Adjudicating on the remuneration of a court-appointed attorney in civil proceedings – comments de lege ferenda

Piotr Rylski

Adjudicating on the remuneration of a court-appointed attorney in civil proceedings – comments de lege ferenda

Publication date: 31.10.2022

Attorney-at-Law, 2022, 2 (31), pp. 373 - 393

https://doi.org/10.4467/23921943RP.22.041.16904

Authors

Pobierz pełny tekst

PDF

Titles

Adjudicating on the remuneration of a court-appointed attorney in civil proceedings – comments de lege ferenda

Abstract

The right to participate in court proceedings of a court-appointed attorney is an essential guarantee of ensuring the right to a fair trial for the less well-off. A vital element of the institution of ex officio representation is the issue of financing this part of the activity conducted by advocates and attorneys-at-law. From the procedural perspective, this issue primarily relates to the method of adjudicating on the remuneration and costs of a court-assigned attorney. In this area – despite slow changes consisting in abandoning the completely free-of-charge activities of the attorney performed as part of legal aid – there is still no consistent and comprehensive regulation. As has been described in this article, there are still situations where an attorney providing legal aid in civil proceedings may not receive any remuneration because the State Treasury is only subsidiarily liable for these costs. In addition, it takes years to obtain reimbursement of legal representation costs for unpaid legal aid. In this article, one of the issues related to legal representation in civil cases has been addressed; namely, the issue of adjudication by the court on this remuneration. The stimulus to take up this topic has been provided, inter alia, by a number of postulates for changes in this field. Recently, there have also been specific proposals put forward for changes in the legislative. Therefore, the subject of this paper is not only to diagnose the current state of law and jurisprudence with regard to adjudicating on the remuneration of an attorney assigned by the court but, above all, to refer to the proposed proposals and to put forward specific postulates for the future.

Keywords

civil proceedings, court-appointed attorney, remuneration of a court-appointed attorney, unpaid legal aid

References

Download references

Literature

Apollov K., Prawo ubogich w świetle doktryny i praktyki. Komentarz [Poor law in the light of doctrine and practice. A comment], Warsaw–Krakow 1938.

Balasits A., Act of August 1, 1895 on court proceedings in civil disputes (Civil Procedure) [Act of August 1, 1895 on court proceedings in civil disputes (Civil Procedure)], Lviv 1895.

Czeszejko-Sochacki Z., Krzemiński Z., Adwokat z urzędu w postępowaniu sądowym [Ex officio attorney in court proceedings], Warsaw 1975.

Deixler-Hübner A., Klicka T., Zivilverfahren, Vienna 2007.

Flaga-Gieruszyńska K., Idea pomocy prawnej z urzędu w postępowaniu cywilnym [The idea of ex officio legal assistance in civil proceedings], [in:] Aequitas sequitur legem, Jubilee book on the occasion of the 75th birthday of Professor Andrzej Zieliński, ed. K. Flaga-Gieruszyńska, Warsaw 2014.

Flag-Gieruszyńska K., Free legal aid as an instrument supporting the implementation of the constitutional principle of the right to a fair trial (based on the example of civil cases), [in:] Wokół konstytucji i zdrowego rozsądku. Circum constitutionem rationemque sanam [Around the constitution and common sense], Works dedicated to Professor Tadeusz Smoliński, ed. J. Ciapała, A. Rost, Szczecin–Jarocin 2011.

Godlewski W., Austrian civil procedural law [Austrian civil procedural law], Lviv 1900.

Gołąb S., Projekt rozdziału polskiej procedury cywilnej o prawie ubogich z motywami [Draft chapter of Polish civil procedure on the law of the poor with motives], [in:] Polska Procedura Cywilna. Projekty referentów z uzasadnieniem [Polish Civil Procedure. Drafts of clerks with justification], vol. I, Warsaw 1928.

