POLL: election of Civic Platform party raises hope


Proposed legislation to cap legal fees in Poland could be scrapped following the appointment last week of a new prime minister, the Law Society said after a visit to the country.



The controversial reforms proposed by the Law and Justice Party, which would limit the amount charged by lawyers to around £40 an hour and impose a schedule of fixed fees in certain types of work, have been opposed by the Law Society and by Polish and international lawyers.



Following the election last month of the more liberal Civic Platform party, and the appointment last week of Donald Tusk to lead the new government, it is anticipated that the existing fee regulations will remain unchanged.



After a visit to Poland, where he met international and local lawyers and the British ambassador, Law Society Vice-President Paul Marsh said: 'We are cautiously optimistic that the new government will not progress further with the proposals regarding fee-caps.'



Nick Fletcher, managing partner at Clifford Chance's Warsaw office, said he was confident the new government would have a more business-friendly complexion and would look to liberalise the Polish economy.



Meanwhile, the International Bar Association and the Council of Bars and Law Societies of Europe called on the incoming government to remedy the damage done to the rule of law by its predecessor.



The two groups have expressed concern about various pieces of legislation, passed and proposed, which threaten the independence of the judiciary, the operation of the Constitutional Tribunal and the independence of the legal profession.



Catherine Baksi