Czech Republic: Monika Novotná of Rödl & Partner awarded the title of Lawyer of the Year

Prague, 8 February 2017: In the 12th edition of the renowned Czech competition “Právník roku” – “Lawyer of the Year”, Monika Novotná, attorney at law and Partner for the international professional services firm Rödl & Partner, won the ultimate accolade. She was awarded the title of the Lawyer of the Year 2016 in the category of finance law.
 

Thus, Ms. Novotná has replicated the firm’s successes of the previous years: for the fifth time in a row (2012 to 2016), Rödl & Partner won the title of the Czech Law Firm of the Year as the best law firm in the category of tax law.
 

“The recognition as Lawyer of the Year in finance law is an acknowledgement of the significance of my profession that I have been committed to for the past 25 years. Finance and tax laws have previously not belonged to the top law fields in the Czech Republic, while at the same time every transaction assisted by lawyers contains an element of tax law”, said Ms. Novotná. She also added that she felt very honoured by the award, especially that the title was awarded by an expert jury, which further emphasises the prestige of the award. ”I believe that all of us are happy when we hear from time to time that we do an excellent job and gain recognition among our colleagues.”
 
Ms. Novotná sees the decision passed by the administrative court of the Czech Republic to abrogate a provision of the Czech Personal Tax Act as her biggest recent success. The provision discriminated pensioners who paid income tax on income from employment or commercial activity against those who generated a likewise high level of income from other sources.
 

“I wrote an article on this issue, where I explained that the difference in taxation of two pensioners with a likewise high level of income (but from different sources) may be up to CZK 50,000, or nearly EUR 2,000, which, obviously, can be a huge burden for seniors. I was happy to see that the administrative court included my calculation in the reasons for its decision”, said Novotná. 
 
The competition “Právník roku” – “Lawyer of the Year” is organised by the Czech bar association and the legal publishing house EPRAVO.CZ. In this year's edition, the best lawyers from the most diverse fields of law were recognised in 10 categories for their latest achievements and contribution to the development of their profession. Winners are selected by an audience of legal experts in cooperation with an expert jury that select the overall winner from the nominees.