From Fax to Artificial Intelligence: Weinhold Legal Celebrates 30 Years
Weinhold Legal is marking 30 years since its establishment. Over the past three decades, the firm and its clients have navigated a period of profound economic, social and technological change -from communicating by fax and working with paper files to the Czech Republic’s accession to the European Union, economic crises, the pandemic, the digitalisation of legal services and the rise of artificial intelligence. “Over the past thirty years, we have experienced changes that would have been difficult to imagine when we founded the firm. The way we communicate, the speed at which we work and the sheer volume of information are incomparable with what they were then. At the same time, the firm has gone through different stages, international structures and economic cycles. I believe that our ability to adapt while preserving our own approach to our work and to our clients is one of the main reasons why, thirty years on, the firm remains in such good shape,” says Daniel Weinhold, founding partner of Weinhold Legal. Throughout its history, the firm has gone through several stages of development and today operates as an independent law firm with an international reach. “Even as ownership structures and boards have changed on the client side, our personal approach has enabled us to maintain long-standing client relationships. What matters to clients is whether I am able to take care of their needs – and that, ultimately, is also my responsibility,” says Milan Polák, Partner at Weinhold Legal, who has long specialised in dispute resolution and today also advises some of the same clients on passing their businesses on to the next generation. When Weinhold Legal began operating in 1996, the legal and business environment looked fundamentally different. The vast majority of investment into the Czech Republic came from a relatively small number of Western European countries or the United States, businesses faced a significantly lower volume of regulation, and technology played only a marginal role. Today, Czech businesses invest around the world, legal matters frequently span several jurisdictions at once, and legal advice increasingly connects business strategy with regulation, data, cybersecurity and, more recently, artificial intelligence. From Legal Opinions to Risk Management As the business environment has evolved, so too have client expectations. Companies today need to respond more quickly, face greater regulatory pressure and increasingly integrate legal decision-making with business strategy. As a result, they expect external advisers not merely to explain the law, but above all to provide a clear assessment of risk and practical recommendations. “Clients no longer want only a legally correct opinion. They need to understand which risks genuinely matter, what options they have and what each of those options means for their business. Companies still sometimes begin addressing certain risks only once a problem has materialised. The role of a legal adviser, however, is not simply to respond, but to help clients identify risks early and put them into a broader business context,” says Martin Lukáš, Partner at Weinhold Legal. Commenting on changing client expectations, Zbyšek Kordač, Associate Partner at Weinhold Legal, adds: “Knowledge and information matter less than they once did, because they are now available to virtually anyone. Trust, by contrast, is built over time. A successful lawyer is the person a client thinks of first when a problem arises.” People as the Firm’s Greatest Asset The firm also considers the development of its people to be a key part of its thirty-year history. Over the years, hundreds of lawyers, students and other colleagues have worked at Weinhold Legal. Today, they can be found in private practice, in-house legal teams, corporate management, public administration, diplomacy and academia – while many continue their careers at Weinhold Legal itself. “Some members of the team have already reached the twenty-year mark with the firm, while others will get there in the next few years,” says Martin Lukáš. “People are our law firm’s greatest asset. It has always been important to us that junior lawyers are given meaningful work and gradually take on real responsibility. They do not join us to fetch coffee – after a year of practice, they have gained experience across several areas of law and developed a high degree of flexibility,” he adds. Stability, Independence and Long-Term Relationships One of the principles on which Weinhold Legal has consistently built its practice is stability - not only financial stability, but also stability in its team and client relationships. The firm has never pursued growth at any cost and, even during periods of economic turbulence, has focused on continuity within the team and long-term sustainability. “For us, stability does not mean standing still. It means taking long-term responsibility for both our clients and our colleagues, and having the freedom to make decisions based on what is sustainable for the firm and its clients. We have been working alongside some of our clients for more than twenty years,” adds Milan Polák. Although technology is transforming the way legal services are delivered, the essence of the relationship between client and adviser remains unchanged. “The tools we use have changed almost beyond recognition. But relationships and trust remain at the heart of this business. Those are truly fundamental values. A client needs to know that their adviser understands not only the legal issue, but also their business, their people and the circumstances in which decisions are being made. That kind of relationship is not created by a single transaction, nor can it be replaced by technology. It is built gradually, sometimes over many years,” says Pav Younis, Head of Venture Capital at Weinhold Legal, who was formerly a partner at the firm. Weinhold Legal does not see its thirtieth anniversary as the closing of a chapter, but rather as an opportunity to define what it intends to build on in the years ahead: legal expertise, practical judgement, the development of a new generation of lawyers, a stable team and long-term relationships with clients.