Legal assistance in Poland
Legal aid in Poland is carried out, first and foremost, for a fee by law firms, in which usually one to several lawyers are employed. The essence of today’s pursuit of this profession is to choose strict specializations. In the era of growing competition, lawyers and legal advisors often have to clearly define their plot and constantly increase their knowledge and skills in this field. Therefore, when looking for a law firm, pay special attention to the specialties declared by the lawyers working in it. This information can be found most often directly on the website of specific law firms, or they can be obtained by visiting the office in person.
Foreigners will certainly be interested in the fact that in today’s law school the adoption of people who speak good foreign language is a standard. Most lawyers, especially those belonging to the broadly understood young generation, declare knowledge of English at an expert level. Especially in large cities, it is relatively easy to find a lawyer who will provide legal assistance in a foreign language without any problems. However, it should be said that the vast majority of documents and files delivered to Polish courts and offices must be in Polish. Then it is necessary to use the services of a sworn translator entered on the list kept by the Ministry of Justice. Therefore, a lawyer can give legal advice on the basis of documents in a foreign language, but his translation of the document into Polish will not have formal meaning for the court or officials.
Legal assistance in Poland usually costs a lot of money and not every resident can afford this type of expenses. Fortunately, there are some solutions that can be very useful in such situations. Since 2016, there is a system of free legal assistance in Poland organized most often in City or Commune Offices, Poviat Headquarters and in specially prepared offices for this purpose. Until the end of 2018, this option was available only to certain social groups: for example, young people up to 26 years of age or people who were 65 years of age. From January 1, 2019, any person who can prove that he is unable to pay for a law firm, has the right to use one of the points where this legal aid is provided. A full list of such places, along with the hours of receiving interested parties, can be found on the government website of the Republic of Poland, dedicated to this purpose.
Another way is to turn to academic legal clinics that operate at universities. Advice is provided then by students, completely free to be able to train in practice during the study. Of course, these answers are verified by scientific employees and prepared with all diligence. An inquiry about this possibility of receiving legal assistance can be made to the dean’s office of the law faculty, which will contact the student directly with the student counseling service.