Poland

• The Constitution of 1997, the highest law
• Codes and statutes, such as the Civil Code, the Criminal Code and the procedure codes
• European Union law, which takes priority in its area, and the European Convention on Human Rights
• Decisions of the Supreme Court, which guide lower courts

• The Supreme Court (Sąd Najwyższy) for ordinary civil and criminal cases
• The Supreme Administrative Court for disputes with public bodies
• The Constitutional Tribunal, which reviews laws

A law degree, then a training period (aplikacja) and a professional exam. Poland has separate professions for the advocate (adwokat) and the legal adviser (radca prawny).

• Lawyers are divided into two professions with different rules.
• Poland's Civil Code dates from the communist period, but has been amended many times to suit a market economy.
• The judiciary has been the subject of public and EU debate in recent years, so check current developments.
• Individuals can bring a constitutional complaint to the Constitutional Tribunal once ordinary remedies are exhausted.

Germany, Bulgaria, Russia, Ukraine, France

The University of Ottawa’s JuriGlobe database lists Poland as: Civil law. It names the systems in order of importance.

The map colours a country by the first-named system, and shows both civil-law and common-law countries as “mixed”. It is a simplification, and real systems are rarely pure.

Albania, Algeria, Angola, Argentina, Armenia, Austria, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Belgium, Benin, Bolivia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Brazil, Bulgaria.

• Supreme Court of Poland (English pages)
• Constitutional Tribunal of Poland (English pages)

Sources last reviewed: October 2026.