Kristýna Zakouřilová

Kristýna Zakouřilová graduated from the law faculty at Charles University in Prague where she later also passed the rigorous state civil procedure examination. Among other things, her studies focused on issues around insolvency and the invalidation of legal acts. Kristýna holds additional qualifications in international relations and diplomacy from the University of Economics in Prague. Before joining Achour & Partners, she worked for Pokorný, Wagner & Partners.

Kristýna specialises in civil and commercial law and advises particularly on contracts, real estate and litigation. She has been a member of legal teams that handled major international and domestic court and arbitration proceedings as well as high-value local acquisitions.

Kristýna’s work for investors at Achour & Partners includes:

• Advising a major contracting authority (public undertaking) on the redevelopment of a site in Prague as part of a CZK 2-billion+ transport hub project, including the creation of project documentation on cooperation conditions, engineering and preparatory work, service provision, the future sale of land, premature termination and the legal status of independent underground structures linked to upper parts of the site.
• Acting for a leading international technology group in insolvency proceedings including dealing with creditors, developing bankruptcy strategies (potential applications of EU Regulation (EU) 2015/848), preparing all required documentation and assessing the  financing and labour law implications of the company’s financial situation.
• Assisting a top development and investment group with its acquisition of projects worth CZK 5 billion in outer Prague, including conducting due diligence, preparing contractual documentation and developing a takeover structure and financing conditions.
• Advising a major contracting authority (public undertakings) on a CZK 3-billion+ deal with a private investor including public aid issues, the management of transaction risks (especially property transfer risks) under future contracts and the potential application of the market actor criterion.
• Representing the former board members of a waste management company in an approx. CZK 30-million lawsuit concerning an alleged breach of care in investment management, including precedent-setting issues (extent of information required from a statutory body, impact of a municipality’s status as sole shareholder, potential liability for damage to one’s own investment).
• Representing a foreign investor in an appeal to the Czech Supreme Court involving precedent-setting issues (inferring of legal and factual acts, parties’ intentions and consumer protection rights after the replacement of a contractual party and involvement of a special purpose vehicle in the contractual relationship).
• Advising a municipality on the settlement of multiple claims related to the construction of a CZK-1.4 billion+ office complex, including reviewing the impact of major changes to public contracts, unlawful public aid, assets takeovers under the Civil Code and intellectual property rights, and preparing comprehensive settlement documentation, including a list of claims.
• Representing the former board member of an agriculture and meat processing plant in a lawsuit for approx. CZK 40 million over an alleged breach of managerial care, including assessing the impact of insolvency proceedings, liability for crisis financing, current holding structures and the influence of a hidden owner on company decision-making.
• Advising a leading group of investors in regional leisure activities on the settlement of claims resulting from the premature termination of contracts with a public company, including litigation and real estate issues (determining the ownership of buildings located on foreign land and assessing foreign assets).
• Advising a major development and investment group on the creation of a joint venture to acquire real estate in Prague, including issues around corporate governance, financing, exit strategies, call options, tag-along and drag-along rights, the resolution of potential shareholder disputes and future involvement of a strategic investor.

Kristýna is also the author of professional commentaries and articles on topics including property rights, contractual relationships and public aid. Among other things, these publications deal with legal issues around easements, the transfer of rights and duties under easements and legal fictions and presumptions.