Event information
The Legal 500 is delighted to formally announce the inaugural GC Summit Czech Republic, taking place in Prague in 2024.
GC Summit Czech Republic looks at the Czech Republic on the world stage and how GCs and senior in-house lawyers from around Central & Eastern Europe are coping with the legal and business challenges that domestic and international companies are faced with.
In association with our partners for this event, PETERKA & PARTNERS, Wolf Theiss, JSK and Taylor Wessing; this conference will include a series of panel sessions covering a variety of cutting edge and up to date topics for discussion.
This includes understanding and overcoming data privacy challenges, managing international disputes, adapting to a new M&A landscape, the rise of legal tech, the growing importance of ESG and how to overcome cross-border challenges within the CEE region.
Drawing on the vast experience of our highly accomplished speakers, this event will provide practical, hands-on advice to all in-house counsel.
It is a must-attend event for any in-house counsel in the Czech Republic and wider Europe, who are aiming to reach the next level of their professional development.
Agenda
1:30pm – 2.00pm Registration
2.00pm – 2.05pm Opening remarks
2.05pm – 2.55pm “Culture eats strategy for breakfast” or “Never waste a good crisis!” How to build and maintain a compliance management system in the face of a constantly changing regulatory environment and different cultural realities?
In this panel into investigations and compliance in the CEE & SEE region, a broad range of experts answer questions such as how to build and maintain a compliance management system in the face of a constantly changing regulatory environment and different cultural realities.
- Moderated by Jitka Logesová, head of investigations, crisis response and compliance, Wolf Theiss
- Camilla Tellefsdal Robstad, executive vice president, legal and compliance, Orkla
- Dr. Alexander Tesche, chief compliance officer, STRABAG SE
- Jiří Černý, legal, compliance & corporate security director/ board member, Tesco Central Europe
- Aleksandar Ristić, attorney/partner, Wolf Theiss
2.55pm – 3.45pm Integration of the CEE region and trends in the purchase of legal services
- Moderated by: Ondřej Peterka, founder and managing partner, Peterka & Partners
- Slawomir Patkowski, partner, deputy director for Peterka & Partners Poland
- Karolína Kachlíková, head of legal cluster east, Konica Minolta Business Solutions Czech
- Eva Adamcová, legal & compliance manager, FLEETCOR
3.45pm – 4.15pm Coffee break
4.15pm – 4.45pm M&A – Scoping Due Diligence
- Klára Šmídová, senior associate, JŠK
- Tomáš Doležil, partner, JŠK
- Pavel Kvíčala, legal partner, Genesis Capital
- Christian Blatchford, general counsel, chairman of supervisory board, Energo-Pro
4.45pm – 5.35pm The opportunities, challenges, and risks of using AI tools for and in legal departments
- Karin Pomaizlová, partner, Taylor Wessing, Prague
- Axel von dem Bussche, partner, Taylor Wessing
- Ondřej Kramoliš, senior legal counsel, GEN
- Lukáš Herma, head of legal, EUROWAG – W.A.G. payment solutions
- Milan Dang, founder, legaltech project
5.35pm – 5.40pm Closing remarks
5.40pm – 6.30pm Drinks and canapes
Speakers
Karin Pomaizlová, partner, Taylor Wessing, Prague
Karin heads the intellectual property and IT team in the Czech Republic. She specialises in new technologies, including IoT, Industry 4.0, Big Data and AI and has a focus on the healthcare and life sciences, consumer and retail and technology, media and communications sectors.
Her national and international clients trust her to provide perceptive advice on their trademarks and patents, the management of their trademark portfolios, and advertisement regulation.
Karin has extensive experience in IP enforcement and administration, representing clients before the European Union Intellectual Property Office (EU IPO), the Czech Industrial Property Office, the Czech State Office for Drug Control and Czech courts. She is also experienced in IP-licensing (mainly trademarks, software and know-how). Karin has particular knowledge of the regulation of pharmaceuticals and medical devices. She also provides practical advice on compliance issues, data protection and IP infringement in the pharmaceutical and food industries.
