Optymalność zachowku wobec przemian rodzinno-społecznych
Optimality of legitim against the background of family and social changes

Summary/Abstract: In Polish legal system the protection of the closest relatives of the deceased is based on the system of legitim. The benefit, which results from art. 991 of the Civil Code, is granted only to the spouse, descendants and parents of the deceased, who would be appointed to the succession by virtue of the Act. This regulation has been in force in Polish law continuously since the adoption of the Civil Code. It is characterized by rigidity and formalization. Meanwhile, over the years, Polish society, relations within the family, have changed. Despite the social changes, the provisions of inheritance law relating to a reserved portion of an estate have not been changed. In other legal systems, however, there are alternative solutions in force, which differently regulate the protection of the testator’s relatives from harm. One of the examples of such a system is in particular the quasi-alimentary family provision under English and Welsh law. The article compares both institutions, pointing out that the family provision system allows the court to issue a decision that is appropriate to the realities of a given case, since the court adjudicating on the legitimacy of the entitled person’s claim assesses in particular whether the person making the claim was actually (and not only formally) close to the deceased and whether they require financial support.

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