Legal Clinics in Poland

Summary of the academic year 2006/2007

activity

Legal clinics in Poland

Białystok – University of Białystok

Białystok – Białystok School of Public Administration

Gdańsk – Gdańsk University

Katowice – Silesian University

Kraków – Jagiellonian University

Kraków - Collegium Medicum Jagiellonian University

Lublin – Catholic University of Lublin

Lublin – Maria Curie-Skłodowska University

Łódź – University of Łodź

Olsztyn – Academic Association of the Law and European Education Propagators „Wspólna Europa”

Olsztyn - The University of Warmia and Mazury

Opole – Opole University

Poznań - Adam Mickiewicz University

Rzeszów – Rzeszów University

Słubice - Collegium Polonicum

Szczecin – University of Szczecin

Toruń – Nicolaus Copernicus University

Warszawa - Academia Iuris Foundation

Warszawa - Warsaw University

Warszawa - Lazarski School of Commerce and Law

Warszawa - Leon Koźmiński Academy of Entrepreneurship and Management

Warszawa - Management and Law Academy (WSZiP)

Warszawa - Stefan Kardinal Wyszyński in Warsaw *

Wrocław - Wrocław University

* Legal clinic opened in 2006

Białystok

Warszawa

Lublin

RzeszówKraków

Katowice

Opole

Wrocław

Łódź

Poznań

Toruń

Gdańsk

Szczecin

Słubice

Olsztyn

Białystok

Warszawa

Lublin

RzeszówKraków

Katowice

Opole

Wrocław

Łódź

Poznań

Toruń

Gdańsk

Szczecin

Słubice

Olsztyn

Clinics accredited by the Legal Clinics Foundation

1. Student Legal Clinic in Białystok (University of Białystok)2. Student University Legal Clinic in Gdańsk3. Student Legal Clinic in Katowice4. University Legal Clinic in Kraków5. University Legal Clinic in Lublin (Catholic University)6. University Student Legal Clinic in Lublin (Curie-Skłodowska University)7. Student Legal Information Point „Klinika Prawa” in Łódź8. Student Social – Legal Advice Office „Bona Fides” in Opole9. Student University Legal Clinic in Poznań10. University Legal Clinic in Rzeszowie11. Scientific Group Student Legal Clinic in Słubice12. „Legal Education Center” – Student Legal Clinic in Szczecin13. University Legal Clinic in Toruń14. Academia Iuris Foundation in Warsaw15. Legal Clinic, Student Center of Legal Aid in Warsaw (Warsaw University)16. Student Legal Clinic in Warsaw (L. Koźmiński Academy)17. Student Legal Clinic in Warsaw (Lazarski School of Commerce and Law)18. Student Legal Advice Office in Warsaw (Management and Law Academy-WSZiP)19. University Legal Clinic in Wrocław

Academic year in numbers

9399 cases were submitted to legal clinics between October 2006 and June 2007;

2327 (25%) were civil law cases; 1302 students and 197 teachers worked in the clinics; 1 teacher supervised the work of 6 students; 7 cases were solved by one student.

Comparing to the previous years …

65967421

98339399

0

2000

4000

6000

8000

10000

12000

2003

/200

4

2004

/200

5

2005

/200

6

2006

/200

7

1302

913

1279

1049

197179147109

0

200

400

600

800

1000

1200

1400

2003

/200

4

2004

/200

5

2005

/200

6

2006

/200

7

Number of cases in years 2003-2007

Number of students and i teachers in years 2003-2007

students

teachers

Number of cases accepted by the clinics

Total: 9399(9833 in academic year 2005/2006)

* Clinic opened in 2006

1958

1012880

791

586454

390 334 329 328 325 293 258 249 205 201 184 127 121 101 98 80 57 38

Number of students in the clinics

Total: 1302(1279 in academic year 2005/2006)

* Clinic opened in 2006

222

117

9185

7464 61 56 55 51 48 43 40 38 38

32 32 32 30 3021 17 16

9

Number of clinical teachers

Total: 197(179 in academic year 2005/2006)