Axel von dem Bussche, partner, Taylor Wessing, Hamburg
Axel is a specialist lawyer for information technology law in the Technology, Media & Telecoms practice group. He advises clients on national and international digital and data protection projects and is a recognised IT law and GDPR expert.
With his many years of experience and outstanding expertise, Axel routinely guides clients on the provider and user side through complex, international transactions, contract drafting and regulatory issues. He advises corporations on the transformation towards digital and global business models, supports companies in the implementation of AI and data protection regulations, is a strategic advisor to management on compliance in digitalisation and conducts negotiations with the relevant supervisory authorities.
Jitka Logesová, head of investigations, crisis response and compliance, Wolf Theiss
Jitka Logesová is the head of the firm-wide Investigations, Crisis Response and Compliance Practice and she specialises in compliance, corporate investigations, corporate criminal liability/white collar crime, sanctions and asset recovery.
Before joining Wolf Theiss, Jitka established and built up the firm-wide compliance, risk and sensitive investigations practice at another regional law firm. She was tasked by the Czech General Prosecutors office to help draft the methodology for state prosecutors on how to evaluate corporate compliance management systems and to educate the state prosecutors in this respect.
She has wide experience in various sectors, particularly life science, infrastructure, professional services, IT and the public sector, where she advised clients on FCPA triggered issues and investigations, led a number of corporate internal investigations in CEE and advised on various compliance issues including setting up anti-corruption and compliance programmes. She has also published extensively on these topics and is a frequent speaker at compliance, investigation and anti-corruption conferences, e.g. International WCC symposium in New York (2022).
Jitka is a Certified Auditor for ISO 19600 (compliance management systems) and for ISO 37001 (Anti-Bribery management systems).
She is admitted to the Czech and Slovak bar.
Camilla Tellefsdal Robstad, executive vice president, legal and compliance, Olka
Dr. Alexander Tesche, chief compliance officer, STRABAG SE
Jiří Černý, CE Legal, compliance and corporate security director, Tesco
Jiri is currently working at Tesco as a CE Legal, Compliance and Corporate Security Director, responsible for managing a team of 40+ legal, compliance and corporate security professionals dispersed across 4 countries. Jiri has joined Tesco from Microsoft, where he was responsible for managing legal and corporate affairs in the Czech Republic and Slovakia. Before joining Microsoft, Jiri was a head of ICT desk in the leading regional law firm and a Senior Legal Counsel for British Telecommunications where he was responsible for legal affairs in CEE. His experience includes advising on some of the largest IT and telecommunication transactions in the CEE/EMEA region as well as managing legal teams and projects in CEE and EMEA.
Jiri is a graduate of a law faculty in the Czech Republic and K.U.Leuven in Belgium. He a father of three children. His hobbies are hiking, skiing, travelling and playing golf.
Aleksandar Ristić, attorney/partner, Wolf Theiss
Aleksandar Ristić is a Partner at Wolf Theiss Belgrade specialising in dispute resolution, corporate investigations, and commercial and corporate law matters including corporate disputes. Aleksandar has extensive experience in representing clients in commercial litigation, complex insolvency and restructuring cases representing both domestic and foreign banks and other large corporations.
Aleksandar represented several high-profile clients in various ‘piercing of the corporate veil’ cases, which are very rare in Serbia, and also has a broad experience in representation in complex insolvency and restructuring matters, usually involving large loan and/or investment claims of both domestic and foreign banks and other large corporations.
Aleksandar also took an important role in our corporate investigation practice, whereby he assists clients with conducting confidential and highly sensitive probes into their business operations and projects, with parallel provision of qualified legal advice and representation of the clients’ interests in various types of criminal, litigation and other proceedings. A recent example includes investigation of client’s potential target in Serbia, with special focus on its joint-venture business with one of the leading Serbian companies engaged in public procurement construction works and infrastructural projects.
