4 minute read
Zoltán Faludi
BACKGROUND Zoltán Faludi graduated from the University of Janus Pannonius, Pécs, in 1991, and the University of J.W.Goethe, Frankfurt am Main, where he obtained his LL.M in 1994. The managing partner at Wolf Theiss, Budapest since 2007, he has more than 25 years of experience as an attorney with a focus on energy and natural resources, project finance and M&A. In the past years, he has been involved in several domestic and international commercial arbitration proceedings as coarbitrator or chairman.
OF WHICH ACHIEVEMENTS ARE YOU MOST PROUD? Transforming Wolf Theiss from a “late entry” in Hungary to one of the leading international law firms within the first five years of our operation. We opened our office in 2007. At that time other, mostly U.S. and U.K.-based global law firms were gradually leaving Hungary. The very competitive local market challenged us in an energizing way. Despite the secondary effects of the global financial crisis in the following years, we turned our prominent energy law boutique into a full-service law firm within a short period of time with a small, talented and committed team. I am pleased to see the growth story of our firm and to be able to contribute to the development of it. But
life always provides us with new challenges: the most recent one is the coronavirus crisis. Our biggest recent achievement is the fact that our teams, the firm, and our Budapest office were able to cope effectively with the challenges of COVID-19.
WHAT DREW YOU TO LAW AS A PROFESSION? Very early on in my school studies, I was impressed by the power of the law and the impact of a strong legal system. I was enthusiastic about the operation of ancient states, well-organized societies like some monarchies or the Greek and Roman Empires. While at university, my initial idea was to become a judge, with a criminal law focus, to live up to the profession and to have a peaceful life in my hometown. This dream was changed with a sudden opportunity to join a small private law firm in Budapest straight after my graduation. This first experience in dealing with business law changed my focus completely. Beyond the initial motivation, after 30 years, the real question is: why am I still in love with the law? Our daily work is a never-ending learning curve. Legal advisory work today is not just practicing law, it requires many other skills and knowledge outside of the legal profession. I am very interested to see what the next 15 years brings to our profession. I cannot predict the future, but
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Name of law firm Wolf Theiss Faludi Erős Ügyvédi Iroda
Name of associate non-Hungarian law firm or cooperation network Wolf Theiss Rechtsanwälte GmbH
Address 1085 Budapest, Kálvin tér 12–13.
Managing partner Zoltán Faludi
In charge of position since 2007
Year of Hungarian law firm's establishment 2007
No. of attorneys with license to practise in Hungary on Sept. 15, 2020 35
No. of partners of Hungarian law firm on Sept. 15, 2020 4
I am sure lawyers in the year 2035 will hardly recognize any of the features of our traditional lawyering of the early 1990s.
HOW DID YOU PICK YOUR LEGAL SPECIALTY AREA? Energy law basically did not exist in the early 1990s. In the mid-1990s with the adoption of modern gas and electricity legislation, further on with the preparation for and adoption of EU legislation, the law ruling on the operation of the energy sector become more complex and coherent. I witnessed this transition; I still enjoy it and am obsessed with dealing with contracts and disputes in volatile areas such as energy commodity trading and the application of international trading standards. Dispute resolution, energy related litigation, domestic and international arbitration are other very interesting fields. WHAT WOULD YOU CHANGE TO IMPROVE THE LEGAL ENVIRONMENT IN HUNGARY? The key words to describe a well-functioning legal environment are reliability and sustainability. These are the features to fulfil the legitimate expectation of not only investors and entrepreneurs but all individuals living in a certain country. A few things might vary, but this should be the same also in Hungary. I wish our legislative process was less exposed to short-term economic, political or even personal-driven interventions in certain sectors. Access to justice and the ability to operate businesses under a clear, transparent and stable legal framework would create trust in the law and trust in the legal system.
