6.  On 14 December 2006 the applicant lodged with the Kłodzko District Court an action against his former employer, concerning his social insurance entitlements. 7.  On 26 April 2007 the Kłodzko District Court dismissed the applicant's action. 8.  On 15 May 2007 the applicant appealed. On 23 October 2007 the Świdnica Regional Court dismissed his appeal. 9.  On 5 November 2007 the applicant was served with the judgment with its written grounds. The court informed him at the same time that he had sixty days as of the date of the service of the judgment (until 5 January 2008) to lodge a cassation appeal. 10.  In his letter of 28 December 2007, received by the court on 31 December 2007, the applicant requested the court to appoint a legal‑aid lawyer for the purposes of lodging a cassation appeal. 11.  On 9 January 2008 the applicant was granted legal aid. In a letter of the same date the court requested the Wałbrzych Regional Bar Association to assign a legal-aid lawyer to the case. This letter was served on the addressee on 14 January 2008. A legal-aid lawyer was assigned to the case on the same day. 12.  In his fax of 25 January 2008 to the Świdnica Regional Court the applicant requested the court to extend the statutory time limit for lodging the cassation appeal in his case. He explained that he had been trying to find a lawyer; to no avail. Finally, he stated that he was “delighted with the legal-aid lawyer assigned to his case, who was superb”. 13.  In a letter of 24 January 2007 to the Świdnica Regional Court, the legal-aid lawyer stated that she had found no points of law on which a cassation appeal in the applicant's case could be based and submitted a legal opinion as to why a cassation appeal did not, in her view, offer any prospects of success. A copy of that letter was sent to the applicant on the next day. 14.  In his letter of 30 January 2008, served on the Świdnica Regional Court on 1 February 2008, the applicant requested that the case be re‑examined by that court. The applicant also applied to have the power of attorney of the defendant enterprise invalidated for the purpose of safeguarding the equality of arms in the proceedings as he intended to present his case to the court without legal representation. 15.  By a letter of 28 February 2008 the President of the Labour Division of the Świdnica Regional Court informed the applicant that there were no grounds on which to envisage a re-examination of the case in which a final and valid judicial decision had been given.