Annual bar and legal counsel exams commenced at 10:00 AM Tuesday in Poland, with approximately 2,800 candidates participating across multiple cities.
Exam Start and Participants
The annual bar and legal counsel exams began at 10:00 AM on Tuesday, a four-day assessment involving around 2,800 individuals. Fifty examination commissions, appointed by the Minister of Justice, are overseeing the process.
Adwokat and Radca Candidates
Over 1,200 candidates are taking the bar exam (adwokat), including approximately 1,000 trainees and 260 individuals qualified through other means. Nearly 1,500 individuals are participating in the legal counsel exam (radca), comprising over 1,200 trainees and 275 non-trainees.
Exam Structure and Duration
Both exams span four days and consist of five sections, covering criminal, civil/family, economic, administrative law, professional practice, and ethics. The criminal, civil, and economic law sections allow six hours for completion, while administrative law, professional practice, and ethics sections have a combined eight-hour time limit.
Commission Locations and Composition
The exams are being administered by 50 examination commissions. Twenty-two commissions will conduct the bar exam in cities including Białystok, Bydgoszcz, Gdańsk, Katowice, and Warsaw, with the largest concentration—eight commissions—located in Warsaw. The radcowski exam will be overseen by 28 commissions in cities such as Białystok, Bydgoszcz, Gdańsk, Katowice, and Warsaw, also with the most commissions in Warsaw.
Each examination commission comprises eight members: four judges from common and administrative courts appointed by the Minister of Justice, and four advocates or legal counsels delegated by the National Council of Advocates or the National Council of Legal Counsels, respectively.
Accommodations for Candidates
Candidates with disabilities are entitled to a 50% extension on each exam section. Mothers who are breastfeeding are granted two 30-minute breaks each day, with this additional time not counting towards the overall exam duration.
Exam Preparation and Oversight
The Ministry of Justice confirmed that the exam questions for the bar, legal counsel, and bailiff exams were prepared by teams including representatives from the Minister of Justice and relevant professional councils.
Part of Broader Legal Exam Series
These bar and legal counsel exams are part of an annual series of legal examinations. The cycle began with the bailiff exams on April 14th, conducted by two commissions in Katowice and Warsaw, with 98 candidates participating.