Klára Šmídová, senior associate, JŠK, advokátní kancelář
Klára specialises primarily in M&A, corporate law as well as labour law. Klára graduated from the Charles University Faculty of Law, and she also spent one semester with the Erasmus + project at the University of Antwerp focusing on international law. In her practice, Klára has gained experience in cases with a cross-border element, both in relation to cross-border transactions and conversions. In 2023, she completed a summer school at the University of Antwerp focusing on Companies Crossing Borders. Recently, Klára as an executive lawyer played an important role in JŠK’s legal advisory on the sale of a majority stake in Tescan Orsay Holding.
Tomáš Doležil, partner, JŠK, advokátní kancelář
Tomáš focuses in his practice on M&A, private equity/venture capital, general corporate and TMT. He heads the Corporate/M&A practice group at JŠK and has worked on over 250 M&A projects internationally, regionally and domestically. Tomáš is a member of the Board and Chairman of the Tax and Legal Committee of the Czech Private Equity and Venture Capital Association (CVCA), which supports companies operating in the field of private equity and venture capital. He is also a member of the Appeals Committee of the Czech National Bank. In 2022, he was named by CEE Legal Matters as one of the five most active M&A dealmakers in the Czech Republic and is repeatedly listed in the prestigious rankings. Tomáš worked for many years in Linklaters and Clifford Chance in Prague, Frankfurt am Main and London.
Pavel Kvíčala, legal partner, Genesis Capital
Pavel is a Legal Partner at Genesis Capital, a Prague based private equity group investing in Central Europe. Pavel is responsible for the legal affairs of the group and is part of its management. Prior to joining Genesis Capital, Pavel was a partner at Norton Rose Fulbright, a global law firm, and at Havel & Partners, the largest law firm in the Czech Republic and in Slovakia. He specialises in complex M&A transactions, structured and acquisition finance and private equity funds compliance and regulation. Pavel has practiced law in the Czech Republic and Slovakia and briefly worked in London. He also serves as a director of Luxembourg registered private equity fund. Pavel is a graduate of the Faculty of Law of Charles University in Prague . He is a registered Czech attorney.
Christian Blatchford, general counsel, chairman of supervisory board, Energo-Pro
Christian is General Counsel and Chairman of the Supervisory Board at ENERGO-PRO, a Prague headquartered energy group active in the Black Sea Region, Europe and Latin America. He is part of central management, coordinates the international legal team and acts on the group’s strategic transactions. Before joining ENERGO-PRO, Christian was a partner at KSB, a leading Czech law firm where he focused on M&A, energy and finance projects. Christian is included in the Legal500’s most recent GCPowerlist Central and Eastern Europe and, while in private practice, was ranked in the Chambers Global Guide (Corporate/M&A), recognised as a leading lawyer (highly regarded) in IFLR1000 and noted in the Legal 500 EMEA (Commercial, Corporate and M&A). Christian is a member of the Law Society of England and Wales and the Czech Bar Association.
Karolína Kachlíková, head of legal cluster east, Konica Minolta Business Solutions Czech
Karolína is a legal professional currently serving as the Head of Legal for Central and Eastern Europe at Konica Minolta Business Solutions. Along her in-house counsel role for the Czech entity, she is also managing legal matters across the region, currently spanning 16 countries. Karolina deals with day-to-day business matters alongside intricate corporate issues. Her expertise extends to corporate compliance and governance, areas where she has consistently ensured adherence to the highest ethical standards, including cross-border standard setting. She is a valuable advisor to the management from day-to day operations to dispute management. As Konica Minolta’s IT R&D department is based in the Czech Republic, Karolína has developed a significant focus on IT/IP law, product development, data protection, and cybersecurity – helping the business succeed and roll out across the region.
Karolína is an alumna of Masaryk University in Brno, Czech Republic and Tilburg Law School in the Netherlands.
