ARROWS: Strategic Merger, Rapid Growth and Innovation in Czech Legal Services

JUDr. Jakub Dohnal, Ph.D., LL.M.
JUDr. Jakub Dohnal, Ph.D., LL.M.
13.3.2026 | ARROWS law firm

ARROWS, a Prague-based law firm, is now among the prominent players in the Czech legal market. However, its story is not one of slow and cautious growth. It is the story of a firm that was created through a strategic merger, grew rapidly, was not afraid of fundamental changes, and understood early on that the future of the legal profession in the Czech Republic would not rest solely on legal expertise, but also on technology, project management, and the ability to understand the client’s business.

Management of ARROWS, a Prague-based international law firm

Origins and first steps: the merger of three law firms

The Prague-based law firm ARROWS was officially established on 1 January 2018. However, it was not a firm built from scratch. Its creation was the result of a merger of three previously independent law firms – HSL legal, Dohnal Pertot Slanina and Legalcom.

From the outset, this merger had a clear rationale. The goal was to create a stronger, more stable and broader-based player in the Czech legal market—one that could offer clients more comprehensive legal support under a single brand. From the very beginning, ARROWS therefore positioned itself not as a traditional law firm built around individual practitioners, but as a brand with the ambition to build a modern, client-focused and growth-oriented organisation.

This initial structure was important. ARROWS was not created as a narrowly defined boutique. It was established as a firm that, from the start, aimed to serve a wider range of business needs and to combine legal expertise under Czech law with a higher level of accessibility, organisation and strategic management.

Rapid growth and a key milestone in 2021

Since its establishment, the firm has grown very dynamically—both in terms of the number of lawyers and in terms of revenue and the scope of services provided. A significant moment in its history came in autumn 2021, when a strategic investor entered ARROWS—the international advisory group ETL Global.

This step was not merely a capital or ownership change. It formed part of a broader vision for the firm’s further development. ARROWS’ direction shifted towards a model in which legal services are not an isolated discipline, but part of a wider advisory ecosystem.

The aim was to gradually build a comprehensive advisory group that connects legal services, tax, accounting, audit and other related areas. In other words: to create an environment in which a client does not have to coordinate several different advisers, but can obtain concentrated expertise within one integrated structure.

At the same time, during this phase the firm’s international reach also began to develop more strongly. Thanks to building the ARROWS International network, space opened up to provide legal and business support to clients in dozens of countries worldwide. For the firm, this meant not only strengthening the brand, but also an important strategic shift: from a local player in the Czech Republic to an organisation with international ambition and reach.

A focus on innovation and artificial intelligence

One of ARROWS’ most distinctive characteristics is its long-standing strong emphasis on technology, process management and innovation in legal services. The firm recognised relatively early that modern legal practice would not rest solely on expert knowledge of the law, but also on the ability to work quickly with information, set efficient processes and use technology where it makes sense.

In this respect, Jakub Dohnal has also played an important role, as he has long been among the most prominent advocates of artificial intelligence in Czech legal practice and business.

A major milestone came in October 2023, when ARROWS became the first law firm in the Czech Republic to introduce its own dedicated AI team. This was a step that clearly set the firm apart from a large part of the market.

This was not a marketing experiment. The AI team, made up of analysts and lawyers, was built with a practical objective: to streamline internal processes, better manage information workflows, increase the speed and consistency of outputs, and at the same time transfer this expertise to clients.

ARROWS therefore did not focus on artificial intelligence only internally, but began to offer AI advisory services and training to its clients as well. This placed the firm among the pioneers who do not treat innovation as a purely theoretical topic, but can turn it into a concrete service with commercial and practical impact.

The present: an established firm with a business mindset

In 2025–2026, ARROWS is an established firm that combines legal expertise, pragmatic project management and technology-driven thinking. It is not merely a firm that “knows the law”, but an organisation that understands how companies, investments, transactions and growth projects work in practice in the Czech Republic and beyond.

Today, ARROWS operates from modern offices across the Czech Republic, including representative premises in Olomouc’s Envelopa centre, and positions itself as a firm for clients who expect not only top-tier legal quality under Czech legislation, but also speed, business orientation and the ability to see complex matters through to completion.

