Alicja Bień

Honorary Consul of France in Łódź

She graduated in law from the Faculty of Law and Administration of the University of Lodz. In 1993, after a one-year stay in Grenoble, France, she obtained a Diploma in French Law from the Pierre Mendes France Grenoble II University. In 1994-1995, she completed Postgraduate Studies in European Law certified by the University of Lodz and the University of Utrecht (the Netherlands), followed by a six-month course in European Funds in 2003.

Given her knowledge of French law and language, she completed an internship at the Council of Europe – European Court of Human Rights in 1997, followed by a one-year course for lawyers representing parties before this Court. In 1999, she completed an internship at a law firm in Belgium (Charleroi-Wallonia) with attorneys Bernard Roland and Vincent Grevy.

She completed her attorney traineeship in 2001 and since then has been running her own legal practice. Between 2003 and 2005, while already practising as an attorney, she completed postgraduate studies in French Law at the School of French Law at the University of Lodz and the University of Tours. Then, since 2008, she has been teaching negotiation techniques at the School of French Law.

From 2008 to 2011, she served as Deputy Disciplinary Ombudsman, and from 2010 to 2013, she was a member of the Applicants' Training Committee at the District Bar Council in Łódź.
She has served as Honorary Consul of France in Łódź since January 2012.

On 12 May 2016, she received the Insignia of Chevalier of the Order of the Legion of Honour from the French Ambassador. On 21 May 2016, she received the distinction of "Adwokatura Zasłużonym" presented by the President of the Supreme Bar Council Andrzej Zwara.