Martin Šolc Elected Secretary-General of the International Bar Association
The Secretary-General is the third ranking position in the IBA, after the President and Vice-President. As a rule, Secretaries-General usually make it to the very top of the IBA.
“I am very honoured to be elected Secretary-General. I take it not only as a sign of recognition of my more than 20-year involvement in the IBA but also as a sign of appreciation of the role Czech lawyers and the Czech Bar Association play in the international legal community,” said Martin. In his two-year term as Secretary-General, Martin plans to concentrate primarily on maintaining the IBA as an institution representing the global voice of the legal community. However, he would also like to initiate discussion on changing how the IBA operates, such as whether to provide online membership and virtual access to conferences and seminars to those who cannot afford to travel and whether and how the IBA should boost its regional involvement.
The election of Martin as Secretary-General took place at the IBA Annual Conference 2012 held in Dublin in October, which was attended by over 4,000 lawyers and legal professionals. Martin was elected by representatives from more than 200 bar associations and law societies from all across the globe.
While serving as Secretary-General, Martin – whose role as KŠB’s Managing Partner was taken over by Dagmar Dubecká in January 2012 – will also continue to be active and involved in KŠB’s legal practice and strategic decisions.
“I would like to extend my warm congratulations to Martin – his personal success also has a positive influence and boosts the international position and reputation of the Czech Bar Association. Despite being extremely busy, Martin has always devoted time to the Czech Bar when necessary and let us hope he will continue to do so. On behalf of the Czech legal community, I’d like to wish him good health and all the best in his new role,” said Martin Vychopeň, Chairman of the Czech Bar Association, in response to Martin’s election as Secretary-General.
Other articles
Richard Schmidt Joins KŠB, Strengthening Its Corporate Criminal Liability and Compliance Practice
KŠB expanded its team at the beginning of August with the arrival of attorney Richard Schmidt, who has extensive experience in criminal law, including corporate criminal liability and related compliance matters.
Active counter-drone measures need a broader legal basis
A highly noteworthy legislative proposal was added to the VeKLEP interministerial consultation database on 21 July 2026, namely a government bill amending several laws with the aim of strengthening the resilience of critical infrastructure entities against unmanned aircraft systems. Drafted by the Ministry of the Interior, the bill includes proposed amendments to the Civil Aviation Act and the Act on the Czech Police.
Tomáš Sequens and Dana Jacková Discuss the Risks of the Proposed Amendment to the Building Act
KŠB partner Tomáš Sequens and counsel Dana Jacková recently spoke to specialist news platforms Česká justice and Ekonomický deník about the proposed amendment to the Building Act, which aims to accelerate and simplify the construction permitting process.
