TOP LEGAL EXECUTIVES
IVÁN SEFER MANAGING PARTNER, VÁMOSI-NAGY ERNST & YOUNG ÜGYVÉDI IRODA
I spent my formative years at one of the largest and most successful international law firms in Hungary and had the opportunity to learn from some of the best and brightest lawyers on the market. This was learning-on-the-job at its best, as the skills and working methods learned helped me throughout my entire career so far. What was unique in my case is that the I had the opportunity to step away from the tried and tested model and to challenge myself working at a non-traditional legal service provider: a Big 4 firm. The decision to leave what I considered to be the big leagues for uncharted waters was a very difficult one and was not without considerable risks. However, in hindsight, this was one of the better decisions that I made. Working closely, on a daily basis, with some of the most respected tax, financial and audit professionals, I learned to look at the legal services business from a completely different perspective. I could step away from the over specialization of large law firms and take a bird’s
“I think that lawyers and the bar should definitely strive towards simplification and digitalization. Sticking to archaic structures will not change the direction the world is moving in; it will simply result in a profession that is out-of-touch with reality.”
BACKGROUND Iván Sefer is the head of EY LAW Hungary, which is a full-service law firm with more than 30 employees. He is listed as a Band / Tier 1 banking and finance lawyer by Chambers and Partners and by Legal 500. His primary focus is complex transactional and regulatory matters in the fields of banking and finance, M&A, capital markets and restructurings. Sefer holds a law degree from Pázmány Péter Catholic University, as well as a degree in comparative law from Université Robert Schuman. He is a member of the Budapest Bar and is also admitted to practice as a solicitor in England and Wales. OF WHICH ACHIEVEMENTS ARE YOU MOST PROUD? Law is clearly a people business and success can be defined by the strength of relationships, both in terms of clients and colleagues. I generally try to assess these two aspects, and this is the main metric of my professional pride.
eye view of the law legal market and the corresponding client demands. I also had the chance to establish my own management theory, often by analyzing and working on initial instincts that I had. This, in turn, allowed me to build a team which I believe is optimized for the current market reality. I am very grateful for those clients who believed in me and followed me throughout my journey. I believe that the shared history and the understanding of their business gives us an edge and enables us to service them in the way they really want to be serviced. I am very proud of the team I was able to recruit and retain. I frequently hear that we have a strong reputation in terms of being hardworking, technically sound, energetic, approachable and business-minded. I think this is exactly the image we want to project and receiving this input makes me very proud.
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