1993
A practice
forged in experience
In the wake of the Velvet Revolution, Pavel Smutný and Jaromír Císař, both fresh-faced lawyers, envisioned a creation of an institute for the study of democracy. To fund this ambition, they decided to establish their own law firm and joined forces with Otomar Boček, the former president of the Supreme Court, to open Juris Consult. Boček’s death prompted the young lawyers to look for another experienced partner. They approached their former professor, Zdeněk Češka, and the law firm Císař, Češka, Smutný was born.
Growth
The firm quickly established itself on the market. As the number of domestic and international clients grew, so did the firm’s size. Its offices moved from a cramped space in Pernerova Street in Prague to larger premises in Dlouhá Street. Over the years, the firm was home to a number of prominent individuals, including future ministers. Petr Michal, now an equity partner, joined as a paralegal, followed a few years later by Jakub Hollmann.
2000
2009
Bohemian Heritage Fund
Partners Jaromír Císař, Pavel Smutný and Petr Michal established a foundation that supports outstanding Czech cultural initiatives through private patronage. Owing to its extensive backing of distinctive cultural and social projects, the firm has repeatedly been named “Law Firm of the Year” and attained other awards. In 2009, founding partner Pavel Smutný was also appointed president of the Czech-Israeli Mutual Chamber of Commerce. Through these activities, the firm has been heavily involved in promoting international investment, Czech exports and broader international cooperation.
City Tower
The firm moved to its current premises on the 26th floor of the Prague’s tallest office building, commanding an exceptional view of the city. From this base, it has continued to grow in both client numbers and turnover, consistently delivering outstanding results.
2010
2020
The story continues
More than a quarter of a century has passed since the firm was founded. Petr Michal and Jakub Hollmann became new equity partners alongside the founding members. However, the equity partners do not merely lend their names to the firm’s title, as they continue to play a hands-on role in the management of the firm and guide the direction it takes. The leadership team has grown significantly to include new non-equity partners Jan Sůra, Roman Kyral, Markéta Flanderková, Milan Kučera and Jan Fical.
30 years in the Czech legal community
The year 2023 marked the 30th anniversary of our firm and was a milestone in more ways than one. Sadly, it was also the year we said a final farewell to Professor Zdeněk Češka, a founding partner of Portos, the longest-serving rector of Charles University, and a doyen of Czech law.
Despite this profound loss, our firm continued to grow, not least in terms of key economic indicators. For the first time, our revenues exceeded half a billion crowns.
To celebrate our anniversary, we hosted a concert by the legendary Blues Brothers at the Faculty of Law in Prague. This event marked the beginning of our partnership with the Faculty of Law at Charles University, and also set the stage for a tradition of concerts we now organise for law students at Palacký University in Olomouc.
2023
2024
Turning the page
Over the course of 31 years, we had grown into one of the largest and most distinguished Czech law firms. During this time, our services had expanded considerably, and our previous name no longer fully captured the scope of our work, the breadth of our activities, or the diversity of our team. We are now PORTOS. Our new name embodies our enduring commitment to being a safe haven for our clients. We view it as a symbol of reliability and stability, of sound business and prosperity, of freedom and openness, and as a promise of new horizons.
In this new chapter of our story, we will focus on strategic legal advice, management consulting, and the delivery of comprehensive solutions.