ARK GROUP

KM Legal Europe 2017Ondrej Peterka, Founder and Managing Partner, Peterka & Partners

(Czech Republic)

Enterprise resource planning (ERP) software in Peterka & Partners

About the Speaker

Ondrej Peterka, Founder and Managing Partner

Ondřej Peterka is the founder, main shareholder and top manager of the Peterka & Partners group.

He 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.

Mr. Peterka 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, Mr. Peterka established the Peterka & Partners law firm, and over the sixteen years of its existence has built up its strong regional presence in the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Poland, Hungary, Romania, Bulgaria, Belarus, Ukraine and Russia.

Since 2005, Mr. Peterka has served as the European vice-chairperson of the international network of independent law firms, TerraLex®.

Peterka & Partners

Peterka & Partners is an independent law firm offering all-around legal and tax services, particularly dedicated to the CEE region.

Being the only Central and Eastern European law firm that has built its own strong regional presence on key markets, Peterka & Partners offers legal and tax services at the level of the entire region and constitutes a dynamic alternative to both local and international law firms on these markets.

Present in the region through its nine offices, in the Czech Republic, Romania, Bulgaria, Slovakia, Poland, Hungary, Belarus, Ukraine and Russia, but also covering other countries, such as Slovenia, Croatia, Serbia, Bosnia-Herzegovina and Kazakhstan, Peterka & Partners is organized and functions as “one firm”, utilizing its integrated structure, the excellence of the services provided at the regional level, and its industry insight and deep local expertise, in order to provide complex legal solutions, with exceptional commercial value, to its clients.

www.peterkapartners.com

Enterprise Resource Planning Software

at PETERKA & PARTNERS

Ondřej PeterkaJanuary 19, 2017

About PETERKA & PARTNERS

• A modern, independent, Central Eastern European full-service law firm

• 16 years of existence

• CEE origin, Geographic coverage: CEE and CIS

• Unique fully-integrated infrastructure

• One firm, one profit centre

• Single point of entry: great service for clients, no competition between offices

• Truly independent

• Ambition to become the leading CEE law firm

Key Features

• Fully-owned offices in nine countries – the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Poland, Hungary, Romania, Bulgaria, Belarus, Ukraine and Russia

• 150+ lawyers and tax advisers

• Client portfolio of more than 1,300 clients operating in CEE/CIS (70% worldwide leading groups, 30% Eastern European groups ) includes nearly 200 worldwide leaders, 30 Fortune500 companies and 250 CEE leading groups (Czech, Slovak, Polish, Russian, etc.)

• Active cooperation with 2,000 law firms worldwide (i.e., referrals in and out)

• 22 Regional Practice Groups + 3 Regional Language Desks

Our Services

Specific regional know-how:• Local knowledge and regional approach

One-stop regional product:• One primary contact as a single point of entry and delivery• Single outputs covering several jurisdictions• Single work methodology applicable in several jurisdictions

Innovative fee structures:• Same hourly rates for the entire region• Lump sum fees for work in several jurisdictions• Regional retainers (opportunity to use the budgeted amount of hours anywhere in the region)• Regional volume discounts

Corporation to corporation relationship:• Client Satisfaction Programme• Regular visits to HQ• Simplicity, transparency, bona fide approach

I. Software solutions at PETERKA & PARTNERS

1st Generation software (2000-2007)

• time sheets, invoicing, simple reports

• no Internet access

• each branch used its own server, no integration at all (e.g., other branches were invoiced as independent entities)

2nd Generation software (2008-2013)

• added marketing and CRM tools, more sophisticated reports

• web server accessible from any device connected to the Internet

• supported multiple branches, partial integration only (e.g., multiple billing files opened for the same transaction in several countries)

3rd Generation software (2014-now)

• added workflow, process management and various tools for the management of the whole firm

• branches are fully-integrated (only one billing matter for the whole firm; intra-branch invoices are issued automatically)

Example – offer approval process

II. Integration of firm – goal or precondition?

Only an integrated firm may fully benefit from an advanced information system:

• everybody in the firm must respect the internal processes; the system leaves no space for “ways around”

• every information is recorded in the system (contacts with clients, BD activities, offers, turnovers, complaints, etc.) for future use

An advanced information system supports cooperation and not competition:

• all critical data are at any time available to all important persons (management, branch directors, partners, CRM team)

• it is difficult or impossible to play internal games with concealed, incorrect or misleading information

An advanced information system is an ultimate tool for firm management:

• all business and/or financial trends are discovered sooner and appropriate measures may be taken

• any deviations from internal processes are easily identified and dealt with

• every person or activity is subject to periodical review and thus becomes accountable

• hard data become relevant for evaluations, not personal charm, promises and presentation skills

• it allows strategic dialogue with clients and partner law firms (CSP, strategic calls)

An advanced information system may also become an integration tool or testing grounds in firms that struggle with internal competition and/or implementation of internal processes.

Example – registration of all BD activities:

Example – partial detail of BD activity:

III. Tailor-made solution vs. existing software

Advantages of tailor-made software:

• only tailor-made software may fully reflect the internal organization of the firm and its internal processes

• the software adapts to the firm, not the firm to the software

• thus, only tailor-made software provides an ultimate management tool, as well as comfort of use

• with tailor-made software, nothing is impossible (just more or less expensive)

Advantages of existing software:

• usually cheaper (but modification may be much more expensive)

• much less demanding on internal resources, especially IT-oriented people

• almost no risk that the development would fail

• other customers using the software may inspire its new feature

• available almost immediately

IV. Features of PETERKA & PARTNERS software (examples)

1. Data is what matters:

• after two years in operation, the following data were collected and registered

in the system

• in addition, there are 1,721 incoming referrals from other law firms and 870

outgoing referrals registered

2. Example – management of lump sums:• all lump sums are registered in the system; the system thus automatically

notifies all of the people concerned about the fact that a lump sum is partially or fully consumed or that it is being exceeded

3. Example – management of Legal Services Agreements:• a full-time job for one in-house lawyer; each LSA must be approved, executed,

uploaded into the system and its key provisions must be outlined

4. Example – standardization of offers• standardization of offers is necessary for proper pricing• scope of work and presumptions (reservations) are crucial for pricing the lump

sums

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5. Example – evaluation of lawyers:• lawyers must register their hours at the latest in the morning of the next

working day; failure to do so is automatically noted by the system; the management can immediately see the values

• on the next working day, the branch directors are supposed to review and evaluate the work of their lawyers (happy, not happy, lack of billable work, out-of-office)

• weekly reports are automatically generated and sent to management:

• on a monthly basis, all lawyers are interviewed by branch managers and bonuses are awarded based on the financial results of the branch, performance (hours – see the screenshot below), volume of write-offs, as well as general satisfaction

V. Summary and discussion

Thank you for your attention.

peterka@peterkapartners.cz