An in-depth look at Prokop Verner of A&O Shearman, covering his career path, education, and top projects as a lawyer as well as a few insights about him as a manager at work and as a person outside the office.
Career:
- A&O Shearman; Partner; 2024-present
- Allen & Overy; Partner; 2017-2024
- Allen & Overy; Counsel; 2015-2017
- Allen & Overy; Senior Associate; 2011-2015
- Allen & Overy; Associate; 2004-2011
- Earth Resources; Operations Manager; 1996-2004
Education:
- ESCEM France/UNYP; MBA, Finance; 2004
- Charles University; Mgr., Faculty of Law; 2002
Favorites:
- Out-of-office activity: Collecting and investing in Lego
- Quote: “The more I practice, the luckier I get.” – Attributed to golfer Gary Player
- Book: Rozmarne leto (in English: Capricious Summer)by Vladislav Vancura
- Movie: Youth (2015) by Paolo Sorrentino
Top 5 Projects:
- Advising W.A.G Payment Solutions plc (Eurowag) on its EUR 200 million initial public offering on the London Stock Exchange
- Advising Cordiant Digital Infrastructure (a specialist digital infrastructure investor) on its acquisition of Ceske Radiokomunikace, a leading broadcasting, data solutions, and communications services provider in the Czech Republic
- Advising Asahi Group Holdings on its EUR 7.3 billion acquisition of the former SABMiller businesses and operations in the Czech Republic, Poland, Slovakia, Hungary, and Romania from AB InBev. The deal marked the biggest acquisition of a foreign beer operation by a Japanese brewer and included the acquisition of Plzensky Prazdroj and its global brand Pilsner Urquell.
- Advising Zetor Tractors a.s. (a leading Czech manufacturer with more than 75 years of history in the production and development of tractors and other machinery) and its Slovak parent company HTC Investments a.s., on establishing a joint venture with VST Tillers Tractors in India
- Advising Aegon on its EUR 155 million disposal of insurance businesses in the Czech Republic and Slovakia to NN Group.
CEELM: What would you say was the most challenging project you ever worked on and why?
Verner: I still remember very well a multijurisdictional M&A deal from the time when I was still an Associate and in a fairly junior stage of my career. The deal involved a non-European bidder, a target active in nine CEE/SEE countries, and a PE seller. I coordinated the due diligence exercise in all target countries, including not only A&O offices but also best friend firms in SEE. More importantly, I was also involved in negotiating the SPA, thanks to a very generous lead partner on the deal who took me with him to negotiations in London. Being in the center of such a complex deal early in my career gave me a significant boost in my experience, but more importantly, it also gave me the confidence that I am capable of managing large transactions, handling the stress and pressures involved, and still enjoying my work.
CEELM: What was your main takeaway from it?
Verner: Although our client aborted the deal at a very late stage of the process, I felt a sense of achievement and also gratitude to the firm for the opportunity to be involved in deals that you can read about on the front pages of the newspapers. It was clear to me at that point that I wanted to be involved in the most complex deals and transactions on the market, and that my firm is the best platform to achieve this goal.
CEELM: What is one thing clients likely don’t know about you?
Verner: After finishing law school, I did not want to practice law but was more interested in finance and management. I studied for an MBA and worked as an operations manager in a subsidiary of a US firm that delivered industrial water treatment equipment to CEE and former Soviet countries. Only after a couple of years in management did I decide to try my luck in law. My focus from the beginning of my legal career was on M&A, as this is the area of law that is, in my view, the most closely aligned with business. My idea was just to try it for a couple of years and stay if I liked it, or go back to business if I didn’t. Fast-forward 21 years, and you will still find me doing M&A and enjoying the work I do.
CEELM: Name one mentor who played a big role in your career and how they impacted you.
Verner: When I was a Senior Associate, I had a coach, Nick, who was helping me prepare for the partnership process. His biggest help was showing me how important it was to overcome my slight Central European cynicism, which many of us who grew up before 1989 have. Not being fully mentally invested in the process was holding me back, and Nick showed me why keeping a safe distance is usually not a good recipe for success.
CEELM: What is the one piece of advice you’d give yourself fresh out of law school?
Verner: Your career will be shaped by luck, so practice really hard to maximize your chances for luck. You’ll need it.
This article was originally published in Issue 12.7 of the CEE Legal Matters Magazine. If you would like to receive a hard copy of the magazine, you can subscribe here.
