strategic thinker and always thinks two steps ahead. He combines vast knowledge with tremendous creativity and out–of–the–box–thinking." – Legal 500 EMEA 2026, Intellectual Property.
Education
  • University of Warsaw, Master of Laws, 2013
  • University of Warsaw, Bachelor of Arts in International Trade Relations, 2011

Prior Experience

  • May 2025 – present, Partner, DLA Piper, Warsaw
  • October 2023 – May 2025, Counsel, DLA Piper, Warsaw
  • July 2015 – July 2023, Counsel/Senior Associate/Associate, Allen & Overy, Warsaw
  • August 2013 – June 2015, Associate, DLA Piper, Warsaw

Memberships and Affiliations

  • Warsaw Bar Association of Advocates (Izba Adwokacka w Warszawie), 2017