In the book, the author presented the results of several years of empirical studies conducted in Polish common courts. On the basis of an analysis of 250 observed and recorded trials, conducted as part of various court proceedings (criminal, civil, insurance, etc.), the author outlined a picture of the trial as a communication occurrence, in which persons with various levels of communication competence are involved in the interaction. Among other things, the book answers the questions: “How does the communication process between a judge and a non-professional participant proceed?”, “Implementation of which communication activities cause the greatest difficulty for non-professional participants?” and “How do judges try to counteract these difficulties?”.

Karolina Gmerek is a Ph.D., works at the Faculty of Law and Administration at the University of Szczecin. She is also a member of the Legal Language Group of the Polish Language Council at the Presidium of the Polish Academy of Sciences. Her scientific interests include the theory of law, legal communication and legal education.