In the presented material, Jan Olszewski, a defender of persons accused in political trials in the People’s Republic of Poland (1962–1989) and prime minister of the first post-war Polish government appointed by a freely elected parliament (1991–1992), talks about his early years in the Bar, remembering his mentor - Antonina Grabowska. He mentions the principles which she instilled in him and which later guided him throughout his career as an advocate. He takes this opportunity to remember his professional colleagues and friends – Andrzej Grabiński, Witold Lis-Olszewski and Władysław Siła-Nowicki. He discusses the relationships in the community in the 1960s and the harassment of rebellious members of the Bar - both by communist authorities and state security agencies. This scholarly account is a valuable source of knowledge not only about the biographies of the individual persons and the author himself, but also about for the history of the bar and the judiciary during the decades of communist rule.