DLA Piper supports Ukrainian refugees in Poland with legal workshop

DLA Piper has provided an educational workshop for refugees in Poland as part of its ‘Know Your Rights’ programme to assist people who have fled Ukraine. The workshop supported refugees who have received special temporary protection status, offering them information on employment, taxes, access to legal aid, housing rights and the healthcare system in Poland.

With many of the 3 million Ukrainians have entered Poland since February deciding to stay, lawyers from DLA Piper’s office in Warsaw, in collaboration with organisations including the UN Refugee Agency and the In Action Jesuit Social Centre, sought to educate refugees on their legal rights. The workshop is the latest addition to the ‘Know Your Rights’ programme developed by DLA Piper to assist refugees and asylum seekers. It aims to shed light on various aspects of life in destination countries, helping participants better integrate, advocate for their interests and pursue professional and personal goals.

“These brave people are building completely new lives for themselves in Poland, and as the lawyer who supervises DLA Piper’s pro bono work in Poland, I am very glad that we’re able to work with our partner organisations to support them,” said Marta Frackowiak, Pro Bono Partner, DLA Piper.

“In meeting our guests from Ukraine, and hearing the many questions they had around the practicalities of living in Poland, it is clear that education around longer-term settlement is important, widely-needed, and very welcome,” said Malgorzata Krok, Senior Associate, DLA Piper. “We’re thankful to be in a position to offer support and information, and hope that it will go some way to help refugees that are building new lives.”

A participant in the workshop shared: “I’m here with my daughter and I’m not sure whether we’ll be able to come back to Warsaw later, because our stay has exceeded 90 days. It’s very important to get answers from qualified people, not just second-hand advice from a friend of a friend telling me that another Ukrainian has faced similar issue.”

DLA Piper currently offers the programme in neighbouring countries such as Romania and Poland and is planning to extend it to Hungary, the Czech Republic, the Netherlands, Spain and other countries.