Eva Adamcová, legal & compliance manager, FLEETCOR
Eva is currently working at FleetCor, a global US company, operating in 11 European jurisdictions with an operations centre in Prague. Eva is responsible for legal & compliance affairs with focus on EU laws and CEE region. Eva graduated from the Charles University Faculty of Law and she also spent one year in France within the Erasmus programme at the University University Toulouse 1 Capitole focusing on EU law. Eva has joined from a global medical devices company, where she was responsible for legal and corporate affairs as well as for implementation of Compliance management system in CEE region. Eva has also experience from CEE law firm. She is admitted to the Czech bar
Milan Dang, founder, legaltech project
Milan Dang is a lawyer and software engineer with a career at the intersection of law and technology. He is a Founding Partner at Verdikto Group, where he’s been pioneering accessible legal services. He is also academically active, with research on AI’s legal aspects and guest lectures at Charles University in Prague on law and new technologies.
Lukáš Herma, head of legal, EUROWAG – W.A.G. payment solutions
Lukáš Herma graduated from the Faculty of Law at Palacký University in Olomouc and currently serves as the Head of Legal at Eurowag Group, listed on the London Stock Exchange.
In addition to leading an internal team of legal professionals, Lukáš Herma specializes in providing legal support to the company’s management, handling complex contracts, European Electronic Toll Service (EETS), and regulatory compliance related to fuel sales via fuel cards across the EU and neighboring regions.
Also, Lukáš Herma is actively involved in several Czech and European professional organizations focusing on freight transportation, fuel cards, and fuel. Among the most notable are IRU, ČAPPO, UPEI, and FCE.
Ondřej Kramoliš, senior legal counsel, GEN
Ondřej works as a Senior Legal Counsel at Gen (formerly Avast), where he is responsible for data protection compliance, negotiating IT and other customer and supplier contracts, and legal matters related to new technologies. From 2009 to 2020, he worked at the law firm Allen & Overy, primarily focusing on mergers and acquisitions and data protection regulation. Ondřej graduated from the Faculty of Law at Masaryk University in 2009 and obtained a JUDr. degree from the Faculty of Law at Charles University in 2010. He has been a registered Czech attorney since 2012.
Ondřej Peterka, founder & managing partner, PETERKA & PARTNERS
Ondřej is the founder, main shareholder and top manager of the PETERKA & PARTNERS group. At the strategy level, Ondřej manages the regional legal assistance for many global leaders from various industries.
Ondřej is the architect of the ambitious vision to create an Eastern European law firm as an alternative to the global legal giants and local law firms active in the CEE region. He has pioneered a unique “one-stop” integrated model for the provision of legal services in the CEE region based on the “one-firm” management concept and a fully-integrated pan-regional infrastructure.
He began his legal practice in Paris where he worked in the American law firm Coudert Brothers and later in the French law firm Sokolow Dunaud, Mercadier & Carreras. From 1996, he practiced law as a substitute attorney-at-law in the French law firm Gide Loyrette Nouel in Prague, and from 1998 he, with his team, rendered legal services as an independent attorney-at-law under the business name Gide Loyrette Nouel. In 2000, Ondřej established PETERKA & PARTNERS.
For 15 years, Ondřej served as European Co-Vice Chair of the international network of independent law firms TerraLex®.
Ondřej is married. He has three children and his spouse is Danish.
Sławomir Patkowski, Partner, Deputy Director for PETERKA&PARTNERS Poland
Slawomir is a Polish attorney-at-law, admitted to the Warsaw Bar Association. He was appointed a member of the Local Management Board of PETERKA & PARTNERS Poland in 2018 and co-manages the office as Deputy Director for Poland. Slawomir was appointed Partner in 2023. He has over fifteen years of wide-ranging professional experience in the fields of real estate and construction law, corporate, mergers and acquisitions, commercial contracts and the related litigation.
