Professional Achievements

For nearly 20 years, I have been defending suspects and defendants, as well as representing injured parties, in all types of criminal proceedings. I specialize, however, in cases related to economic crime and fiscal criminal law.

I have represented management staff of commercial companies, as well as public officials in managerial positions, facing charges involving broadly defined managerial crimes, including corruption, alleged mismanagement, and abuse of authority. These include complex and high-profile cases, some of which have a political dimension.

I defend both public officials and business representatives. I am currently participating in strategic criminal proceedings in Poland. I have successfully handled cases in which, despite prosecutors’ requests, courts declined to impose pretrial detention on the clients I represented.

I also defend clients in confidential cases involving public officials and have experience appearing before military courts.

I have extensive knowledge of both the substantive aspects of criminal proceedings and their practical application. In my work, I act in the best interests of my clients while respecting the ethics and deontological principles of the legal profession.

Bar Association Achievements

Since completing my legal training, I have been actively involved in the Bar Association.

From 2007 to 2019, I served as a disciplinary judge, including as Vice-President of the Disciplinary Court of the Warsaw Bar Association. I subsequently became Vice-Dean of the District Bar Association in Warsaw, where I was responsible for organizing and overseeing the training of trainee attorneys.

Over the course of nearly seven years, I successfully reformed the trainee attorney training system in Warsaw. Among my achievements, I introduced an electronic trainee journal and transparent competitions for the positions of Training Director and Year Group Supervisor. I also transformed the training program to make it more practical, organized training during the COVID-19 pandemic, and, after 18 years, changed the training location for a large group of approximately 1,400 trainees in Warsaw, including those preparing for the professional examination.

Furthermore, in response to the challenges facing the traditional patronage system, I introduced mentoring initiatives and a Tutor Program for trainees of the Warsaw Bar Association.

Since May 2025, I have served as the first woman Dean in the history of the Warsaw District Bar Council. Through my activities within the Bar Association, I have developed additional competencies in team management and in creating new structures within established institutions.

I am also the originator and co-organizer of the first Women’s Team at the National Bar Council, which focuses on supporting, integrating, and representing the interests of women in the legal profession. The annual “Woman of the Year” award was also created on my initiative.

Academic Achievements

Since 2020, I have held a PhD in Law from Adam Mickiewicz University in Poznań. My doctoral research in the field of criminal procedure was conducted under the academic supervision of Professor Paweł Wiliński.

I am a lecturer, author, and editor of academic publications in the fields of criminal procedure, criminal law, and professional ethics. I regularly speak at conferences, in the media, and on social media on professional, Bar Association, and social issues.

I am the scientific editor and co-author, together with 27 other authors, of the first academic study devoted entirely to issues related to the practice of the legal profession in Poland, entitled “The Meritum of an Attorney and a Female Attorney,” published by Wolters Kluwer in June 2024.

I am a legal expert for Rzeczpospolita and Lazarski University in Warsaw.

From 2017 to 2021, I served as Vice-Chair of the Legislative Committee of the National Bar Council, where I prepared legal opinions concerning criminal proceedings, criminal law, petty offences, and so-called constitutional laws during a particularly challenging period of legislative activity.

In April 2024, I was appointed to the Criminal Law Codification Commission at the Ministry of Justice, chaired by Professor Włodzimierz Wróbel, Judge of the Supreme Court. I subsequently resigned from the Commission due to my candidacy for the position of Dean of the largest Bar Association chamber in Poland.

Social Achievements

My law firm also provides pro bono legal assistance. In this area, I cooperate with the Helsinki Foundation for Human Rights and the KOS organization.

I have represented judges and prosecutors who faced repression under the previous government before the Supreme Court, ordinary courts, and the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR).

I have also defended activists associated with movements including Citizens of Poland, the Climate Strike, and the Women’s Strike. In recognition of this work, I was named a Pro Bono Lawyer by Rzeczpospolita in 2023.

In 2021, I was named one of the 25 Women Lawyers for Business in the Forbes Women Poland ranking.

I have also received the Meritorious Bar Award and the Bene Merentibus distinction awarded by the President of the National Bar Council.

I serve on the Program Council of the Congress of Women and am a member of the STOPRAW Association, formerly the Professor Zbigniew Hołda Association.

Attorney Dr. Katarzyna Gajowniczek-Pruszyńska