For the third time in a row, our law firm received the top award for the Law Firm of the Year in the Czech Republic competition, as well as the award for the best client service. We also won in two industry categories – Mergers and Acquisitions, and Development and Real Estate Projects. In 17 professional categories, our firm was among the highly recommended law firms (top tier).
“2022 was full of unexpected challenges and events. Therefore, we have tried to be a reliable support for our clients during this time and to help them as much as possible to withstand these challenging conditions. We are therefore very pleased that they once again appreciated our commitment and approach to solving their business as well as private matters. We are grateful for their trust,” commented Jaroslav Havel, managing partner, on winning the competition. “Thanks also go to all my colleagues at HAVEL & PARTNERS. Once again, we have jointly proven that our priority is professional background and perfect service for our clients,” he added.
The firm’s outstanding results in the domestic Law Firm of the Year competition followed its winning of the most prestigious international award, the Chambers Europe Awards, which it also received for the third consecutive year in 2022. In the same year, the firm also won the main prize in the international law firm category in the Slovak Law Firm of the Year competition and, as in the previous two years, it was again the best-rated law firm by clients in Slovakia.
In 2022, our firm was named the best law firm in the Czech Republic by the global rating agency Who’s Who Legal. This is the fifth time in a row that HAVEL & PARTNERS has received this award.
The Who’s Who Legal Awards annually recognises top legal experts and law firms in more than 35 industry categories and 75 jurisdictions. Their research is based primarily on feedback from clients, experts and consultants who work closely with the subjects under review. Individual HAVEL & PARTNERS’ specialists are also regularly ranked at the top of the rankings of leaders in individual areas of law.
HAVEL & PARTNERS has been awarded the Czech Business Superbrands title, awarded annually to the best business brands on the Czech market. Once again, we are among companies with an excellent reputation, with which clients associate important values and have a personal relationship.
The expert jury evaluates individual brands according to criteria such as renown, brand building, innovation, and prestige. “I thank not only our clients, but also all my colleagues for their loyalty, high work commitment and flexibility, thanks to which we can continue to strengthen the reputation of our brand even in today’s challenging times,” said Jaroslav Havel.
With the New Year 2023, Štěpán Štarha has been promoted internally to the position of equity partner of HAVEL & PARTNERS. Jiří Kunášek has been a partner of the firm since 1 January 2023. Adam Forst, David Šmída and Jaroslav Šuchman were promoted to counsel position at the beginning of the year. Vojtěch Katzer became a managing associate, and Josef Bouchal, Martin Pecha and Pavlína Petráčková joined the team of senior associates.
Martin Ráž and Dalibor Kovář became partners of the firm last year, specifically from 1 July 2022. Robert Porubský, Pavlína Krušinová, Jan Fikar, Šimon Hradilek and Kateřina Surková were promoted to the position of counsel. Petra Tomšů, Vladimir Ivanov, Martin Šimek and Roman Světnický became managing associates. The group of senior associates was expanded by Mária Kopecká, Róbert Gašparovič and Jiří Nečas.
“Only excellent lawyers can keep a leading law firm on top. That is why we develop a motivational environment with a clear vision of career growth, often much faster than at our competitors,” said Jaroslav Havel, managing partner, about the personnel changes.
Family businesses are able to adapt very quickly to different situations and times, so they work and will continue to work even in times of impactful events and economic problems. However, because any action taken by any member can significantly affect the family and the relationships between its members, and can also have an impact on the family business, it is logical for most families to endeavour to define, follow, and rather conservatively change the rules for the protection, management and distribution of family-built wealth.
That is why our law firm supported the publication of the book Family Constitution in Slovakia, which is a valuable source of information and useful advice and guidance on how to create a family constitution on your own. This will help family businesses to overcome the challenges involved and steer them towards a multi-generational family business.
HAVEL & PARTNERS is a founding member of the Climate & Sustainable Leaders Czech Republic initiative. Together with other leading companies from various sectors of the Czech economy, the firm aims to support the reduction of the carbon footprint in the Czech Republic and motivate Czech companies to switch to sustainable operating models. The association is also behind the Carbon Tracker project, the first comprehensive overview of how the largest companies in the Czech Republic deal with CO2 emissions, and how successful their ambition to reduce them is.
According to the carbon footprint information provided by 55% of the 150 largest Czech companies (by turnover in 2021), it is clear that approximately every second company in the Czech Republic does not yet calculate its carbon footprint or refuses to publish its results for various reasons. In particular, manufacturing companies, which make up more than a third of the 150 companies, have great difficulty calculating their carbon footprint. On the other hand, work on the carbon footprint and decarbonisation is most often undertaken by companies operating in the construction sector, traditionally banks and insurance companies, and also technology companies, including mobile operators.
EcoVadis, an international rating company that compares companies in terms of sustainability and ESG, awarded our firm a silver medal, which places HAVEL & PARTNERS among the top 25% of companies. This is an objective and independent message to our business partners that we are a trustworthy and responsible firm.
EcoVadis provides a global rating of companies’ sustainability performance based on their reported data and activities related to improving environmental, social and ethical corporate practices. It evaluates and processes information from more than 95,000 companies across 175 countries in 200 industries and categories.
We were the first law firm in the Czech Republic and Slovakia to join the United Nations Global Compact, an initiative bringing together 15,000 companies and 4,000 non-business entities from more than 160 countries to promote adherence to the principles of sustainability and equality in the areas of human rights, labour, environment and anti-corruption.
“At HAVEL & PARTNERS, we are fully aware of the need to actively contribute to sustainability, equality and the fight against corruption. That is why we have joined the UN project, which strives to respect and fulfil the principles that are among our corporate values and have long been an integral part of our corporate culture,” said Veronika Dvořáková, the firm’s partner responsible for CSR.
