Jan What sets PRK Partners apart from other firms in Czechia?
I think our history sets us apart. Our founders Marek Prochazka and Radan Kubr went back to the Czech Republic shortly after the Velvet Revolution. They were trained by international firms overseas and returned with that sort of work ethic and attention to client work.
I joined the firm in 1997 and we were still small then – maybe 15 people in a banking and finance boutique really – we specialised in high profile banking transactions and capital markets deals that had some connection to the Czech Republic. After 2000 we really grew fast to about 70 legal professionals and became much more like the full-service law firm we are today having about 100 professionals in two jurisdictions Czechia and Slovakia with three offices in Prague, Bratislava and Ostrava.
In the beginning most lawyers were generalists but now we are much more specialised, where most of us concern ourselves with only one or two areas of law. It’s much more like a large international firm in that respect.
Today, thanks to the dedication and strong focus of Robert Nemec and his team we are also very well known for litigation and arbitration. We are sought out directly by clients and by other law firms for these areas. Over the last 15 years or so we have built up from scratch a strong pharma and healthcare practice group. Our partner heading this practice is Monika Maskova. She’s a young, home-grown talent who has really developed this practice area recently. It’s a very dynamic practice group that draws on experience from public procurement, public health, insurance and IP. Additionally, in recent years we at PRK Partners have also cultivated a thriving department specializing in IT and technology law. Our clients are also demanding high level advice on things like FinTech and compliance and other highly regulated things like GDPR, especially on the European Level.
So what really sets us apart is our international approach to work, both here and in Slovakia because we have a similar ethos there, with similarly trained partners. We also, as lawyers have a very high degree of specialisation. Our partners are experts in one or two areas of law and not generalists. When you combine that approach with local experience, knowledge and language, you get the PRK Partners you see today.
The Czech legal market was one of those markets where most of the international firms rushed in. What is that competition like today?
Yes it’s still a very competitive market. The international firms arrived during the period of massive privatisation. Some still remain. Competition is good for clients and good for us. Having international DNA at the heart of our firm prepared us well and allows us to compete with internationals on the same level.
New competition is coming from the Big Four, some of which have grown here to become almost the largest firms. It will be interesting to see how that pans out.
With regards to the Czech market, where are you seeing growth in terms of practice areas and industry sectors?
I feel that litigation and various combinations of dispute resolution is growing. A particular area of interest is online dispute resolution not just in the Czech Republic but all across Europe. It will be interesting to see this evolve.
Healthcare and Pharma also shows signs of rapid growth. We are specialised and staffed up to take advantage of these growth areas.
I see you have a Chinese desk now?
Yes since about 2017 we have had a growing number of various clients coming from China and we took on a couple of Chinese speaking lawyers and things just grew from there. This also distinguishes us from most other firms in the Central European region
Is everyone back in the office now or do you have a hybrid arrangement?
Most people are back in the office but we do allow working from home. During the COVID pandemic together with our clients we learned how to better use the technology available to us and it’s still useful for international work and when we are travelling.
Jan, I know you are from a classical arts background. Is that what you would have done if you weren’t a lawyer?
Yes. My first profession was a violinist. I studied violin in a Conservatory. And continued to play until an injury forced me to abandon playing professionally. After 2-3 years following my graduation from the Conservatory, I started another profession. After graduating law school, I joined PRK Partners and have been here ever since.
My father and grandfather on my Czech side were both musicians. My grandfather, Antonin Kohout a cellist of the Smetana Quartet has always been an inspiration to me. His son, my father is a violinist and composer. He switched from teaching to composing quite late in his life but still managed to be successful. Earlier this year he was awarded a prize in Belgium for composing chamber music. And my mum, a former successful ballerina with the Soviet ballet school background is a classical ballet teacher in the UK now.
Do you still play the violin?
Only occasionally. But I try to help music in another way now by being a member of the board of the Czech Chamber Music Society that promotes classical music across the country. It’s very satisfying.
What else do you do in your spare time?
I enjoy listening to music, mainly classical but also different genres like folk or rock music and even a specific sort of country music from the Czech Republic. I also enjoy sports now, probably because I didn’t do much sport when I was young as I was totally focused on the violin. But I am making up for it now. I particularly like skiing in the winter and cycling in the summer. And of course, I love to spend time with my family.
