Authorities

The organs of the Gdańsk Bar Association are:

  • the assembly of the Gdańsk Chambers of attorneys-at-law,
  • the council of the Gdańsk chambers of attorneys-at-law,
  • regional audit committee,
  • regional disciplinary court.

Members of these organs can be attorneys-at-law only.

The term of office

The term of office of the bodies of the bar lasts four years, but the authorities are obliged to operate until the constitution of the newly elected bodies. Members of the bar cannot hold the same function within the bar structures for more than two consecutive terms.
The Assembly of the Gdańsk Chamber of attorneys-at-law
The Assembly of the Gdańsk Chamber of attorneys-at-law is convened by the council of the Gdańsk Bar Association once a year and has the following functions:

  • To set up number of members of the council and other bar’s bodies;
  • To elect or to dismiss the Dean of the Gdańsk Bar Association, members of the council, members of the regional audit committee and regional disciplinary court;
  • To adopt budget of the bar;
  • To approve reports of the council;
  • To set up regional divisions of the Chamber
  • To elect delegates for the National Convention of attorneys-at-law and a member of the National Council of attorneys at law

The Council of the Gdańsk Chamber of Attorneys-at-law

The Council of the Gdańsk Chamber of Attorneys-at-law is made of the Dean and 21 members chosen by the Assembly. The executive branch of the Council is its Presidency made of the Dean, 3 Vice-Deans, Secretary-General, Treasurer as well as two ordinary members.

Commissions and Committees

The main activities of the Gdańsk Bar Association are conducted through its six commissions and two permanent committees, which have specific tasks according to their spheres of competences at the national level.

Each commission is made of a number of attorneys-at-law – members of the bar and experts in particular areas of law. The ordinary business of these organs is run by individual Chairs who set the agenda for meetings and conduct general oversight over their work.

Currently, following commissions are set up:

  • Legal Training Commission
  • Complaints and Motions Commission
  • Practice of the Profession and Ethics Commission
  • Integration, Sports and Touristic Commission
  • Professional Development Commission
  • Contacts with local authorities, NGOs and Human Rights Commission
  • Foreign Affairs Committee Commission
  • Retired Lawyers and Social Affairs Commission
  • Enrolment Commission
  • Legal Education Commission
  • Culture Commission

Foreign Affairs Commission

The Foreign Affairs Commission is a constituent organ of the council charged with handling its international relations with foreign partners. The Commission carrying out following tasks:

  • it provides representation in international organizations of lawyers,
  • it maintains multilateral and bilateral contacts with foreign Bar Associations,
  • it conducts international projects of the Gdańsk Bar Associations,
  • it prepares case studies, investigations and other material for the use of the Bar,
  • it coordinates the flow of information about the international activities between,
  • it organizes study visits, conferences and seminars for members of the Gdańsk Bar Association both abroad and domestically with the participation of foreign speakers and experts.

Activities

The Commission is currently conducting following activities and programs:

  • Yearly twinning meetings have been organizing for almost 15 years by Regional Bars in Barcelona, Erlangen, Exeter, Leuven, Rennes, Verona and Gdańsk with the aim of sharing knowledge about important aspects of European and national law, to strengthen mutual professional and personal contacts as well as to know better mutual culture of partners of the twinning.
  • Agreements on cooperation with Hong Kong Law Society and Verona Bar Association to exchange experiences, best practices and knowledge on legal systems. Within the framework of these agreements, a conference on One Belt One Road Initiative was organized in June 2017 and in November 2017 20 attorneys-at-law participated in a seminar organized by the Verona Bar Association.
  • Eastern Partnership with the aim of developing contacts with lawyers and strengthening co-operation with Bars in Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia, Moldova, Russia and Ukraine. Within this project several activities have been organized, including study visit of lawyers from Moldova, a seminar on European family law with participation of colleagues from Belarus and Russia or meetings with Ukrainian Lawyers in Kiev.
  • Membership in the European Association of Lawyers (AEA-EAL) to increase networking possibility with lawyers from other jurisdictions, organizing common conferences and seminars on various aspects of European Law and