|
Prior to moving to the Czech Republic in 2001, the main focus of Katie Schoultz’ legal practice was international arbitration and litigation in the UK and New York – four years at the leading London firm, Gouldens (now Jones Day), and two years in one of the biggest NY city practices, Fried Frank. During those six years, Ms. Schoultz was involved in several large and lengthy multi-million dollar international arbitrations conducted under the auspices of the Arbitration Court of the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC) and the London Court of International Arbitration (LCIA), in Paris and London, as well as numerous cases before the English High Court (QBD and Chancery Divisions, including the commercial division), and litigation in the Southern District of New York (Manhattan) and other Federal and State Courts in the USA.    
In Prague, Ms. Schoultz participated in international arbitration proceedings on behalf of CSOB and TV3 (the latter as lead local counsel and based on the US-Czech Bilateral Investment Treaty) and conducted extensive reviews and analyses of the Nomura and CME / Ronald Lauder arbitrations in the context of giving advice to clients swept up in these disputes or involved in similar ones.
Since the establishment of Schoultz & Partners, the firm has worked to build an arbitration practice and a team capable of confidently and expertly handling both international and domestic arbitral disputes. Our lawyers can respond to the needs of potential litigants under both the (European) civil law and (Anglo-Saxon) common law systems, in the Czech and English languages. Our focus is on forming and implementing the most effective strategy for handling the dispute, taking into account not just the merits of a claim but also all the surrounding circumstances, the parties’ relative bargaining and financial positions, the costs involved, etc, to ensure the best possible solution and outcome for our clients.
Whilst our arbitration practice continues to grow, our litigation practice is continuously handling a caseload of 30 to 35 pending court actions at any one time. We have also recently undertaken, in an advisory capacity, the representation of a Czech client being sued for damages in the English High Court, despite being a Czech-based firm.
In terms of recent international arbitration experience, we are currently conducting a full ICC arbitration on behalf of an American claimant in a dispute with a Czech respondent concerning exclusive distribution rights in the USA; the claim is for several million USD.
We also pro-actively advise on dispute resolution, with a view to settling disputes for clients before they reach the stage of actual litigation or arbitration; a mutually acceptable early settlement being nearly always the better option to a protracted and potentially expensive formal court or arbitral process.
|