Slawomir provides high-quality legal advisory services to significant PETERKA PARTNERSclients; he has advised on, among others, acquisition of an enterprise by the Polish subsidiary of a major Swedish furniture producer, which included the transfer of real property with a factory located on it; acquisition of land and construction of an industrial warehouse for the Polish subsidiary of Deceuninck, a leading European producer of windows and PCV products; development of production facilities for Paroc Polska, a Polish branch of one of Europe’s leading manufacturers of energy-efficient and fire-proof insulation solutions; acquisition and development of real properties in Poland for the purposes of the construction of a production plant in Poland for one of Europe’s leading intermediate goods producers; acquisition of shares in a Polish company owning industrial facilities in Poland, including due diligence of the real properties and assets of the company to be acquired for a leading Czech heavy industry producer; purchase of real properties in Warsaw (intended for rent) and advisory on templates of documents for the purpose of conducting business in Poland for 1Home, an international student housing rental company; and acquisition of land and development of a real property for the purpose of construction of a production plant in Poland for the Polish subsidiary of one of the world’s foremost British manufacturers and suppliers of heat exchanger tubes.
Slawomir also publishes in the professional press, ie, on construction & engineering law.
In association with...
PETERKA & PARTNERS is a modern, independent law firm providing comprehensive legal services in the region of Central and Eastern Europe. Since its establishment in the year 2000, the firm has built a strong position on strategic markets with the ability to provide its clients with comprehensive legal and tax advice and become a dynamic alternative to international and local law firms.
With a team of more than 150 lawyers and tax advisors, PETERKA & PARTNERS operates eight fully-owned offices across the CEE region, in the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Poland, Hungary, Romania, Bulgaria, Ukraine and Croatia.
Taylor Wessing is a global law firm that serves the world’s most innovative people and businesses. Deeply embedded within its sectors, the firm works closely together with its clients to crack complex problems, enabling ideas and aspirations to thrive.
The firm’s 28 offices around the world are not token presences – they blend the best of local business, industry and cultural knowledge with international experience to provide astutely commercial solutions for clients.
Taylor Wessing Czech Republic was established in 1998. With offices in Prague and Brno, more than 40 lawyers serve national and international clients and help them achieve success. Clients receive expert advice in domestic and international mergers and acquisitions, real estate and financial transactions worth billions of crowns. In addition, clients profit from professional support in employment, intellectual property and information technology law, competition, regulatory and other matters. Taylor Wessing also represents its clients in litigation and arbitration.
A number of renowned legal directories such as Legal 500 rank Taylor Wessing as a recommended law firm. The firm has achieved the same distinction in the Law Firm of the Year Awards, presented annually by epravo.cz, winning the Employment Law category in 2022. Taylor Wessing also prides itself on its CSR activities for non-profit organisations and has worked with the Pro Bono Alliance for over 7 years.
Wolf Theiss opened its first office in Vienna in 1957 and soon established a reputation as one of the region’s leading law firms. The firm has since grown into a multinational team of approximately 360 lawyers, making it one of the largest integrated law firms in the region. It has offices* in Albania, Austria, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland, Romania, Serbia, Slovak Republic, Slovenia and Ukraine.
The Wolf Theiss Prague office opened in 1998 and is now viewed as one of the key international law offices in the Czech Republic. The team advises a mix of international, regional and local clients on a broad range of areas. In addition to providing client-focused and industry-driven advice in all core areas of commercial law, our expertise ranges from competition to compliance and white-collar crime matters, to IP & IT and pharmaceutical law. Wolf Theiss Prague serves as the firm’s Corporate Investigations hub and has unique expertise in dispute resolution.
JŠK is a mid-sized law firm providing services for clients in all areas of commercial law, especially in M&A, banking & finance, insurance, construction, real estate and energy. The firm has been operating in the Czech market for 20 years, and its clients include respected banks, insurance companies, private equity funds and multinational corporations, as well as mid-sized companies and individual investors. The team has more than 30 lawyers, five of whom are partners and includes Czech leading experts / valuable individuals in the areas of M&A, IP, competition law, restructuring and insolvency, aerospace, litigation and insurance.
JŠK has been included in the prestigious Legal 500 and other rankings for several years. In 2023 it received the Advisor of the Year award from the Czech Private Equity & Venture Capital Association.
JŠK is a member of PONTES, a unique network of similarly specialised law firms, which includes firms from Central and Eastern Europe. PONTES members currently operate in Bratislava, Bucharest, Budapest, Prague, Sofia, Vienna and Warsaw. JŠK is also a member of the global network of law firms E-IURE.