Grabowski S., Jakie wynagrodzenie przysługuje adwokatowi zastępującemu stronę ubogą? [What remuneration is an advocate entitled to when representing a poor party?], “Czasopismo Adwokatów Polskich. Dział województw zachodnich” [“Journal of Polish Attorneys. Department of Western Provinces”] 1934, No. 7–89.

Hauser R., Zwolnienie od kosztów sądowych – prawo ubogich [Exemption from court costs – the right of the poor], [in:] Państwo w służbie obywateli [A state at the service of citizens], Jubilee Book of Professor Jerzy Świątkiewicz, ed. R. Hauser, L. Nawacki, Warsaw 2005.

Hroboni J., O zapobieganiu błędom i rozbieżnościom orzecznictwa procesowego [On preventing errors and discrepancies in case law], “Polski Proces Cywilny” [“Polish Civil Procedure”] 1935, No. 17–18.

Jodłowski J., Czy adwokat strony ubogiej może sam egzekwować od przeciwnika sumę należną mu tytułem wynagrodzenia i zwrotu wydatków? [Can the advocate of the poor party alone enforce from the adversary the sum due to him in the form of remuneration and reimbursement of expenses?],“Nowy Proces Cywilny”[“New civil procedure”] 1933, No. 12.

Kaczyński M., Pełnomocnik z urzędu [Ex officio attorney], Warsaw 2014.

Kaczyński M., Zmiany w pomocy prawnej z urzędu w sądowym postępowaniu cywilnym dokonane ustawą z 17 grudnia 2009 [Changes in legal aid in court civil proceedings introduced by the Act of December 17, 2009], “Palestra” [“The Bar”] 2011, No. 7–8.

Kobińska A., Zaskarżalność postanowienia o przyznaniu od Skarbu Państwa kosztów nieopłaconej pomocy prawnej udzielonej z urzędu oraz niedopuszczalność przyznania tych kosztów poniżej stawki minimalnej [Suability of the decision on the award from the State Treasury of the costs of unpaid legal aid granted ex officio and inadmissibility of awarding these costs below the minimum rate], “Palestra” 2013, No. 1–2.

Koredczuk J., “Prawo ubogich”, czyli rzecz o próbie pogodzenia interesu jednostki z interesem państwa [“Poor Law”, that is, an attempt to reconcile the interests of the individual with the interests of the state], [in:] Podstawy materialne państwa. Zagadnienia prawno-historyczne [Material foundations of the state. Legal and historical issues]ed. D. Bogacz, M. Tkaczuk, Szczecin 2006.

Krzeminski Z., Pełnomocnik w sądowym postępowaniu cywilnym [Attorney in civil proceedings], Warsaw 1971.

Lewandowski M., Problematyka bezpłatnej pomocy prawnej w RP na tle prawa do sądu [The issue of free legal assistance in the Republic of Poland in the light of the right to a fair trial],“Monitor Prawniczy” 2009, No. 21.

Mamiński M., Ustanowienie pełnomocnika z urzędu po nowelizacji KPC [Appointment of an ex officio attorney after the amendment of the CCP], “Monitor Prawniczy” 2010, No. 15.

Mizera S., Sukces adwokatury austriackiej w walce o pełną odpłatność za usługi adwokackie świadczone na rzecz osób uznanych za ubogie [The success of the Austrian bar in the fight for full remuneration for lawyer services provided to people considered poor], “Palestra” [“The Bar”] 1973, No. 3.

Perrot R., Institutions judiciaires, Paris 2010.

Piekarski M., Vincenz H., Przyczynki do dyskusji nad nowelizacją KPC [Contribution to the discussion on the amendment to the CCP],“Głos Sądownictwa” 1937, No. 4.

Pietrzkowski H., Czynności procesowe zawodowego pełnomocnika w sprawach cywilnych [Procedural activities of a professional attorney in civil cases], Warsaw 2020.

Ploszka A., Publicznoprawny status jednostki skrajnie ubogiej [Public-law status of an extremely poor individual], Warsaw 2019.

Pogoda B., Uwagi do art. 121 k.p.c. [Comments to Art. 121 of the Code of Civil Procedure], “Głos Sądownictwa” [“The judiciary voice”] 1938, No. 2.

