DEFINICJE

- private law – rights and duties of individuals towards each other – prawo prywatne

- family law – body of law related to family relationships: marriage, divorce, child custody
(opieka) and adoption – prawo rodzinne

- civil law – area of the law concerned with noncriminal matters, rights and remedies

- equity and trusts – legal principles applied to achieve fairness where the strict rules of law
would be too harsh – system prawa słuszności I trustów – zasady prawa słuszności służą
sprawiedliwości tam, gdzie zasady prawa są zbyt ostre

- land law – body of law relating to the ownership of real estate (posiadłość, nieruchomość),
that is land and the buildings on it – prawo ziemskie

- tort – actionable civil wrong – podlegające zaskarżeniu wykroczenie

- housing law – area of law relating to the rights of tenants and homeowners, and the
financing of housing – prawo mieszkaniowe

- public law – governs relationship between the state and its citizens – prawo publiczne

- criminal law – determines which states and behaviors are forbidden at the risk of
punishment – area of law that deals with crime, punishment or penalties (also penal law) –
prawo karne

- administrative law – rules concerned with executive and judicial powers conferred by
Parliament on the administration (conferred by X on Y - przekazane, nadane Y przez X); body
of law such as rules, regulations, orders and decisions created by and related to
administrative agencies – prawo administracyjne

- employment law – rules concerned with conditions of employment, relations between

employer and employees, legal position of trade unions, employers associations, etc. –
prawo pracy

- constitutional law – body of law which includes legislation based on the constitution, that
is the fundamental law of nation, as well as judicial decisions which interpret and apply the
constitution – prawo konstytucyjne

- ecclesiastical law – rules concerned only with regulation of church affairs (affair – interes),
church buildings and churchyards – prawo wyznaniowe

- company law – body of law related to forming (setting up), registering, governing (running
of) and dissolving various types of company –prawo o spółkach

- commercial law – body of law governing the relations between people engaged in business
– prawo handlowe (dotyczy relacji pomiędzy podmiotami obrotu gospodarczego)
- lawyer – anyone who has been trained in the law and certified to give legal advices -
prawnik

- solicitor – lawyer who is qualified to give legal advice and prepare legal documents

- barrister – lawyer admitted to plead at the bar and in superior courts; a member of one of
Inns of Court – adwokat uprawniony do występowania przed sądami wyższej instancji,
członek jednej z Izb Sądowych

- attorney – (in the USA) lawyer – prawnik, adwokat

- notary – lawyer who is drafting contracts, and giving legal advices to private individuals –
notariusz

- notary public – person who witnesses and certifies the legal validity of documents, takes
affidavits, etc. – to NIE to samo, co “notary”!
* affidavit – sworn statement; written document which is signed and sworn before a solicitor
and which can be used as evidence in court hearings – oświadczenie złożone pod przysięgą

- client – the person who pays for the services (e.g. of lawyer) – klient

- associate – two meanings:

1) a person whose position at work is slightly (odrobinę) lower or less complete than the full
official position described (e.g. associate director – zastępca dyrektora)
2) the person who is closely connected to another person as a companion, friend or business
partner – towarzysz, wspólnik

- right of audience – right to be heard by a judge – prawo reprezentownia klienta w sądzie

- training contract – the final stage on the path to qualifying as a solicitor - staż, praktyka (?)

- conveyancing document – document which legally transfers property from seller to a buyer

- chambers – the special name for a barrister’s office – kancelaria adwokacka

- drafting documents – writing legal documents

- the roll of solicitors – the list of solicitors who are allowed to practise law – rejestr
adwokatów
*practise – two meanings:
1) to do something regularly in order to become skilled at it – ćwiczyć
2) to work in an important skilled job for which a lot of training is necessary – praktykować w
zawodzie

- instrument – a general term of legal document - dokument

- will – legal document by which a person gives instruction to his executors as how his
property should be disposed of after his death – wola, testament

- codicil – document executing in the same was as a will making additions or changes to an
existing will – kodycyl, uzupełniający testament

- deed – legal document which has been signed, sealed and delivered by a person making it –
dokument, akt urzędowy, umowa

- corporate counsel – lawyer who works exclusively for a corporation, advises and represents
that corporation in legal matters – doradca firmowy

- performance – fulfilment of contractual obligations – wykonanie, wypełnienie kontraktu

- enforcement of contracts – legal procedures to ensure that parties fulfil their obligations –
egzekwowanie kontraktu

- consideration – something of value which both parties to the contract agree to exchange –
świadczenie

- negligently caused injuries – harming a person as a result of a lack of necessary care –

urazy powstałe w wyniku zaniedbania

- strict liability – automatic responsibility as a result of owning and using something

dangerous, such as explosive or a dangerous animal – całkowita odpowiedzialność

- vicarious liability – legal responsibility for the harm caused by another person (f.eg. a
parent is responsible for a child’s acts) – odpowiedzialność zastępcza

- ultra-hazardous – so dangerous that strict liability will be imposed (a person engaged in such
an activity can be held strictly liable for injuries caused to another person, even if the person engaged
in the activity took every reasonable precaution to prevent others from being injured) – niosący ze
sobą duże ryzyko (stosuje się całkowitą odpowiedzialność nawet w przypadku, kiedy została
zachowana należyta staranność)

- products liability – legal responsibility of manufacturers for harm caused by their goods –
odpowiedzialność za produkt

- nuisance – an act which interferes with a person’s right to use and enjoy their land –
naruszenie

- invasion of privacy – violation on somebody’s right to be alone

- defamation – damaging somebody’s reputation through slander (oral) or libel (written)

- damages – compensation for harm done, typically in money – odszkodowanie

- crimes against public administration – illegal acts such as bribery, escaping from prison or
perjury – przestępstwa przeciwko administracji publicznej

