Czech Republic

Weinhold Legal has achieved success before the Supreme Court of the Czech Republic, which ruled in favor of the insolvency trustee of Key Investments a.s. in a case concerning a claim exceeding CZK 100 million. This significant judgment has far-reaching implications for legal practice in the area of insolvency proceedings, particularly in the context of the insolvency of securities traders. The Supreme Court ruled that the insolvency trustee of a securities trader may challenge a payment where the debtor returns customer assets to only one of the customers, if the funds in question should have (or could have) been distributed proportionally to other customers of the debtor. This verdict is based on the principle of equal treatment of all creditors in insolvency proceedings, which is essential for the proper functioning of the legal framework in capital markets. "This decision is a significant success for our firm and represents an important precedent for the capital markets in the Czech Republic. It shows that the insolvency trustee has the right to protect the interests of all creditors, and that the legal framework must ensure equality among creditors in insolvency proceedings, even in the case of securities traders," said Zbyšek Kordač, Associate Partner at Weinhold Legal. The Supreme Court's judgment not only has significance for the current case but also for future insolvency proceedings involving similar financial transactions, particularly in the area of capital markets. The team from Weinhold Legal involved in this case included Milan Polák, Zbyšek Kordač, Michal Przeczek, and Daniel Kinkor. More info: Nejvyšší soud, Deník, Hospodářské Noviny About Weinhold Legal Weinhold Legal has been a strong player on the Czech market since the founding of the Prague office in 1996, and boasts a team of several dozen highly qualified lawyers. Weinhold Legal has been highly ranked in international client guides to the best law firms on the market today, among them Legal 500, Chambers Europe and Chambers Global, and IFLR. For more information, please visit our website at http://www.weinholdlegal.com

We are pleased to announce our contribution to the International Employment Lawyer (IEL) Guide to Employment Disputes, a comprehensive resource covering employment claims procedures across 23 jurisdictions worldwide. Our team has developed the Czech and Slovak sections, providing valuable insights into the key stages of employment disputes in these two regions. The guide is a crucial tool for employers, legal professionals, and HR specialists navigating employment law disputes, from pre-claim requirements to hearings, remedies, and appeals. This project reflects our ongoing commitment to delivering practical legal expertise to global audiences. Special thanks to our colleagues Tomáš Čermák, Eva Procházková, and Karin Konečná for their contributions. For more information, access the full guide. Czech section Slovak section   About Weinhold Legal Weinhold Legal has been a strong player on the Czech market since the founding of the Prague office in 1996, and boasts a team of several dozen highly qualified lawyers. Weinhold Legal has been highly ranked in international client guides to the best law firms on the market today, among them Legal 500, Chambers Europe and Chambers Global, and IFLR. For more information, please visit our website at http://www.weinholdlegal.com

BBH, a leading Czech-Slovak law firm with international reach, is strengthening its management team with a new partner, Ivana Halamová Dobíšková, a leading expert in competition, regulatory, and EU law, who joins BBH from A&O Shearman. Her arrival represents a significant strategic reinforcement, particularly in one of the firm’s key priorities – competition law. The competition law practice has historically been strongly supported primarily by the firm’s top-tier expertise in M&A and dispute resolution and is now receiving another significant boost. With the expansion of the partnership team by Ivana Halamová Dobíšková, individually ranked by Chambers and Partners, BBH is creating one of the most experienced teams with unique competition law expertise on the Czech market. In addition to her many years of experience working for a renowned international law firm, an important part of Ivana Halamová Dobíšková’s professional background was also her experience at the European Commission, where she gained unique insight into the functioning of European institutions and decision-making processes at the EU level. Throughout her practice, she has focused on complex and high-profile matters across various sectors. She has strong experience representing clients in merger clearance proceedings, antitrust investigations before both the European Commission and the Czech Competition Authority, as well as in private enforcement of competition law. “Ivana’s arrival represents a significant strengthening of our ability to provide clients with comprehensive support in merger control, antitrust investigations, and competition litigation. Her experience from international legal practice as well as from European institutions is exceptionally valuable for BBH,” said František Honsa, Managing Partner of BBH.   Unlike many other law firms, BBH is also actively involved in competition litigation, allowing clients to receive full-service representation across the entire spectrum of competition law matters. Ivana Dobíšková Halamová graduated from the Faculty of Law of Charles University in Prague, later obtained an LL.M. degree in European Law from the College of Europe in Bruges, and completed a postgraduate diploma in Economics in Competition Law at King's College London. She also studied at Université Libre de Bruxelles. She speaks Czech, English, and French. Her arrival confirms BBH’s long-term strategy of building top-tier specialist teams capable of handling the most complex mandates at both Czech and EU levels. BBH, advokátní kancelář, s.r.o. is a Czech-Slovak law firm with international reach, providing top-tier legal services primarily in the areas of dispute resolution, mergers and acquisitions, debtor representation in project financing, banking and financial regulation, capital markets regulation, competition law, and insolvency law. BBH’s teams in Prague and Bratislava consist of a total of 110 professionals. The firm and its key experts are regularly ranked among the top positions in prestigious international legal directories such as Chambers and Partners, The Legal 500, and IFLR1000.   Contact: David Pilař, Marketing & Communication Manager, tel.: + 420 604 100 491, e-mail: [email protected] Ivana Halamová Dobíšková, Partner, tel: + 420 234 091 355

Weinhold Legal advised Chropyňská Group a.s., a Czech industrial group focused on engineering, manufacturing and technological solutions, on its acquisition of the Slovak company DefTech a.s., a manufacturer of military armoured vehicles. DefTech a.s. has long specialised in the development and production of armoured vehicles primarily intended for armed forces and the security sector. The acquisition represents a strategic step for Chropyňská Group aimed at further expanding its activities in the defence industry within the Central European region. “This transaction was specific not only due to its international dimension but also because of the highly regulated nature of the defence industry. We are pleased to have been able to provide legal support to our client in the implementation of this strategically important acquisition,” said Martin Lukáš, Partner at Weinhold Legal. The legal advice primarily included M&A assistance with transaction structuring, legal due diligence, preparation and negotiation of the transaction documentation, and related corporate matters. The Weinhold Legal team involved in the transaction consisted of Martin Lukáš, Tomáš Čermák, Karin Konečná and Anna Králíková. More info: Chropynska, DefTech About Weinhold Legal Weinhold Legal has been a strong player on the Czech market since the founding of the Prague office in 1996, and boasts a team of several dozen highly qualified lawyers. Weinhold Legal has been highly ranked in international client guides to the best law firms on the market today, among them Legal 500, Chambers Europe and Chambers Global, and IFLR. For more information, please visit our website at http://www.weinholdlegal.com