PORTOS dominates in the fields of industry, technology, transportation, and asset management.

Industry, technology, transportation, and asset management. In these areas, one of the largest Czech law firms, PORTOS, is the strongest. At the same time, it excels in legal-technical innovations and, thanks to its unconventional structure of legal teams, stands out with a unique client approach and the ability to solve problems in the context of specific business sectors. This is done with regard to the current economic, political, social, and technological context both in the Czech Republic and worldwide.

In 2023, the law firm, formerly known as Císař, Češka, Smutný, created new specialized teams focusing on cybersecurity and IT law, energy, insolvency, and public procurement. Czech Justice presents PORTOS as part of its new section “Law Firm Profiles.”

PORTOS recently celebrated 30 years on the domestic scene. It was established in 1993. Its lawyers have won numerous publicly and media-known cases.

What are PORTOS’s most successful cases?

ČEPRO – defended 2.6 billion CZK
In September 2021, the lawsuit filed by Lancelin against the state-owned company ČEPRO, demanding a fictitious claim worth nearly 2.6 billion CZK, was definitively dismissed. The Prague High Court confirmed the correctness of the April 2019 decision of the court of first instance. The dispute between the two companies was exceptional in many respects. Not only did it last more than 17 years and repeatedly reach the Constitutional Court, which sided with ČEPRO every time, but it was also closely connected to several other criminal, civil, and administrative proceedings. The results of these proceedings enabled ČEPRO to reach this significant milestone, which marks the end of a criminal attack by the criminal group around Radovan Krejčíř and Martin Pechan. They were already definitively convicted in 2018 for attempted fraud, which was the basis of the fictitious claim asserted by Lancelin. This is not merely a success in a civil dispute but also an important signal for the Czech Republic and its judiciary. The appellate court’s verdict proves that the state is capable not only of uncovering and exposing very sophisticated criminal activity but, above all, of convicting its perpetrators.

Czech Railways – defended over 6 billion CZK
PORTOS has long represented Czech Railways (ČD) in a dispute with the Italian company Grandi Stazioni. At the end of 2019, the Prague Municipal Court confirmed the decision of the District Court for Prague 1, which dismissed Grandi Stazioni’s claim against ČD for payment of 776.5 million CZK along with high contractual penalties amounting to nearly 4 billion CZK. The company sought reimbursement from ČD for the costs of revitalizing Prague’s Main Railway Station, even though it had not completed the building’s full reconstruction on time. Another lawsuit by Grandi Stazioni demanded payment exceeding 1.25 billion CZK as compensation for alleged damages caused by the non-renewal of the lease of the Main Railway Station. This claim was dismissed by the District Court for Prague 1. PORTOS also succeeded in having a lawsuit to determine ownership of the Fantova building dismissed, a decision later confirmed by the Supreme Court.

Concert Hall in Ostrava – contract documentation
Based on the results of an architectural competition won by the world-renowned studio STEVEN HOLL ARCHITECTS, PORTOS prepared the contractual documentation for the implementation of complex design services and provides ongoing legal advice during its realization. It is thus involved in an iconic project that was ranked among the ten most anticipated iconic projects worldwide by Architizer magazine.

The Ostrava concert hall is listed among prestigious constructions to be built in various world metropolises (e.g., New York, Los Angeles, London, or Hangzhou). Subsequently, PORTOS conducted a tender procedure for selecting the contractor for phase 1, which involves preparatory construction work. The tender was successfully completed in November 2022 by selecting the most advantageous offer and signing a contract with the chosen supplier. The second phase, involving the actual construction of the concert hall in Ostrava, will follow. The project’s implementation will significantly support the region’s further development, as its uniqueness and high architectural value attract attention.

Awards and Recognition
PORTOS holds the title of Law Firm of the Year 2023 in the categories of Corporate Law and PRO BONO & CSR. As an employer, PORTOS ranked second among all law firms.

