Ewolucja statusu radcy prawnego w postępowaniu karnym
The Evolution of the Status of Legal Counsel in a Criminal Procedure

Summary/Abstract: The status of legal counsel in a criminal procedure has been gradually changing over time. It was caused by political factors, and was connected with the necessity to overcome the reluctance of the Bar Association. Initially, a legal counsel could appear in a criminal trial as an attorney, although until 2009 this entitlement was limited to a defined group of represented bodies. The authority to defend was granted to legal counsels in misdemeanour cases in 2001, except for disciplinary proceedings. Greater governance in the powers of legal counsels and defence lawyers resulted in the Bill on the lawyer profession of 22 October 2009, which aimed at creating the so-called new Bar Association. However, the Bill was not passed because of critical attitude of both professional bodies. The Bill would have allowed a legal counsel to appear before a court as a defence lawyer in a criminal procedure. An attempt to resolve this issue was made during work on comprehensive amendments to the criminal-procedure law. This work began in 2012 and resulted in the Act of 27 September 2013 on Amending the Act – the Code of Criminal Procedure and other acts. Finally, legal counsels were granted the power to appear before a court in the capacity of a defence lawyer in a criminal procedure, excluding legal counsels working under employment contracts, apart from the researchers and academics. Attempts to question the aforementioned amendment by the Bar Association in the Constitutional Tribunal proved to be ineffective. The next amendment to the criminal-procedure law, passed in March 2016, restoring some of the provisions in force prior to the great reform of criminal trials, did not change the powers of legal counsels to appear before a court as defence lawyers in a criminal procedure.

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