* Clinic opened in 2006

27

19

15

1110 10 10

8 8 8 87 7 7

6 65 5

4 4 43 3

2

Types of cases

15

416

14293150106

398421591

817992

1180

2327

2012

Civil

law

Crimin

al la

w

Family

law

Labor a

nd Unem

ploym

ent l

aw

Inher

itance

law

Housing la

w

Admin

istra

tive

law

Refugee

and fo

reig

ner la

w

Finan

cial

law

Social

aid

Health

car

e

Viole

nce ag

ainst

wom

en

Disabl

edNG

Ooth

er

Total: 9399

Time of handling the case

Short explanation

(1-2 meetings, up to 2 weeks)

49%

1 year and more

1%

Between 2 months

and 1 year9%

Several meetings (2 weeks

- 2 months)41%

Sources of information about legal clinic

Other25%

Friends30%Family

12%

Information brochures

8%

Internet13%

Radio1%

TV2%

News-papers

9%

Have the clients used professional legal advice before?

Present status of the legal clinics in Poland

There are very few NGO based legal clinics in Poland. Almost all of the legal clinics in Poland are recognized by the Universities as a

part of the legal curriculum at our law schools (as one of the mandatory classes that are offered to the students).

Legal Clinics are present at every state law school and at almost all private law schools.

Some of the legal clinics gained a status of a chair or laboratory (in cities like: Krakow, Warsaw, Bialystok, Lodz)

All of the legal clinics that are based at the Universities get all the office costs covered as well as the professor’s salaries paid by the Universities.

Legal Clinics Foundation and a group of legal aid NGO’s with a support of the Ombudsman drafted a new law on access to legal aid. The Ministry of Justice included legal clinics activity as a part of the national network of institutions that will provide so called pre-trial legal advice and basic legal information to poor people.

Cooperation of the Polish Ombudsman with the Legal Clinics network

1. The Ombudsman cooperates with the legal clinics since the very first legal clinics have been established in 1997 and 1998.

2. The cooperation is based on a general agreement signed by the Ombudsman and the Legal Clinics Foundation as well as bilateral agreements signed by 14 different law schools and their legal clinics.

3. The cooperation with the Ombudsman is based on the following activities: the Ombudsman agreed to take the most difficult cases from legal clinics in

order to help the citizens and protect their rights when only it is out of the legal clinics competences,

the Ombudsman agreed to admit for traineeship in his office only students from the legal clinics,

the Ombudsman agreed to issue and sponsor brochures on legal matters that are prepared by the legal clinics (till now over 50 brochures have been published),

the legal clinics submit reports on their activity and describe cases they deal with and based on those the Ombudsman prepares his yearly reports to the Parliament on human rights protection in Poland.

Legal Clinics Foundation activity

The Foundation has the status of the public benefit organization;

Won a distinctive prize in the Best Pro Publico Bono Civil Initiative contest;

Organizes annual Pro Bono Lawyer Contest;

Helps to build similar organizations in Ukraine, Russia, China and provides

trainings to other legal clinics in Central and Eastern Europe; Published first in Poland and in region textbook „The Legal Clinics. The Idea,

Organization, Methodology”, available also in English; next textbooks are

under preparation;

Each year organizes two National Legal Clinics Conferences as well as

workshops, train the trainers courses on psychological skills and clinical

teaching methodology;

Represents legal clinics toward state institutions and takes part in drafting

legislation on access to justice;

Granted legal clinics with material and financial means of the total value of

appr. 200 000 USD.

Thank you for your attention!

Polish Legal ClinicsFoundation

www.fupp.org.pl

Address:

Szpitalna 5 app. 5, 00-031 Warsaw, Poland

ph.: (+48 22) 828 91 28 ext.143, fax: (+48 22) 828 91 29

biuro@fupp.org.pl

Banc account:

Bank PEKAO S.A. II o/Warszawa no.: 87 1240 1024 1111 0000 0269 4777