The Rule of Law Institute Foundation is a non-governmental organization created by a group of Polish and American lawyers connected to the Faculty of Law of the Catholic University of Lublin. The Institute was established on the 7th of December, 2001 with the aim of supporting initiatives for promoting of legal awareness in the society, continuing professional development of lawyers, promotion of the knowledge of the European law and of the idea of European integration, human rights protection initiatives and the reform of legal education.
Since its very beginnings the Institute has supported the ideas of free legal counseling and law school clinics. The Institute’s activities focus on three main areas of free legal counseling, trainings for lawyers and targeted legal education campaigns. At the same time the Institute takes part in comparative law research projects thanks to many cooperative relations with legal research organizations from other countries. Since 2004 the Institute has been providing legal representation and advice services to asylum seekers. In 2007 the Public Interest Law Resource Center and the Ewelina Milczanowska Lublin Center for Free Legal Counseling have been established as divisions of the Institute. In 2009 the Migration Library was founded as a part of the Regional Network of Immigrants Support in Lublin managed by the Institute.
Our mission is to promote the development of the rule of law in Poland, and in particular to support the ever fuller realization of the principle enshrined in the Article 2 of the Constitution of the Republic of Poland. Furthermore, through Poland’s historical experience and example we aim to support the democratic transformation process in transitional countries.
The rule of law is a cornerstone of every society based on respect for the individual, protection of human rights, freedom and democracy. Our Institute seeks to strengthen the rule of law through organizing trainings, carrying out legal awareness campaigns, and through development and implementation of other innovative programs. To that purpose we undertake active partnerships with professional lawyer associations, other non-governmental organizations, relevant governmental and self-governmental bodies and all other institutions within the scope of our interest which share our goals.