- homicide – killing another person, including murder, causing accidental death and killing in
self-defence – zabójstwo

- hearsay – evidence or opinion quoted from a person not in court, which is not admissible
because the person cannot be cross-examined – dowód ze słyszenia

- impeachment – two meanings:

1) the proceedings to remove a government official from the office
2) the act of discrediting a witness by showing their evidence is false

- cross-examination – the opportunity to question in court a

witness for the opposing party in a trial –ogień pytań krzyżowych

- privileges – the right to not disclose certain types of evidence, such as confidental
client-lawyer discussion

- constitutional and statutory limitations – things are prohibited either by constitution or by

statutes (laws) – ograniczenia konstytucyjne i ustawowe

- search and seizure – examination of a person’s property and taking articles of evidence
found during that examination

- incriminating statements – admission of guilt by a defendant; statements made by person

that may result in accusation of a crime or other wrongful act – obciążające oświadczenie

- electronic surveillance – monitoring a person from a distance by means of electronic

equipment – nadzór elektoniczny
*surveillance – monitoring of the behaviour, activities or other changing information

- immunities – exceptions from penalties and requirements – immunitet, zwolnienie

- judicial opinions – decision taken by higher courts which create a new legal precedent –
wyrok precedensowy (?)

- legal citation – a formal style of referring to legal documents

- precedent – a legal case which establishes a principle of law that other courts follow in
similar cases – precedens

- entrapment – constituted by a law enforcement agent inducting a person to commit an

offense that the person would otherwise have been unlikely to commit; person would not be
a victim of entrapment if the person was ready, willing and able to commit the crime charged
in the indictment whenever opportunity was afforded – prowokacja polcyjna
- contract clause – part of the US Constitution prohibits individual states from making laws
impairing the obligations of contract – klauzula umowy

- core/compulsory subjects/courses – subjects which all students must take - przedmioty

obowiązkowe

- legal research – the skill of finding and analysing legal documents in order to support legal
decision-making; performed by anyone with a need for legal information f.eg by lawyers

- partnership – business organisation in wich two or more people agree to do business

together, sharing the profits and losses of the business together – spółka partnerska
(osobowa spółka prawa handlowego)

- partner – two meanings:

1) one of the owners of a partnership – wspólnik, członek osobowej spółki prawa
handlowego
2) someone’s boyfriend, girlfriend, husband or wife... ☺

- sole practitioner – lawyer who practices on his/her own – prawnik prowadzący

jednoosobową praktykę

- legal practise – activities involved in being a lawyer – praktyka prawnicza

- law practice = law firm – company formed by lawyers to engage in the practice of law -
kancelaria

- arbitration – form of dispute in which disputes are heard and decided by impartial
arbitrator/s, chosen by the parties to the dispute – arbitraż

- litigation – dispute brought before a court for determination (postanowienie) or solution;

taking legal action in court

- law clinic/legal clinic – facility offering free or discounted legal assistance, often run by law
schools and staffed by law students under supervision of lawyers – biuro usług prawnych,
poradnia prawna

- legal assistance – advice and representation in legal matters – pomoc prawna

- liability – legal responsibility – odpowiedzialność prawna

- in-house lawyer – corporate lawyer, specializing in commercial and contract law

- corporate social responsibility – it concerns (dotyczy) the way a company carries out their
business - odpowiedzialność społeczna biznesu
- wear legal hat – be in capacity as a lawyer - pracować w zawodzie/na stanowisku jako
prawnik
- contract diligence – checking that contracts meet (spełniają) requirements – kontrola
polegająca na sprawdzeniu, czy kotrakt spełnia określone wymogi

- sweatshop – a workplace, where workers are exploited, work long hours in poor conditions
for low pay

- sustainability – preservation of resources for future generations

- general counsel – an expression meaning ‘senior legal adviser’ – doradca generalny (?)

- corporate liability – the legal responsibilities of a company

- issues – matters, problems

- codes – rules of conduct, without the force (moc) of law - regulaminy

- overall – total, covering everything as a whole – ogólny, całościowy

- objective – non influenced by personal wishes or feelings

- ethical – relating to moral, rather than commercial, values

- alleged – claimed but not yet provided in court – rzekomy, przypuszczelny, domniemany

- obligations – things you must do – obowiązki, zobowiązania

- governance – controlling and guiding – rządzenie, zarządzanie

- mitigate – to reduce – zmniejszać, łagodzić

- legal – means acting which is set by law or accordance with legal principles
(opposite – illegal)

- lawful – means acting when it does not violate the law

(opposite – unlawful)

- illegal/unlawful – against the law

- legal reasoning – refers to the process used by judges in applying the law to the facts and
issues of specific cases - przedmiot uczący logicznego myślenia

- to take legal action - means to sue someone or to start legal proceedings

- lawful behaviour – the way one acts which does not violate the law – zachowanie zgodne z
prawem
- lawful action/lawful practice – the action that is permitted by law – działanie zgodne z
prawem (nie ma związku z zawodem prawniczym)

- advocacy – skill of speaking on behalf of a client

- law conversion course – course allowing non-law students convert to law after university

- a bonus – two meanings:

1) a pleasant, additional thing
2) an extra amount of money given as a reward in addition to the money you were expecting

- benefits – two meanings:

1) a helpful or good effect, or something intended to help
2) thing such as medical insurance that employers receive in addition to money – zapomoga,
zasiłek, świadczenie

- professional negligence/malpractice - negligence committed by someone who is presented

with more skills and training than the average person – postępowanie niezgodne z etyką
zawodową, zaniedbanie obowiązków wynikających z charakteru wykonywanego zawodu