Activities of Self-Governing Organizations of Legal Professions of Public Trust in Poland

Purpose. To determine the scope of operation of self-governing organizations of legal professions of public trust in Poland (of advocates, attorneys-at-law, notaries, court enforcement officers). The constitutional position and functions of these self-governing organizations will be presented, as well as the implementation of the principle of decentralisation through the transfer of public tasks to be carried out. For the activities of entities, including self-governing ones, it is necessary to have organisational structures consisting of organisational units with legal personality and their governing bodies. Method. The formal-dogmatic method, legal-theoretical method and, on an auxiliary basis, the intra-systemic comparative method. Findings. The analysis points to the relationship between constitutionally defined functions of self-governing organizations of legal professions of public trust and the responsibilities entrusted to individual organizations. The functions of organizations of this type are the same, but the tasks and organisational structures of individual organizations are not fully identical, which stems from the historical process of formation of self-governing entities, corresponding to their essence. Theoretical implications: The study is focused on the analysis of normative regulations on the activities of self-governing organizations of legal professions of public trust, which constitute a normative concept. An important conceptual category in the context of this study is the public interest and its protection as a legal-theoretical construct that determines the activities of self-governing organizations of professions of public trust. Practical implications. The analysis points to the practical nature of the tasks, including those of public importance, performed by self-governing organizations of legal professions of public trust and their significance for the members of each of the organizations under consideration and individuals for whom professional activities are performed, but also society as a whole and the functioning of the state.