The firm has built a strong position particularly in areas such as corporate law, mergers and acquisitions, real estate law, fintech, licensing before the Czech National Bank, and structuring cross-border expansion, for example into Luxembourg or Latvia.

At the same time, it is true that in recent years the firm’s leadership has deliberately focused its energy primarily on business development, innovation and new projects. This too is part of a broader strategic approach: less distraction, more focus on growth, quality and new market opportunities.

Recent changes in the ownership structure have had the same objective as a number of previous decisions—to maintain agility, fast decision-making, consistency and high-quality outputs even during further growth.

The people shaping ARROWS’ professional direction

One of the reasons ARROWS has been able to grow into a strong and respected firm is that its development is not based solely on the brand, but on specific people and clearly defined areas of expertise.

Jakub Dohnal, the firm’s managing partner, has long focused primarily on company sales, M&A transactions, and share-deal structures. This area captures ARROWS’ DNA well: a combination of legal precision, commercial thinking, and the ability to guide clients through complex decisions with a real impact on the company’s value and the transaction itself under Czech law.

Lukáš Slanina is primarily associated within the firm with real estate law, a segment that has long been one of ARROWS’ key pillars in the Czech Republic. Real estate, development, transfers, project structuring, and legal support for investors and developers are among the areas where the firm has a strong profile.

Jakub Oliva specialises in employment law under Czech legislation. This agenda is essential for corporate clients, as it affects the day-to-day operation of companies, employee relations, the setting of internal rules, and the handling of sensitive HR situations.

Ondřej Stehlík focuses on development, an area that requires a combination of legal precision, project awareness, the ability to manage follow-up steps, and an understanding of the economic logic of the entire development plan in the Czech Republic. Here too, it becomes clear that ARROWS does not deal only with statutory provisions, but with the full logic of the business project.

Vojtěch Sucharda is primarily associated with an international practice. This international reach is becoming increasingly important for ARROWS—whether it involves supporting Czech clients abroad, coordinating cross-border legal relationships, or building an international network of contacts and partnerships.

Jáchym Petřík specialises in Czech National Bank licensing and capital markets. This area requires a high degree of precision, familiarity with regulatory requirements, and the ability to explain the rules clearly to clients in an environment where mistakes are neither cheap nor minor.

This combination of specialisations shows that ARROWS is not a firm built on a single strong practice area, but on the integration of multiple areas of expertise that together create a functional whole for business clients in the Czech Republic.

A firm that understands the market—and the future

ARROWS’ strength lies not only in the expertise of individual lawyers. It also lies in the fact that the firm has long worked with a clear vision of what modern legal practice should look like: a service that is expert, fast, clear, technologically ready, and firmly connected to the reality of the client’s business in the Czech Republic.

ARROWS does not try to be a firm for everyone and everything. Its development instead shows an increasing focus on areas where it can offer high added value: transactions, real estate, development, employment law, regulated sectors, international expansion, and technology-enabled legal services under Czech law.

This is important from a branding perspective as well. There are many firms on the market that provide legal services. Fewer are those that, alongside legal advice, can also offer peace of mind, guidance, project management, and the ability to keep pace with the client’s business. This is exactly where ARROWS is building its position as a Prague-based law firm.

Where ARROWS are heading next

ARROWS’ history is not a closed chapter. On the contrary, it shows that the firm has the ambition to continue growing, expand its international reach, strengthen its technological base, and develop new specialised projects.

The firm’s development to date confirms that ARROWS want to be a firm that does not wait for change to come from the outside. They want to be among those who help create it—whether through the use of artificial intelligence, new models for delivering legal services, stronger integration with business, or building specialised teams in key segments in the Czech Republic.

The ARROWS story is therefore not only the history of one Prague-based law firm. It is also an example of what a modern legal firm can look like—one that is not afraid of growth, innovation, or clearly articulated ambitions.

In 2026, the firm’s transformation continues, with the partner core narrowed and a new partner added. 

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