PORTOS is highly recommended in the following areas:

• Competition Law

• Mergers and Acquisitions

• Restructuring and Insolvency

• Dispute Resolution and Arbitration

• Public Procurement

• Corporate Compliance

• Energy and Energy Projects

• Logistics and Transport Infrastructure

• Health Law

• Environmental Law

• Asset Management

PORTOS also received awards in the Corporate INTL Global Awards 2024 (Public Procurement Law Firm of the Year in the Czech Republic and Commercial Law Firm of the Year in the Czech Republic) and Global Law Experts 2024 (Public Procurement Law Firm of the Year and Commercial Law Firm of the Year in the Czech Republic for 2024). Moreover, it placed second among law firms in the TOP Employer of the Year 2024 competition and received a nomination in the Law Firms of the Year 2023/2024 competition in the category Mandate of the Year.

PORTOS Law Firm premises — Photo: PORTOS

Awards of PORTOS lawyers in 2023 and 2024:
Partner Markéta Flanderková and lead lawyer Barbora Vlachová were listed at the end of 2023 among the prestigious TOP 100 Women in Czech Legal Business for 2024. Markéta Flanderková ranked in the M&A, Corporate Law & Private Equity category and was also a member of the TOP 100 for 2023. Barbora Vlachová was recognized in Telecommunications, Media, IT & IP.

Barbora Vlachová also won the IT Law category in the Lawyer of the Year 2024 competition.

Filip Drnec, Executive Director of PORTOS, says:
“The high expertise of our lawyers, stable background, opportunity to work on the most important cases in the Czech Republic, wide range of benefits, and continuous education—our people appreciate these the most. We value their loyalty and their being a source of our inspiration. This is also supported by the open structure of the firm and its permeability, which allows us to nurture top lawyers already from their student years.”

In 2023, the firm further expanded its leadership by adding another partner and increased the number of legal teams by three more. “Thanks to this, our team long-term counts over 110 legal experts and continues to grow. We provide our employees and collaborating lawyers with high comfort. We plan to continue expanding our offices, whether it be in the top floors of Prague’s City Tower or expanding to other Czech cities,” Drnec adds.

Selection of PORTOS Experts:

JUDr. Jaromír Císař, Ph.D. (partner) – commercial and insolvency law (link: https://portos.cz/jaromir-cisar/)

JUDr. Petr Michal, Ph.D. (partner) – civil procedure and insolvency and commercial law (link: https://portos.cz/petr-michal/)

JUDr. Jakub Hollmann, Ph.D. (partner) – asset management, criminal and international law (link: https://portos.cz/jakub-hollmann/)

JUDr. Markéta Flanderková, Ph.D. (partner) – asset management, corporate agenda, restructuring, and criminal liability of legal entities + trusts (link: https://portos.cz/marketa-flanderkova/)

Mgr. Jan Sůra (partner) – providing legal services and consulting clients operating in strategic sectors such as the automotive industry, banking, or rail transport (link: https://portos.cz/jan-sura/)

JUDr. Barbora Vlachová, Ph.D., LL.M.(lead attorney) –cybersecurity, digital transformation, and IT law (link: https://portos.cz/barbora-vlachova/)

Mgr. Filip Drnec (office director and executive director of Access EU) – European law and EU legislative processes (link: https://portos.cz/filip-drnec/)

and other experts (link: https://portos.cz/nasi-lide/)

PORTOS traditionally provides the majority of its legal services to corporations – their share amounted to approximately 85% in the past year. The vast majority of these were significant private commercial companies.

PORTOS partner Jaromír Císař Photo: PORTOS

Over the years, the firm’s range of services and products has expanded into a wide variety of fields that far exceed the usual boundaries of legal practice. “We are not just lawyers, but also strategic advisors and partners for our clients in the areas of asset management, trust law, sustainability, and the technological challenges of today’s world. Legal services form a strong foundation of our practice, but we also meet the high demands of our clients by delivering comprehensive tailor-made solutions. And this is also thanks to our sister companies and domestic as well as international partners,” says office director Filip Drnec.

As part of an exclusive partnership with leading consultants in Brussels and in cooperation with Access EU, PORTOS provides advisory services in the areas of European policies, legislation, and finance. This includes a team of experts with direct experience from Brussels. This allows their clients to gain insight into currently prepared EU legislation and also enables them to actively participate in the process and communicate their needs and interests. This is done through all available tools and platforms that the Brussels environment offers. “Our goal is to help clients leverage business potential, connect their visions and needs with the policies currently discussed by the European Commission, ensure their full substantive compliance, and thus create a path not only to comprehensive project financing but also internal readiness for the dynamically evolving obligations arising from EU legislation,” explains Filip Drnec.