Podsędek ( la, 'subiudex'; literally: sub-judge) was a judicial position in the

history of Poland The history of Poland spans over a thousand years, from medieval tribes, Christianization and monarchy; through Poland's Golden Age, expansionism and becoming one of the largest European powers; to its collapse and partitions, two world wars, ...

and

Grand Duchy of Lithuania The Grand Duchy of Lithuania was a European state that existed from the 13th century to 1795, when the territory was partitioned among the Russian Empire, the Kingdom of Prussia, and the Habsburg Empire of Austria. The state was founded by Li ...

. The role and importance of this official varied over time."Podsędek"
''Encyklopedia PWN'' In early Poland, it was an official at the prince's house court (sąd dworski, ''in curiae''). From the 14th century it was a deputy (but not a subordinate) of a

land Land, also known as dry land, ground, or earth, is the solid terrestrial surface of the planet Earth that is not submerged by the ocean or other bodies of water. It makes up 29% of Earth's surface and includes the continents and various islan ...

judge. In Napoleonic Poland (

Duchy of Warsaw The Duchy of Warsaw ( pl, Księstwo Warszawskie, french: Duché de Varsovie, german: Herzogtum Warschau), also known as the Grand Duchy of Warsaw and Napoleonic Poland, was a French client state established by Napoleon Bonaparte in 1807, during ...

) the position of ''podsędek'' was that of a court clerk and notary combined in (lower courts). His duties included handling the cases which amounted to the "acts of goodwill": sale/purchase contracts, inheritance,

power of attorney A power of attorney (POA) or letter of attorney is a written authorization to represent or act on another's behalf in private affairs (which may be financial or regarding health and welfare), business, or some other legal matter. The person auth ...

, marriage/divorce, etc."Organizacja sądownictwa w Księstwie Warszawskim"
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References

Polish titles Legal history of Poland {{Poland-hist-stub