Potrzobowski K., Zwalnianie od kosztów sądowych w sprawach cywilnych we Francji [Exemption from court costs in civil cases in France], “Palestra” [“The Bar”] 1973, No. 2.

Rechberger W.H., Simotta D.-A., Grundris des österreichischen Zivilproczessrechts, Vienna 2009.

Rylski P., Dopuszczalność zażalenia na postanowienie w przedmiocie przyznania od Skarbu Państwa kosztów nieopłaconej pomocy prawnej udzielonej przez pełnomocnika z urzędu [Admissibility of a complaint against the decision on awarding the costs of unpaid legal aid from the State Treasury, granted by an ex officio attorney], “Palestra” 2013, No. 1–2.

Rynkun-Werner R., Adwokat z urzędu. Podstawowe zagadnienia prawne [Court-assigned advocate. Basic legal issues], Warsaw 2011.

Schroeder M., Wynagrodzenie adwokata ustanowionego dla strony zwolnionej od kosztów i wynagrodzenie obrońcy z urzędu (uwagi «de lege ferenda») [The remuneration of the advocate appointed for the party exempt from costs and the remuneration of the court-appointed attorney (comments de lege ferenda)], “Palestra” 1958, No. 1.

Sorysz M., Ustanowienie dla strony pełnomocnika z urzędu oraz obowiązki pełnomocnika w postępowaniu cywilnym na tle nowelizacji KPC z 17.12.2009 r. – zagadnienia wybrane [Appointment of an ex officio attorney for the party and the obligations of an attorney in civil proceedings against the background of the amendment to the Code of Civil Procedure of December 17, 2009 – selected issues], “Monitor Prawniczy” 2010, No. 12.

Supera Ł., Stawki mniejsze niż życie [Rates cheaper than life], “Palestra” [“The Bar”] 2012, No. 7–8.

Szczepański J., Wniosek o zwrot kosztów pomocy prawnej z urzędu – glosa do postanowienia Sądu Najwyższego z 18.09.2017 r. (V CSK 677/16) [Application for reimbursement of ex officio legal aid costs – gloss to the decision of the Supreme Court of September 18, 2017 (V CSK 677/16)], “Palestra” [“The Bar”] 2019, No. 4.

Windakiewicz J., Ustawa o postepowaniu sądowem w cywilnych sprawach spornych (Procedura cywilna) [Act on court proceedings in civil disputes (Civil Procedure)], Warsaw 1925.

Zawiślak T., Egzekucja należności sądowych, jako warunek spójności systemu kosztów sądowych w sprawach cywilnych [Enforcement of court claims as a condition for the coherence of the system of court costs in civilcases], [in:] Nowe zasady w zakresie kosztów sądowych w postępowaniu cywilnym [New rules on court costs in civil proceedings], ed. K. Markiewicz, Warsaw 2014.

Zembrzuski T., Przyznanie prawa ubogich w postępowaniu cywilnym [Granting the right to the poor in civil proceedings], [in:] Aurea praxis, aurea theoria, Memorial Book in honour of Professor Tadeusz Ereciński, vol. 1, ed. K. Weitz, J. Gudowski, Warsaw 2011.

Zieliński A., Najnowsze zmiany Kodeksu postępowania cywilnego [The latest changes to the Code of Civil Procedure], “Monitor Prawniczy” 2010, No. 7.

Legal acts

Act of 17 December 2004 on the right to assistance in proceedings in civil cases conducted in the Member States of the European Union and on the right to assistance for the purpose of amicable settlement of a dispute prior to the initiation of such proceedings (Dz.U. of 2005 No. 10 item 67 as amended).

Act of 17 December 2009 on amending the Act – Code of Civil Procedure and certain other acts (Dz.U. of 2010 No. 7, item 45).

Act of July 28, 2005 on Act on Court Fees in Civil Cases (i.e., Dz.U. of 2020 item 755 as amended).

