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The Buzz in Czech Republic with Tomas Cihula of Kinstellar

The Buzz in Czech Republic with Tomas Cihula of Kinstellar

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“The main thing right now is the upcoming amendment to Act on Corporations,“ starts Kinstellar Partner Tomas Cihula, describing the situation in the Czech Republic. “The Parliament is considering proposals which seek to clarify some parts of the current legislative framework and that aim to ease the regulatory burden companies are facing.“ Cihula said that this overhaul was met with “approval from the business sector.“

“Autonomous vehicles are a bit more of a cool topic, though,“ Cihula says, smiling. “The Czech Republic has a very strong automotive industry and driverless cars are a crucial step forward. There is a proposal for an act to regulate autonomous vehicles and infrastructural plans to accommodate them on the roads, and there is political pressure to pass this piece of legislation by next year so these cars can hit the road as soon as possible.“ 

Another potential legislative change involves medical cannabis, Cihula says. The Czech Republic has legalized cannabis for medical purposes and there are “considerations to have the public health insurance reimburse 90% of its cost for the patients that use it.“ He adds that “there are a lot of companies active in this area that are looking forward to this happening.“ 

Finally, Cihula says, “it’s worth mentioning the new proposal for introducing collective actions.“ The main purpose of this newly-proposed legislation is to improve the position of consumers making claims against large corporations by pooling these claims and sharing costs of the procedure. This would also potentially provide a good source of revenue for the lawyers, he says, adding that “it is likely that the currently proposed legislation in the Czech Republic is inspired by the one in the US which is more claimant-friendly than the regime proposed by the EU.“ The proposed legislation aims to introduce “very broad discovery rules which would allow claimants to have extensive access to documents and data." It also seeks to enable both opt-in as well as opt-out regimes. “It is to be expected that large corporations will try and fight these changes, seeing as how it would potentially put them in a not-so-favorable position, so we can expect that the proposed draft will undergo some changes before it is passed by the Parliament.”

Czech Republic Knowledge Partner

PRK Partners, one of the leading Central European law firms, has been helping clients achieve their business objectives almost 30 years. Our team of lawyers, based in our Prague, Ostrava, and Bratislava offices, has a unique knowledge of Czech and Slovak law and of the business environment. Our lawyers studied at top law schools in the United States, United Kingdom, Switzerland and elsewhere. They also have experience working for leading international and domestic law firms in a number of jurisdictions. We speak your language, too. Our legal team is fluent in more than 15 languages, including all the key languages of the region.

PRK Partners has one of the most experienced legal teams on the market. We are consistently rated as one of the leading law firms in the region. We have received many significant honours and awards for our work. We represent the interests of international clients operating in the Czech Republic in an efficient way, combining local knowledge with an understanding of their global requirements in a business-friendly approach. We are one of the largest law firms in the Czech Republic and Slovakia. Our specialised teams of lawyers and tax advisors advise major global corporations as well as local companies. We provide comprehensive legal advice drawing on our profound knowledge of local law and markets.

Our legal advice delivers tangible results – as proven by our strong track record. We are the only Czech member firm of Lex Mundi, the world's leading network of independent law firms. As one of the leading law firms in the region, we have received many national and international awards, in some cases several years in a row. Honours include the Chambers Europe Award for Excellence, The Lawyer and Czech and Slovak Law Firm of the Year. Thanks to our close cooperation with leading international law firms and strong local players, we can serve clients in multiple jurisdictions around the globe. Our strong network means that we can meet your needs, wherever you do business.

PRK Partners has been repeatedly voted among the most socially responsible firms in the category of small and mid-sized firms and was awarded the bronze certificate at the annual TOP Responsible Firm of the Year Awards.

Our work is not only “business”: we have participated on a longstanding basis in a wide variety of pro bono projects and supported our partners from the non-profit sector (Kaplicky Centre Endowment Fund, Tereza Maxová Foundation, Czech Donors Forum, etc.).

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