The Beginnings of the Process of Separating the Attorney-at-Law Profession in the First Decade of the Polish People’s Republic

The roots of the attorney-at-law profession are seen in the 16th-century professions of syndicates and instigators. The attorney-at-law posts appeared in Poland in the 19th century. These posts were occupied mainly by advocates. Attorney-at-law, as a new legal profession, began to separate from the advocacy after World War II, during the period of the Polish People’s Republic. It was facilitated by the introduced model of a centrally controlled socialized economy. The process of separating the attorney-at-law profession was long. The full legal separation took place in the 1980s. However, the phenomenon of the professional distinctiveness and identity of attorneys-at-law emerged in the 1950s. The article focuses on the beginnings of the process of separating the attorney-at-law profession and indicates the key factors that led to this.