It was an era of lawyers focused on creating disputes, managing and resolving them, and on forceful persuasion and lecturing clients. Lawyers were extremely competitive, and with their ties and luxurious, even extravagant, suits, they often appeared snobbish and unsympathetic. Rivalry and comparisons with their competitors when participating in professional competitions and rankings at both domestic and international levels were also common. Colleagues frequently commented on and criticized each other in ways that would seem inappropriate in other industries.
When we founded our law firm at the turn of the millennium, the legal profession was mainly associated with the image of lawyers of the 1990s – assertive individualists building their reputations in what now seems like the wild and unpredictable “nineties,” the time of transition to a market economy.
People also associated our work with high fees, especially in situations where they found themselves in difficulty and truly needed legal help. Perhaps that’s why, even today, lawyers are not the most popular professional group. I believe, however, that positive examples lead the way and that thanks to our approach at HAVEL & PARTNERS, along with other respected firms, the image of lawyers has improved and risen.
Since our founding in 2001, we have sought a way to practice law that is top-tier in expertise, while remaining human in our relationships with clients and colleagues. We strive to build our work on trust, respect, and long-term partnerships with clients. In an environment where performance metrics naturally come first, aiming for a more human approach can seem idealistic. Yet we are convinced that values such as gratitude, humility, decency, and loyalty form the true foundation of our profession.
This is even more important when, alongside legal and tax advisory for companies in a fiercely competitive market, you also work with successful entrepreneurs and their families on their most private matters – such as managing and protecting private assets.
That is something we fully recognize in our family office, ONE FAMILY OFFICE. In our relationships with member families and individuals, we act not only as advisors but above all as confidants, strategic partners, and often guides in matters of intergenerational value transfer and asset development. In such a sensitive environment, it is essential to listen, act with respect, maintain absolute discretion, and approach the uniqueness of each situation, each family, and each individual decision with sufficient humility.
Professional expertise must be accompanied by deep human understanding and one’s own extensive business and life experience. Managing private wealth worth hundreds of millions or even billions of crowns carries not only legal complexity but also a strong psychological and value-driven dimension. Our partners expect long-term loyalty, discretion, and the ability to create a stable and secure environment for preserving and growing their family wealth. Gratitude for the trust placed in us is not mere professional courtesy – it is the fundamental attitude behind every step we take, every recommendation we make, and every decision we support.
I am also convinced that service quality does not depend solely on the individual expertise of each person but on the strength of a functioning team. That’s why we devote great attention to careful recruitment and professional development of our colleagues. We seek not only talented and educated lawyers but, above all, personalities capable of collaboration, sharing ideas and experience, and treating others with respect.
We learn, and encourage our colleagues to learn, in the spirit of our motto Connected Through Success, the essentials: decency, humility, and gratitude. Toward each other, toward clients, and toward the profession. It is precisely these values – those that go beyond immediate economic interest – that I see as the foundation of long-term sustainability and true professional success.
