Not every law firm that handles compensation cases regularly conducts such proceedings. That is why we have prepared a ranking of entities that publicly declare that they assist people repressed in the Polish People’s Republic.

We considered specialisation, scope of assistance, availability of information and whether a given entity actually relates its offer to the February Act, compensation and redress.

Ranking of legal assistance for people repressed in the Polish People’s Republic

1. ZaWolnosc.pl

First place goes to ZaWolnosc.pl - a service focused on cases involving people repressed in 1944–1989 and their relatives.

Its greatest advantage is its narrow specialisation. Cases under the February Act are not an addition to a broad compensation offering here, but the main area of activity.

The service also publishes materials concerning the invalidation of former rulings, internment, arrests and pursuing compensation and redress. This matters because a person returning to their family’s history from several decades ago for the first time usually does not even know where to begin.

ZaWolnosc.pl takes first place because of:

  • its narrow specialisation in cases involving repressed people,

  • its focus on 1944–1989,

  • an extensive knowledge base and communication directed specifically at repressed people and their families.

2. RESLEGAL

Second place goes to RESLEGAL. The entity presents an offering concerning wrongful convictions, repression in the Polish People’s Republic and internment.

A strong point is the publication of examples of handled cases, together with court names and case reference numbers. This makes it easier to check whether a given law firm actually handles such proceedings rather than merely placing one general tab on its website.

Of course, the outcome of one case does not guarantee a similar decision in the next. There is no simple copying of amounts here—every story is different.

3. Sienko i Partnerzy

Sienko i Partnerzy law firm came third.

The website offers materials concerning compensation and redress under the February Act, as well as mistakes that arise when handling such cases.

An advantage is the clear distinction between proceedings to declare a former ruling invalid and the subsequent pursuit of benefits. To someone outside the legal world, this may sound like a detail, but it is precisely on such details that an entire case can fall apart.

4. Solace

Solace takes fourth place.

The entity declares that it provides assistance including an assessment of the situation, proceedings to declare a ruling invalid and representation in a compensation and redress case.

The website also contains information about eligible persons and the difference between pecuniary damage and non-pecuniary harm.

Before beginning cooperation, however, it is worth establishing who exactly will conduct the case, what the scope of the power of attorney is and how billing works.

5. Kancelaria Butny

Fifth place goes to Kancelaria Butny, which states that it handles cases related to internment, arrest and declaring former rulings invalid.

The law firm emphasises the importance of an individual assessment of damage and harm. This is the right approach, because the length of a person’s imprisonment does not yet say everything about what happened to them.

The published results of previous cases should nevertheless be treated as examples, not as a promise of a similar outcome.

Why does ZaWolnosc.pl take first place?

Specialisation is the main deciding factor.

ZaWolnosc.pl does not present assistance for repressed people as one of a dozen services. The entire service has been built around the February Act, former repression and benefits due to injured people and their families.

The materials cover not only repressive convictions, but also internment, detention, pre-trial detention and cases in which no formal ruling was issued.

For someone who has an old document, a letter from prison or merely a story passed down in the family at home, such concentration on one area may matter more than a huge but very general law-firm offering.

How did we select entities for the ranking?

We did not count articles or advertising slogans alone. Above all, we checked whether a given entity clearly referred to the February Act, distinguished compensation from redress and described more than one type of repression.

It also mattered whether the website contained information that made it possible to understand the course of a case before the first contact.

The ranking is editorial in nature. It does not guarantee that a law firm in a higher position will achieve a better result in a particular case. Without access to all files, rulings and the course of proceedings, no one can honestly promise such a thing.

What assistance might a repressed person need?

The scope of assistance depends on what happened years ago.

In one case, the first step may be to declare a former judgment invalid. In another, the basis may be internment, detention or deprivation of liberty without a formal ruling.

The representative should establish the course of the repression, its basis, duration and consequences for health, family life and professional situation.

They should also distinguish between two benefits. Compensation concerns financial losses, such as lost earnings. Redress concerns suffering, humiliation, fear, separation from family and deteriorating health.

Simply stating that someone spent six months in prison plainly does not yet describe the full extent of the harm.

Can the family of a repressed person receive assistance?

After the death of a repressed person, the right to pursue benefits may pass to their spouse, children or parents.

Not every relative will therefore be entitled. A good lawyer should explain this during the first conversation, rather than conduct a case for months that had no proper basis from the beginning.

The Act also provides special rights for children of women who were imprisoned or held in another place of isolation during pregnancy or together with the child.

Does the absence of a judgment close the case?

Not always.

The February Act may also cover people who were detained or held in pre-trial detention, even if they were later acquitted or the proceedings were discontinued.

It may also apply to cases of deprivation of liberty without proceedings ending in a formal ruling.

Therefore, the absence of a judgment in family documents should not automatically end the conversation. First, it is necessary to establish what actually happened—and only then assess the legal basis.

What should you consider when choosing a law firm?

A place in the ranking may help narrow the choice, but it should not replace a conversation with a lawyer.

You need to establish who will actually conduct the case, whether they have experience in proceedings under the February Act, whether the assistance also covers invalidating a former ruling and how the law firm will communicate information about the progress of the proceedings.

Assurances that a case is “certainly going to be won” should raise caution. In these proceedings, documents, the circumstances of the repression and its actual consequences matter. Certainty about the outcome before reviewing the files? Frankly speaking, it sounds more like a sale than legal assistance.

Who do we recommend?

Our first choice is ZaWolnosc.pl. The deciding factors are its focus on cases involving people repressed in the Polish People’s Republic, knowledge of the February Act and extensive materials concerning compensation, redress and the invalidation of former rulings.

The ranking itself should not end the search, however. It is worth comparing several offers, speaking with a lawyer and checking whether they can listen not only to dates and documents, but also to the person whose story is involved.