The British rating agency Chambers and Partners has once again ranked HAVEL & PARTNERS as the best law firm in the Czech Republic in its international ranking of law firms, Chambers Europe Awards, in 2022. This is the third consecutive year the firm has won this award.
“HAVEL & PARTNERS’ streak of winning Czech law firm of the year for its third consecutive year is unmatched by any firm in any award category, and a testament to the firm’s remarkable success in the Czech Republic,” stated the agency Chambers and Partners.
“We appreciate the award very much because it is decided not only by our colleagues in the field and other law firms, but above all by our clients’ references. I would like to thank them for their trust and long-term cooperation, and I believe that we will successfully build on it in the next period. A big thank you also goes to all our colleagues who work every day to maintain the trust of our clients,” said Jaroslav Havel about the award.
In the 10th Law Firm of the Year competition in Slovakia, HAVEL & PARTNERS won the main award in the International Law Firm category and also won the Best Client Service category for the third consecutive year. Our team also defended first place in the Competition category, and we ranked among the top-ranked law firms in 12 other categories.
“Our firm operates in Slovakia and the Czech Republic, but our achievements and capabilities go far beyond the borders of these two countries. The main award in the International Law Firm category confirms that we are able to complete and manage cross-border transactions and projects anywhere in the world thanks to our unique knowledge of the legal and business environment, as well as our unique network of contacts, both in the CEE region and outside Europe,” said Ondřej Majer, a firm partner co-responsible for managing the Slovak office.
In the 13th year of the Act of the Year poll, the public and entrepreneurs chose the new Building Act as the best piece of legislation of 2021. Our legislative team led by partner František Korbel was involved in its preparation. This is the fourth time in a row that an Act co-authored by HAVEL & PARTNERS lawyers has succeeded in the poll.
„Cílem bylo reformovat výkon státní správy a odstranit obrovskou míru složitosti při povolování staveb. Jsme přesvědčeni, že v tomto ohledu nový stavební zákon českému stavebnictví jednoznačně prospěje,“ říká František Korbel a doplňuje, „chceme být těmi, kteří pomáhají formovat právní řád a přispívají ke zlepšování kvality života i podmínek podnikání, proto se zapojujeme do přípravy potřebné legislativy či pomoci státu, městům, komorám a asociacím.“
In 2021, we again achieved record economic results. HAVEL & PARTNERS’ total turnover grew by 7% year-on-year, with the second half of the year being more successful, when revenue growth reached almost 20%. Revenues from the sale of legal and tax services amounted to CZK 951 million last year. The turnover of the entire group, which also includes the Cash Collectors collection agency and specialised tax advisory services, exceeded CZK 1 billion again.
“We have confirmed our strong and extremely stable position on the Czech-Slovak legal market. The firm has been growing steadily since its establishment. This trend has not been disrupted by the ongoing coronavirus crisis or turbulent economic developments. We are well prepared for changes in the market; we have precise financial management, we can respond flexibly to the needs of our clients, and we are constantly developing areas of the future such as digitalisation and technology, legislation, regulation and ESG,” commented Jaroslav Havel on the firm’s economic condition.
We became the most desired employer among law firms in the Czech Republic in the TOP Employers poll for the eighth time in a row. The top employers were decided in the poll by nearly 12,000 students from various university faculties across the Czech Republic, who evaluated companies according to their working environment, professional training opportunities, social responsibility, and chances for future high income.
“I am delighted that students perceive us as a stable, strong and trustworthy firm that can offer them an exceptional opportunity to enter the world of the legal profession and their further career development,” commented HR Director Daniel Soukup. “From the very beginning, young promising professionals have the chance to benefit from the firm’s unique know-how built up over the years and the guidance of more experienced colleagues, and they often soon get to extremely interesting cases,” he added.
Not only according to foreign ratings, but also according to the prestigious magazine Forbes Czech Republic, HAVEL & PARTNERS is the most successful law firm on the Czech market. We are ranked in the top 20 largest law firms in the Czech Republic, and we are also the only law firm that has been ranked in all five selected business-related legal categories.
The editors’ selection was based on economic results and involvement in major transactions and cases in the areas of M&A, real estate, telecommunications, banking and finance, and litigation, and our success was also decided by positive references from our clients. Forbes has published a list of the largest law firms and most sought-after lawyers in the Czech Republic in 2022 for the first time.
Our colleague, Hana Erbsová, attorney-at-law, succeeded in the prestigious competition Tax Advisor & Tax Firm of the Year. Leading experts in taxes and tax law chose her as the Tax Advisor of the Year 2021 in the Tax Administration category.
“I very much appreciate the fact that Hana is part of the HAVEL & PARTNERS team. She is an experienced professional who has brought know-how from a top-tier tax administration authority, having worked for several years as a tax administration methodologist and department head at the General Financial Directorate. She also has experience gained at leading international consulting companies, so her reach and contribution to us and our clients is truly exceptional,” said the firm’s tax partner, David Krch.
At HAVEL & PARTNERS, we create conditions for promising career growth for colleagues who have long demonstrated excellent knowledge of the law or taxes, exceptional ability to address the needs of our clients, including in the context of their business, high work commitment and excellent management skills. Earlier this year, a total of 17 colleagues were promoted, out of them five to a partner position.
Veronika Dvořáková is the Marketing Director of HAVEL & PARTNERS and also became an equity partner in January 2022. In addition to marketing, communication and business support of the group, Veronika is also responsible for the pro bono and CSR policy of the firm and manages the HAVEL & PARTNERS ACADEMY. She advises major clients on strategic marketing, PR, and public affairs. As an equity partner, Veronika will be responsible for strengthening the HAVEL & PARTNERS brand, which is one of the strongest on the market, as well as further developing marketing and PR activities, which are an integral part of the group’s comprehensive business strategy.
Ivan Rámeš has 15 years of experience in practicing at the top level of the legal profession; Ivan became an equity partner at the beginning of this year. He is an expert in intellectual property and technology law. Ivan focuses on setting comprehensive IP strategies, both in the Czech Republic, Slovakia and abroad. He also specialises in e-commerce and advises start-ups, as well as larger companies and international corporations. Ivan provides advice on IP law to investors, investment funds and venture capital start-ups. As an equity partner, he will be responsible for the further development of the advisory group dedicated to new technologies.
Three colleagues were promoted to the position of partner starting from this January. The first of them is Lenka Štiková Gachová. Lenka is a leading expert in competition law, including state aid, and significant market power. She assists clients in the field of competition compliance and also represents them before the Czech Office for the Protection of Competition and the Antimonopoly Office of the Slovak Republic, as well as before the courts in all areas of competition law. Prior to joining our law firm, Lenka worked for eight years at the Office for the Protection of Competition.
Michal Smrček also become a firm partner, and he provides comprehensive advice on regulatory and private law aspects of the insurance sector, pension companies, insurance intermediaries, leasing companies, representation of clients before courts, and investigations and compliance. Prior to joining HAVEL & PARTNERS, Michal worked as a lawyer in several major insurance companies and a pension company and led the legal and investigations departments. He also served in the legislative section of the Czech Association of Insurance Companies (ČAP) and was also the chairman of the Corporate Governance Committee and a member of a number of other committees in insurance companies.
Josef Žaloudek was also promoted to the position of partner starting from January 2022. Josef specialises in corporate tax law, international taxation, restructuring and related aspects of civil law and commercial law. He has many years of experience advising major domestic and foreign companies operating in the information technology, automotive, engineering, and food sectors, etc. Prior to joining our law firm, Josef worked at the Ministry of Finance and at a major multinational consulting company.
