Filip Drnec is the CEO of AK Portos at a time when advocacy is moving beyond conservative boundaries. According to him, law is not the main product, but one of the tools that help Portos manage big business. In an interview, he explains why there is growing demand for lawyers who can think like entrepreneurs.
Innovation is driving almost every industry today. Can a law firm be a source of inspiration and innovation for its clients, or are lawyers by nature more likely to be the ones who put the brakes on overly bold ideas?
Historically, lawyers have often been seen as stifling bold ideas. We are very different from this stereotype. That is why we added the word "advisory" to our name, because we pride ourselves on being a strategic advisor to our clients. We want them to overcome obstacles and achieve their visions with us. We are definitely not among those who would hold clients back a priori unless there is a specific reason to do so. From the beginning, our founders instilled in us a philosophy of active assistance, i.e., not telling clients what they cannot do, but helping them as much as possible within the limits of the law to move in the desired direction.
Advocacy is often considered a conservative environment. Are you trying to change this reputation at Portos?
It's nothing revolutionary, but we are proud that at Portos we don't strictly adhere to the law. For us, the law is a tool for delivering solutions, not a product in itself. We strive to provide services with added value and to follow the path of genuine consulting. The law is one of the tools we use, but we also employ economic analysis, tax consulting, European lobbying, and strategic communication. We offer our clients strategic partnerships in the form of comprehensive services that we consider most appropriate for solving their problems or business as such. In other words, if a client has a problem, we use all the means we deem appropriate to solve it; we are, in short, a one-stop legal shop.
The entire interview was published in Euro Platinum magazine (12/2025).
