Irena Kolárová

Experience

• Professional background: Irena Kolárová is a Czech attorney who has built her practice around M&A and corporate governance within top-tier international and Czech firms. Her early legal education was at the Faculty of Law of Palacký University in Olomouc, where she participated in a six-month Erasmus program in Rotterdam in 2004, focusing on international business. She graduated in 2005 and immediately began practicing law, launching her career as a corporate lawyer for BLATA, a renowned minibike manufacturer, where she worked on anti-counterfeiting and IP-related matters and even dealt with cross-border enforcement efforts in places including Malta. This early experience exemplified her hands-on, cross-border mindset and her willingness to engage with complex commercial issues from the outset.
• Career history: After her initial corporate practice, Kolárová joined WEINHOLD LEGAL in 2007, with a secondment to RED GROUP for day-to-day project and holding company management. In 2012 she joined KPMG LEGAL, where she served as an attorney and later as an associate manager, collaborating with auditors, tax advisors, deal teams, and accountants on complex, cross-border projects. From 2012 through 2019, she developed a strong emphasis on M&A and corporate law, including guiding more than a hundred challenging corporate transformations, often with cross-border components. In 2019 she moved to ROWAN LEGAL and then to ARROWS, with a pivotal autumn 2021 meeting with Aleš Eppinger marking the groundwork for a new joint venture. This collaboration culminated in the establishment of a joint law firm, now known as Eppinger & Kolárová Legal (EAK). In her current role, Kolárová serves as a partner at EAK, focusing on high-stakes corporate transactions and related advisory work.
• Notable roles: Beyond her transactional practice, Kolárová has advised major developers, energy companies, automotive, and jewellery industries, highlighting her ability to handle large-scale, multi-industry mandates. She is also actively involved in governance as a member of the controlling body of the Propolis 33 Foundation, demonstrating leadership beyond private practice. Additionally, she notes fluency in English as a working language for cross-border communications.

Specialty

• Practice areas: Mergers and acquisitions (M&A), corporate law, obligations/contract law, real estate, and compliance. This combination reflects a focus on transactional work and the structural aspects of business operations for clients involved in complex deals and cross-border activity.
• Focus industries: Kolárová has advised major developers, energy companies, automotive, and jewellery industries, illustrating experience across real assets, infrastructure, manufacturing, and consumer-facing sectors.
• Types of cases handled: Her experience encompasses cross-border transactions and corporate transformations, including more than a hundred complex corporate restructurings, indicating familiarity with multi-jurisdictional deal mechanics, due diligence, integration planning, and post-closing matters.

Education

• Degrees and institutions: Palacký University in Olomouc, Faculty of Law, where she completed her law degree; She participated in a six-month Erasmus program in Rotterdam in 2004 as part of her studies, focusing on international business.
• Legal training: Graduated in 2005 and embarked on a corporate-law-focused practice immediately after school, gaining practical experience across smaller and large law firms, then moving into international firms and later forming a joint practice with Aleš Eppinger to establish Eppinger & Kolárová Legal.

Achievements and Recognition

• Member of the controlling body of the Propolis 33 Foundation, reflecting leadership and governance involvement beyond private legal practice. Source: https://www.eak.legal/en/team/irena-kolarova/