In the 10th annual Law Firm of the Year 2022 competition, the largest Czech-Slovak law firm HAVEL & PARTNERS won the main award in the International Law Firm category, and also won the Best Client Service category for the third time in a row. In addition, it also defended its first place in the Competition category and ranked among the top-ranked law firms in 12 other categories. The official announcement of the results took place on 26 April at a gala evening organised by the publishing house EPRAVO Group, s. r. o., in cooperation with TREND weekly.
The firm has thus reconfirmed its exceptional position on the Slovak and Czech legal market, which is unique in Europe, and remains the most successful and comprehensive law firm in both countries. “This is our best result so far in the history of this competition in Slovakia - winning both the main and client service awards, including winning the competition award and 12 positions in the practice area categories among the top-ranked law firms confirms our versatility and the excellence of all our specialised teams,” commented the firm’s managing partner Jaroslav Havel on the success.
“The biggest reward for an attorney is a satisfied client. Winning the Best Client Service category for the third time in a row, which was decided by the satisfaction level of our clients, is the most important award for us and a message that our clients are extremely satisfied with our legal and tax services as well as our client care. We are proud that our clients include some of the most successful companies across all industries. Their trust motivates us to continuously work on ourselves, to improve and innovate our services, and to bring them added value,” said Štěpán Štarha, a firm partner co-responsible for managing the Slovak office of HAVEL & PARTNERS.
“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 therefore confirms that we are able to complete and manage cross-border transactions and projects anywhere in the world thanks to our unique network of contacts, both in the CEE region and outside Europe, and our unique knowledge of the legal and business environment. We offer legal and tax advice in 12 global languages and have assisted our clients in nearly 110 countries. Up to 70% of our cases have an international element,” added partner Ondřej Majer.
The firm also won in the area of competition law. “We very much appreciate the success in Slovakia. We started systematically building our competition law advisory services here eleven years ago, since then we have worked on large projects and have gained the trust of many major Slovak clients. We would like to thank them for that. The award is a confirmation that we are on the right track and an encouragement to keep improving,” said Lenka Štiková Gachová.Robert Neruda added, “We are the only ones on the market who effectively combine legal and economic competition advice. This enables us to offer our clients unique know-how for solving complex competition and regulatory issues.” In 2021, the firm’s Slovak office also won the competition law category in the TOP 10 largest law firms in Slovakia ranking, compiled by the SME daily and The Slovak Spectator, and thus became the most successful law firm in this practice area in Slovakia.
Law Firm of the Year is a prestigious practice area competition evaluating the legal services of firms operating in the Czech and Slovak Republics, organized by the publishing house EPRAVO Group, s.r.o. It was first announced in the Czech Republic in 2008, and since 2013 it has also been organised in Slovakia in cooperation with TREND weekly. More information on the competition can be found here.
