Mgr. Štěpán Ciprýn is an independent lawyer registered with the Czech Bar Association. He is professionally engaged in providing general practice, including Ex officio. As part of his previous experience, he managed a foreign branch of a law firm, where he acquired, among other things, managerial skills. Throughout his career, he regularly contributes professional articles to various online professional forums. He is also a lecturer and engaged in educational activities.

What does Štěpán Ciprýn do for a living?

I am registered as a lawyer with the Czech Bar Association under registration number 16247. I am a partner in the law firm Ciprýn&Kiršner, where I practice general law. In addition to my work as a lawyer, I work as an arbitrator at the Arbitration Court of the Chamber of Commerce of the Czech Republic and I am a member of the audit and control committee of the Football Association of the Czech Republic. I also teach, publish professional articles and give interviews on legal topics.

Tell us something about your job, what do you do?

Together with JUDr. Pavel Kiršner I am the head of the prosperous law firm Ciprýn & Kiršner (CIKR), located in the centre of Prague. The law firm’s team consists of a total of 30 colleagues, with the majority of lawyers with long-term experience. Our law firm deals with general practice. Our attorneys are therefore experienced in various legal fields, from criminal law to commercial law to intellectual property law. In the course of our career, we defended the rights of very important clients across the private and public sectors.

What decided the current direction of your career?

In my case, the decision to become a lawyer came at an early age, as I had the opportunity to observe my family members practising law. What I liked about this job is that it offers a wide variety of challenges. A lawyer must be familiar with many areas of life and must be able to apply this knowledge in the performance of his profession. Law is also a great tool to help people who have got into difficulties in life. However, there is no need to hide that in addition to these motivations, there was also a financial motive.

What is your current job identification? What are you working on?

I devote my time mainly to practising law, but since I am a partner in a law firm, a large part of my time is also consumed by the management of our firm. In addition to solving my cases, my work also includes strategic planning, managing the office’s resources and managing the entire team of lawyers.

What are your greatest professional achievements?

I am, of course, proud of the outcome of many cases where we managed to defend the legitimate interests of individuals, even though the case in question seemed to be already lost. However, legal confidentiality does not allow me to share details about these cases. At the same time, these are cases that changed long-term jurisprudence, or when David defeated Goliath. However, I do not consider only successful cases to be professional successes. I am especially proud of my part in building a successful law firm, which clients like to turn to with their problems and which has a well-known name in the Czech legal space.

What do you think is the secret of success at work?

Unfortunately, I cannot reveal any universal rule that would be an unconditional guarantee of success. On the other hand, there are principles whose observance should not be neglected in the performance of our profession. It is important to create a stable client base that will be satisfied with your legal services. That is a base that will be happy to return to you and will recommend your services to their friends. Quality is the best advertisement. It is also key to surround yourself with a team that can be trusted to carry out their tasks carefully and conscientiously.

What else awaits you in your professional life?

We are currently working on a careful selection of new professionals who will be able to expand our legal team.

What is the biggest challenge you have faced in your professional life?

The period of establishing our law firm was a big challenge for me. The transition from regular legal practice to running a firm brings a lot of challenging new challenges that are not easy to get used to. In retrospect, of course, I am glad that I went through this difficult period.

What do you enjoy most about your job?

The beauty of legal practice is that a lawyer never falls into a stereotype. Each new task requires new insight and the acquisition of new knowledge. It is a continuous learning process, which the lawyer can then apply in his life not only professionally, but also personally.

But life is not just about work. What do you like to do in your spare time? What do you do?

Since my work takes up a relatively large part of my time I don’t have much time left for leisure activities. But when I devote myself to my hobbies, it is usually sports and travel.

Now let’s move on to your profession at ESBM. How do you perceive cooperation?

My previous cooperation with ESBM has always been completely correct. Colleagues from ESBM have never had a problem willingly helping me with any problem.

What should students take away from your lecture?

I would not like to give my students only dry theory in a lecture. On the contrary, I would like to bring a practical insight into the issue in which I move daily. I hope that I can instil in students the enthusiasm for the practice of law and the drive to put forth the effort that will be required to pursue it.

What would you say to students and study applicants?

In conclusion, of course, I would like to wish all students good luck and strength in their studies. I would like to tell the public that if they are considering studying at ESBM, they should go for it, as it is a great opportunity to have real professionals in their fields as teachers.