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Pro bono activity for entrepreneurs in 2020

May is the period of tax summaries and we will summarise our pro bono activity for entrepreneurs in 2020. It turns out that we have done a lot. We know that the COVID pandemic was an extremely difficult time for entrepreneurs. That is why our Law Firm did not leave you alone with your problems. We supported you pro bono in the following projects:

Pro bono work for entrepreneurs together with the Ombudsman for Small and Medium-sized Enterprises

  1. In 2020 a dozen of representatives of our Law Firm gave free legal advice to entrepreneurs on the anticrisis shield under the #RatujBiznes (Save Business) project.
  2. Our Law Firm is an author of many requests for and inquiries concerning the interpretation of legal regulations on the establishment and implementation of so called anticrisis shields.
  3. Izabella Żyglicka, Partner at our Law Firm, is an active member of the Entrepreneurs Council at the Ombudsman for Small and Medium-sized Enterprises, whose goal is to support the Ombudsman in actions taken to protect the interests of Polish entrepreneurs, monitor the situation of SMEs, diagnose and react to problems where the Ombudsman’s intervention is necessary, comment on and prepare draft laws which have a direct impact on the SME sector. Dozen meetings of the Entrepreneurs Council, where Izabella Żyglicka took an active part, commented on issues important for entrepreneurs and prepared draft laws, took place.

Business Ombudsman – RIG Katowice – Izabella Żyglicka (Partner of the Law Firm) took the following pro bono initiatives for entrepreneurs:

  1. 13.10.2020 – Address to the Vice-president of the Council of Ministers, Minister of Development, Labour and Technology, Ministry of Development, Labour and Technology, on public consultation concerning the draft act on amendments to the act on the Ombudsman for Small and Medium-sized Enterprises, the act on employees of public offices and the act on proceedings before administrative courts (UD39), and comments on the draft act on amendments to the act on the Ombudsman for Small and Medium-sized Enterprises, the act on employees of public offices and the act on proceedings before administrative courts.
  2. 29.04.2020 – Filing comments on the draft act on amendments to the social security system act and the act on the National Tax Administration concerning a so called “small ZUS”.
  3. 3.04.2020 – Address to the Government Proxy in charge of the Disabled on whether an entrepreneur that obtains subsidies to wages from the PFRON (National Fund for the Rehabilitation of the Disabled) will be also able to apply for support set forth in Art. 15g of the anticrisis shield act.
  4. 3.04.2020 – Address to the President of the Management Board of the National Fund for the Rehabilitation of the Disabled on enforcement of the act of 31 March 2020
    on amendments to the act on special solutions connected with preventing, counteracting and fighting COVID-19, other communicable diseases and crises caused by such diseases and to certain other acts, as well as the reduction of working time for the disabled employees.
  5. 08.04.2020 – Address to the Ombudsman for Small and Medium-sized Enterprises on the interpretation of regulations of the act of 31 March 2020 on amendments to the act on special solutions connected with preventing, counteracting and fighting COVID-19, other communicable diseases and crises caused by such diseases and to certain other acts, which rouse a number of doubts among entrepreneurs concerning the principles for forms of aid stipulated by that act. Adjustment of the act to changing conditions and reduction of working time.
  6. In-depth letter and intervention addressed to the President of the Social Security Institution (ZUS) on a need to file a ZUS-PEL power of attorney in writing to file a request for exemption from social security contributions for 3 months (RDZ), which, in accordance with the updated regulations under the so called shield 4.0 (i.e. Art. 77.65 of the act of 19 June 2020 on contributions to interest rates of bank loans granted to entrepreneurs suffering of COVID-19 consequences and simplified procedures to approve an arrangement in connection with COVID-19, Journal of Laws No. 2020.1086), may only be filed electronically.
  7. In-depth letter and elaboration addressed to the Ombudsman for Small and Medium-sized Enterprises on incorrect practices applied by the Polish Development Fund in connection with the implementation of the Government’s programme entitled “Financial Shield of the Polish Development Fund for Micro Businesses and Small and Medium-sized Enterprises” (hereinafter referred to as the “Shield 2.0” or “Programme”), which consist in, among others, preventing Beneficiaries (i.e. micro businesses, SMEs or large companies which obtained a financial subsidy from the Polish Development Fund in accordance with § 2 of the Rules of the Programme) from an effective appeal against the refusal to pay the financial subsidy by the Polish Development Fund (hereinafter referred to as the “PDF”).
  8. Address to the Ombudsman for Small and Medium-sized Enterprises and the Silesian Centre of Enterprise on supporting the initiative concerning the payment of voluntary social security contributions. In her letter, Izabella Żyglicka applied for lobbing on:
  • enabling a grace period and partial waiver of the payment of liabilities due to income tax and VAT, including PIT-4;
  • enabling a grace period and partial waiver of the payment of liabilities towards local governments (real estate tax, perpetual usufruct fees);
  • enabling a grace period for the repayment of lease and instalments;
  • enabling a grace period and partial waiver of the repayment of credit liabilities.
  1. 9 April 2021 – In-depth letter and elaboration addressed to the Ombudsman for Small and Medium-sized Enterprises on the use of aid funds from the so called anticrisis shield by the disabled people.

Izabella Żyglicka took part in solving the above problems in person, talked to various authorities, and intervened in individual cases on a pro-bono basis.

Pro bono training for entrepreneurs on:

  • loans in Swiss franc in practice on 19 November 2020;
  • legal aspects of the EU directive on the protection of whistle-blowers Community legal system on 3 December 2020.

We created a coronavirus and business tab on our website for you.

Under that tab you will find important information about rights and obligations of entrepreneurs to the extent of arising from the pandemic. The tab includes guides, a description of problems entrepreneurs are likely to face and problem resolution methods. There are several dozen of records that are available free of charge.

We created a legal shield for entrepreneurs, called “Żyglicka Security”

Żyglicka Security is an action initiated by lawyers working at our Law Firm: Beata Bieniek-Wiera, Attorney and Dominika Bielicka, Attorney Trainee. During the action, our Law Firm provided pro-bono legal aid to entrepreneurs that, based on regulations successively enforced by the Government, were forbidden to carry out their business. Our Law Firm provided legal advice and represented interests of entrepreneurs in the case of the intervention of the police or sanitary services, as well as prepared appeals against decisions issued by those authorities and represented the entrepreneurs before enforcement bodies.

Read [HERE] and [HERE]

“Między Niebem a Ziemią” Foundation

We have supported the Foundation both financially and in kind by providing cash and various things for years. In addition, we provide organisational support if the Foundation looks for specialists for people it supports.