Józef Zych (; born 23 March 1938) is a

Polish Polish may refer to: * Anything from or related to Poland, a country in Europe * Polish language * Polish people, people from Poland or of Polish descent * Polish chicken * Polish brothers (Mark Polish and Michael Polish, born 1970), American twin ...

lawyer, academic, and politician of the

Polish People's Party The Polish People's Party (, PSL) is a conservative political party in Poland. It is currently led by Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz. Its history traces back to 1895, when it held the name People's Party, although its name was changed to the pre ...

. Between 1983 and 1991, he served as President of the National Council of Attorneys-at-law. He was Member of the Sejm for the United People's Party and the Polish People's Party from 1989 to 2015,

Deputy Marshal of the Sejm Deputy Marshal of the Sejm of the Republic of Poland () is a person elected to preside over Sejm (Polish lower chamber of parliament) sessions when the Sejm Marshal is not presiding. Throughout the course of the Third Republic, there have always be ...

for the first, second and fourth terms from 1991 to 1995 and 2004 to 2005, Senior Marshal of the Sejm for the fifth and seventh terms, and member of the State Tribunal from 2015 to 2019 and since 2023.

Life and career

From an early age, Zych participated in

scouting Scouting or the Scout Movement is a youth social movement, movement which became popularly established in the first decade of the twentieth century. It follows the Scout method of informal education with an emphasis on practical outdoor activi ...

activities and faced legal challenges. In 1961, he received a jail sentence for non-compliance with official duties during a scout camp near Krosno Odrzańskie. He completed his education at the Bolesław Chrobry High School in Leżajsk in 1956. He later graduated with a

law degree A law degree is an academic degree conferred for studies in law. Some law degrees are professional degrees that are prerequisites or serve as preparation for legal careers. These generally include the Bachelor of Civil Law, Bachelor of Laws, an ...

from the Faculty of Law at the

Adam Mickiewicz University Adam is the name given in Genesis 1–5 to the first human. Adam is the first human-being aware of God, and features as such in various belief systems (including Judaism, Christianity, Gnosticism and Islam). According to Christianity, Adam si ...

in Poznań in 1966. Under the academic supervision of Andrzej Wąsiewicz, he earned his

doctorate A doctorate (from Latin ''doctor'', meaning "teacher") or doctoral degree is a postgraduate academic degree awarded by universities and some other educational institutions, derived from the ancient formalism '' licentia docendi'' ("licence to teach ...

in 1976, specialising in labour and social security law. He pursued a career in law, serving as an attorney at law and eventually becoming the president of the National Council of Attorneys-at-law between 1983 and 1991. Zych’s political career began with his membership in the United People's Party in 1975, and he was elected as a Member of Parliament for the party in 1989. He played significant roles in various committees and councils, including the Council for the Protection of Struggle and Martyrdom Remembrance. He was instrumental in transforming the Polish People’s Party, serving in key leadership positions. Throughout his tenure in the Sejm, Zych held various prestigious positions, including Deputy Marshal and Marshal, and was actively involved in adopting the 1997 Constitution of the Republic of Poland. He was repeatedly elected as a Member of Parliament, serving from 1991 to 2015, and held significant roles such as Senior Marshal and chairmanship of committees. After 2015, Zych continued his involvement in public service and academia, including positions at the State Tribunal and as an advisor at the Polish Insurance Association. He also contributed to academic work and taught at the

Collegium Intermarium Collegium Intermarium () is a university located in Warsaw, Poland. The university was founded in 2021 and opened with an inauguration conference on 28 May. The university was inaugurated by Education for Values Foundation and is also linked to ...

linked to the ultra-conservative

Ordo Iuris Ordo Iuris (full official name: Ordo Iuris Institute for Legal Culture; ) is an ultra-conservative Polish Catholic legal organization and think tank. Aims The organisation declares that it aims to "''research the legal culture and spiritual ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Zych, Jozef 1938 births Living people People from Leżajsk County Polish People's Party politicians Marshals of the Sejm of the Third Polish Republic Deputy Marshals of the Sejm of the Third Polish Republic Members of the Polish Sejm 1991–1993 Members of the Polish Sejm 1993–1997 Members of the Polish Sejm 1997–2001 Members of the Polish Sejm 2001–2005 Members of the Polish Sejm 2005–2007 Members of the Polish Sejm 2007–2011 Members of the Polish Sejm 2011–2015