Bird & Bird offices in Prague and Bratislava were established as greenfield operations in 2008.
The Czech office operates under the leadership of a three-member team comprising Ivan Sagál, Head of the Banking & Finance Practice, Vladimír Nyč, Head of the Real Estate Practice, and Vojtěch Chloupek, Head of the Intellectual Property practice.
The teams serve Czech, Slovak, and international clients in all areas of business law such as Intellectual Property, Data Protection, Technology, media and telecommunication, Corporate/M&A, real estate, banking & finance, life science, public sector, energy & utilities and renewable energy.
We take pride in our young, enthusiastic and proactive team with deep understanding of the businesses in which our clients operate. This means being fully conversant with current business, market and technical issues in addition to possessing an in-depth expertise in the law and regulation of each relevant industry sector.
Both offices are a fully integrated part of the Bird & Bird network, co-operating effectively with other Bird & Bird offices, in addition to the close cooperation with the other CE offices in Budapest and Warsaw.
Rankings and recognition
- TMT (Communications): Second tier - Legal500 (2012, 2011, 2010)
- Corporate/M&A, DR, Real Estate: Tier 4: Legal 500 (2012) – first rankings
- TMT: Second tier - Chambers Europe (2011, 2012)
- IP: Third tier - Chambers Europe (2011, 2012)
- Trademark prosecution: MIP (2011, 2012)
- Vojtěch Chloupek: leading trade mark practitioner and recommended general IP practitioner, World Trademark Review (2010, 2011)
- Recommended law firm: PLC Which Lawyer (2011)
- Leading law firm – Trademark prosecution, Patent contentious, Czech Republic, Managing IP, 2011
- Leading law firm – Trademark, Slovakia, MIP, 2011
- Slovakia: Corporate, Commercial: Tier 5: Legal 500, 2012 (first ranking)
- Slovakia: Trademark prosecution: MIP (2011, 2012)
Quotations
"The firm "really adds value" in dealing with complex oppositions, cancellations and other contentious matters, such as civil infringement litigation and anti-counterfeiting."
World Trademark Review, 2012, Czech Republic
"Working with them is very refreshing as they are advisers in the true sense of the word: business-oriented and always a few steps ahead of you, with solutions for any situation."
Chambers Europe, 2012, Czech Republic
"It feels like they are our in-house counsel, rather than external."
Chambers Europe, 2012, Czech Republic
"The spread and consistent quality of this team ensure it can run deals out of Eastern European centres such as Warsaw and Prague, in addition to the busy hubs farther west.”
Chambers Global 2011
"The team acts as more than just lawyers – they help to develop business relationships with a long-term focus."
Chambers Europe 2011, TMT, Czech Republic
"Sources report that the firm is 'rapidly gaining strength' and delivers 'high-quality, practical advice.'"
Chambers Europe, IP, 2011
"Vojtech Chloupek: 'An expert who understands how law relates to business. He is direct and to the point.'"
Chambers Europe, IP, 2011
"The firm is more and more recognised on the market."
Managing IP, 2011
"The spread and consistent quality of this team ensure it can run deals out of Eastern European centres such as Prague and Warsaw, in addition to the busy hubs farther west."
Chambers Global, 2011
“The capability of the team to efficiently synchronize advice in two seemingly unrelated legal areas was also praised by the client and resulted in the successful closing of the deal.”
Dalibor Lamka, Managing Director of Trikaya Real Estate on a transaction led by Vladimír Nyč and Vojtěch Chloupek involving Real Estate and Intellectual Property, 2010