Act of May 26, 1982 – Law on the Bar.

Act of May 4, 1938 – Law on the Bar System (Dz.U. No. 33, item 289).

Act on Attorneys-at-Law of July 6, 1982.

Act on Patent Attorneys of April 11, 2001 (i.e., Dz.U. of 2021 item 944 as amended).

Loi n° 91–647 du 10 juillet 1991 relative à l’aide juridique.

Regulation of the Minister of Justice of 03 October 2016 on the State Treasury covering the costs of unpaid legal aid granted by a court-appointed attorney-at-law (i.e., Dz.U. of 2019, item 18).

Regulation of the Minister of Justice of 03 October 2016 on the State Treasury covering the costs of unpaid legal aid granted by a court-appointed attorney-at-law (i.e., Dz.U. of 2019, item 68).

Regulation of the Minister of Justice of 22 October 2015 on the State Treasury covering the costs of unpaid legal aid granted by a court-appointed attorney-at-law (Dz.U. item 1801).

The Ordinance of the President of the Republic of Poland of October 7, 1932 – Law on the Bar System (Dz.U. No. 86, item 733).

Judgements

Constitutional Tribunal judgement of 23 April 2020, SK 66/19, OTK-A 2020, No. 13.

Decision of the Supreme Court of 14 July 2010, V CZ 51/10, LEX No. 1375553.

Decision of the Supreme Court of 18 May 2011, III CZ 25/11, LEX No. 864008.

Decision of the Supreme Court of 25 May 2010, I CZ 29/10, LEX No. 1308015.

Decision of the Supreme Court of November 17, 2009, III CZ 53/09, OSNC 2010/5, item 79.

Decision of the Supreme Court of October 14, 1998, II CKN 687/98, OSNC 1999, No. 3, item 63.

Decision of the Supreme Court of September 8, 1982, I CZ 83/82, “Palestra” 1985, No. 3–4, item 28.

Judgement of the Supreme Court of 19 August 1938, C.I. 1162/37, PS 1939/1, item 42.

Judgement of the Supreme Court of November 2, 1954, 2 CZ 248/54, “Państwo i Prawo” 1955, No. 1, p. 150.

Judgement of the Supreme Court of November 2, 1954, 2 CZ 248/54, “Państwo i Prawo” 1955/1, p. 150.

Resolution of the Supreme Court of 13 January 2017, III CZP 87/16, OSNC 2017/9, item 99, LEX No. 2186048.

Resolution of the Supreme Court of 20 May 2011, III CZP 14/11, OSNC 2012, No. 1, item 2, p. 9.

Resolution of the Supreme Court of 25 June 2009, III CZP 36/09, OSNC 2010, No. 2, item 24, p. 36.

Resolution of the Supreme Court of 25 June 2009, III CZP 36/09, OSNC 2010, No. 2, item 24.

Resolution of the Supreme Court of March 1, 1989, III CZP 12/89, LEX No. 463039.

Resolution of the Supreme Court of March 8, 2012, III CZP 2/12, OSNC 2012, No. 10, item 115, p. 30.

Information

Information: Attorney-at-Law, 2022, 2 (31), pp. 373 - 393

DOI: https://doi.org/10.4467/23921943RP.22.041.16904

Article type: Original article

Titles:

Polish:

Adjudicating on the remuneration of a court-appointed attorney in civil proceedings – comments de lege ferenda

English:

Adjudicating on the remuneration of a court-appointed attorney in civil proceedings – comments de lege ferenda

Authors

Piotr Rylski

https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5399-1624

University of Warsaw, Krakowskie Przedmieście 30, 00-927 Warszawa, Poland

Published at: 31.10.2022

Article status: Open

Licence: None

Percentage share of authors:

Piotr Rylski (Author) - 100%

Article corrections:

Publication languages:

English

View count: 209

Number of downloads: 250

<div id="cke_pastebin"> Adjudicating on the remuneration of a court-appointed attorney in civil proceedings – comments <em>de lege ferenda</em></div>

Download xml