In 2001, five young lawyers sat in an office on cardboard boxes instead of chairs, driven by a vision of building a great law firm. Since then, HAVEL & PARTNERS has far surpassed its original ambition of providing top-tier international legal services. Today, it stands as a comprehensive advisory group of 350 lawyers, tax specialists, patent experts and other professionals who support more than 4,000 clients and accompany them on their journey to success.

A quarter of a century ago, when they were not yet thirty, five young lawyers – Jaroslav Havel, Robert Nešpůrek, Marek Vojáček, Jan Holásek and Ondřej Petr – set out to build their own law firm entirely from scratch. They had known each other since their university days, and four of them later worked together at Linklaters. Despite their promising career prospects there, they chose to leave and pursue their ambition of establishing a firm with international reach, inspired by Linklaters and other top-tier global law firms operating on the Czech market, offering clients comprehensive legal and tax services for business. At the time, they were told that by walking away from a guaranteed career, they were dooming themselves to a lifetime of establishing shelf companies...

Flying start

This scepticism only strengthened the founders’ determination to succeed. “We may have been sitting on file boxes and taking turns at the same desk, but from the very beginning we invested in top-quality support and talented people. We knew exactly how vast the difference is between ordinary and top-tier legal services. We needed to grow quickly and cover all specialisations. That’s why we hired additional top lawyers right from the start. Within six months, there were fifteen of us,” recalled founder Jaroslav Havel, whose name, together with co-founder Jan Holásek, gave rise to the brand Havel Holásek.

In its early years, the firm operated under the umbrella of strategic partner Deloitte, and both clients and assignments grew rapidly. The firm quickly expanded its portfolio of legal specialisations, with mergers and acquisitions soon becoming its flagship practice. In 2005, the firm set out on its own, and within five years of its founding, Havel Holásek became the leading Czech law firm by number of M&A transactions. M&A remains one of the firm’s core practice areas to this day. The firm now has a dedicated team of 80 experienced lawyers and advisors who have assisted clients with 900 transactions totalling CZK 875 billion.

Crisis as an opportunity

In 2005, the firm opened its first branch outside Prague, in Ostrava. After a very strong period for mergers and acquisitions, the economic crisis of 2008–2009 suddenly brought deal making to a standstill. “At that time, most of the firm’s revenue came from international transactions, and those sources dropped by 80% almost overnight. But we viewed the crisis as an opportunity. While other law firms were cutting costs and laying off people, we chose a different path: to take a calculated risk and invest even more in our development. We hired additional top professionals, rapidly restructured the firm and focused intensely on redefining our service portfolio,” recalled Jaroslav Havel. The firm emerged from the crisis even stronger. In 2008, it expanded into Slovakia by opening a Bratislava office, and a year later added another in Brno. Around this time, the firm became the leader of the Czech-Slovak legal market – a position it retains to this day.

In 2007, the firm also became the first in the market to establish a specialised team for private clients. As the client base grew, the firm began advising not only the most successful domestic and international companies but also leading Czech and Slovak entrepreneurs, top executives and elite athletes. Today, the firm provides private client services to one-third of the wealthiest Czechs and Slovaks and has built the largest dedicated advisory group in central Europe with more than 50 lawyers, tax advisors and accountants. In 2024, services for high-net-worth individuals and families reached a new level with the launch of the affiliated ONE FAMILY OFFICE.

Journey to the top

The years following the 2008–2009 economic crisis were marked by rapid growth. The firm’s willingness to take bold decisions, its strategic thinking, distinctive management style and consistent year-on-year revenue increases made it the fastest-growing law firm in Europe. By 2017, the original office premises in Prague’s Ungelt were no longer sufficient, prompting a move to the Florentinum. A year later, the firm rebranded as HAVEL & PARTNERS. Additional expansions soon followed, with new offices opened in Olomouc and Plzeň, and the establishment of a tax practice.

Not even the COVID-19 crisis in 2020 and 2021 slowed the firm’s momentum. HAVEL & PARTNERS once again demonstrated an exceptional ability to respond quickly to change and to manage crisis situations with confidence. “The ability to adapt to the needs of the market and our clients proved crucial during the coronavirus crisis, and again when the war in Ukraine broke out. Even then, we adjusted immediately to the new circumstances and responded without delay to the needs of our clients. We helped them navigate challenging business situations for which they were often unprepared,” recalled Jaroslav Havel.

Beyond the law

The firm has also achieved a huge international reputation in 25 years. It has assisted clients in nearly 110 countries around the world and handles up to 70% of its cases internationally. In 2024, it even headed beyond the borders of the Czech Republic and Slovakia and opened its direct representative office in Frankfurt, Germany, as the first law firm from the CEE region. “We are not competing with German law firms here. On the contrary, we have strengthened our cooperation with local partners and offices, which expands the possibilities for our clients," Jaroslav Havel explained.

For the firm and its clients, Frankfurt isthe gateway for international business further west and into the world. Thelocal team provides comprehensive support to foreign companies and investorstargeting the CEE region, as well as clients from the Czech Republic andSlovakia looking to expand further abroad.

From lawyers to advisors

A quarter of a century after its founding, the firm has long surpassed its original vision of providing top-tier international legal services. Today, HAVEL & PARTNERS is a comprehensive advisory group that systematically covers the full range of client needs, from sophisticated legal and tax advice to accounting, patent services, out-of-court debt resolution, competition economics, data protection, legal and management training, and even concierge healthcare and consulting in security, HR, marketing and public relations.

“We are business partners. Our people understand not only the legal framework, but also the strategy, motivations and real needs of our clients. The combination of legal precision, economic thinking, and the ability to move clients forward - this is the essence of our approach to the legal practice and consulting,” said Jaroslav Havel.

Top-level legal and tax advice requires more than mastery of legislation. It also demands a deep understanding of the industries in which clients operate. HAVEL & PARTNERS’ team of 350 lawyers, tax advisors, patent attorneys and other specialists works in focused groups aligned with specific branches of law and lines of business.

“Our teams follow developments, trends and events in specific market segments and understand their underlying logic. Over time, this industry approach has become our philosophy: truly understanding clients and adapting solutions to their business environment. That is the only way we can help them move forward,” Havel explained.

This also includes effective networking with the right partners, access to capital and support when entering new markets – all made possible by an exceptional network of contacts at home and abroad. “We know how to identify opportunities and help clients build long-term value in their businesses. We see the law as a tool, not a goal in itself – what matters is that it protects and develops what is genuinely valuable to the client, fully in line with our motto Connected through Success,” said Jaroslav Havel.

From a firm of five lawyers sitting on cardboard boxes 25 years ago, HAVEL & PARTNERS has grown into a major consulting group with international reach and an annual turnover exceeding CZK 1.7 billion. Patria valued the entire HAVEL & PARTNERS group at CZK 3.3 billion for 2023. Based on this valuation, the firm has been included for two consecutive years (2024 and 2025) among the TOP 100 most valuable Czech companies in the Czech Elite ranking published by Seznam Zprávy. HAVEL & PARTNERS is also recognised as an exceptional brand and has long been the most attractive employer in the sector.

One step better each day

True long-term success, however, is not defined by size or billions in revenue, but by teamwork and the courage to improve a little every day. “People are behind everything we have achieved. We have a team that supports each other and works exceptionally well together – and we want to keep moving forward. It is this energy and willingness to learn and push boundaries that sets us apart. I believe that if we maintain this spirit, we will continue to grow - not only in size, but also in what makes our work meaningful,” managing partner Jaroslav Havel concluded.