As their share of the workforce grows, the idea of the carriage clock, presented to long-service employees on retirement, seems to dwindle further from view. But not everywhere.

CMS is the largest law firm in Budapest by size. It also has one of the lowest turnover levels. Put simply, graduates join and stay, building their careers at the same firm. The latest example is Péter Bibók, who joined in 2010 and was made a partner in its dispute resolution practice effective from April 1.

“It’s super important that we can showcase to our young talent that they can stay with the firm. We are identifying and developing talent, supporting them through their journey and when the time comes and the circumstances are right, we are making them partners,” says Erika Papp, managing partner at CMS Budapest and head of finance for CEE.

“It’s a great story that we can tell clients that this is a very steady law firm which people are choosing for, potentially, a lifetime career,” she adds. As so often in the legal world, there is an important caveat to add. Only those who deserve to progress will do so. Promotion is not automatically tied to years of service.

“It’s not that we would make everyone a general, because there are some law firms where everyone is a partner, and then there is no pyramid at all. There are only generals at the table. That’s not healthy,” says Zsolt Okányi, head of dispute resolution at CMS Budapest and across CEE. Law firms operate within an economic landscape, and that, too, can»influence the path to partner.

“Obviously, everyone has to have a very serious business case made, otherwise London would not approve the partner ruminations,” Erika notes. “So that requires a very healthy, very competitive economy. I’m not saying that every single year, we will be able to put forward new partners, because I don’t think that’s a sustainable business model. But we will always try to reward people who are worthwhile to be nominated as leaders of their teams,” she adds.

For his part, Bibók thinks working at just the one firm has its advantages. “I am very proud to have spent my entire career at CMS, starting here as a trainee and now stepping into the partnership, which is a truly rewarding progression,” he says.

Bibók says he studied the theory of law at university, but learned the reality of it at CMS. “Most of what I know about the law and how you actually practice it efficiently, and how to operate within an international law firm, I learned here,” he says.

Building up Knowledge

Initially, he worked in banking with Papp before switching to the dispute team. That, two, is an advantage, he thinks. “Starting with banking enabled me to get some expertise in that field. I believe that this is also very important: it’s a good thing if you can remain in one firm, because then you can build upon your knowledge, build on how the internal corporate management of that firm operates, and you can use this to enhance your practice.”

Bibók and Okányi share a team of 17 lawyers and split the workload between them. Dispute cases tend to be long, which makes continuity important, and Bibók will not drop any of the cases he is currently working on. But the step up to partner also requires him to bring in fresh mandates. He says the shift in focus is significant, and CMS has been coaching him through it. But he has found that the title itself also helps.

“If I look at how my connections, even with existing clients, have changed, it’s quite interesting. The partner role has allowed me to generate discussions way more easily; it definitely opens doors to potential new business,” he says.

Since the disputes team was formed 20-25 years ago, workflows have changed. Initially, most cases were commercial disputes. Then came a period of construction and engineering cases. Now, the new government is hoping to free up incoming EU funds to finance a new wave of infrastructure projects.

As with any major wave of infrastructure investment, some projects can be expected to face procurement challenges, delays or cost overruns that may lead to litigation or arbitration, says Okányi. He also sees sanctions compliance as a growing source of disputes amid ongoing geopolitical turbulence..

“The nuclear power plant construction in Hungary has a lot of participants, and we expect disputes connected to this in the near future in terms of construction and transport,” Okányi adds. “And we expect tech disputes and telecom claims.” Tech is a specialty for Bibók.

“We already have quite a lot of tech cases, which are usually IP-related or related to the implementation of ERP systems, which are very problematic and cause many disputes,” the new partner confirms. “But we are also anticipating a new era of technology disputes, because we believe that at this point, every company is becoming a technology company, whether it realizes it or not. Companies have started to employ technologies that they don’t understand, technologies that are still in beta phases, and this introduces huge risks. Huge risks usually lead to disputes in the end,” Bibók says.

Exploiting Black Spots

Okányi points to one other “growth” area for casework, where fraudsters attempt to use black spots in the anti-money laundering systems of banks. This also demonstrates how CMS can work across teams and business lines.

“This area is a great example of how our banking and disputes teams work together. In our joint initiatives, the banking team covers the latest regulatory developments while we discuss AML risks and dispute trends. Clients really appreciate having a single team that can look at these issues from every angle” says Okányi.

Many commentators have noted how much more upbeat the economic mood is post-election. Has CMS noted any changes?

“We already see new businesses materializing. It’s not only the ‘happy vibes,’ but potential business decisions are already made in some circles,” says Papp. Others are more cautious and want to see new bankruptcy and insolvency legislation, for example.

“This has been up for reform for almost a decade. For any foreign investor who is considering Hungary for the first time, that’s one of the first questions: what is the foreign direct investment licensing regime? How am I going to be treated? This is a cornerstone question. What I hear is that there is a plan to reform the insolvency regime, and I think, once that comes out, it will be huge for foreign investors,” Papp says.

In the meantime, CMS has added a sub-page called ‘Hungary Forward’ to its website to highlight legal changes. “This is a new campaign we just started to publish all the new legislation that is relevant for a foreign investor in the English language and with analysis,” says Papp.

“We have a special task force within the office ready to analyse the new laws to be adopted following the change of government, translate them into English, simplify them for investors, and explain why this is creating a new environment for foreign investors. We are expecting a huge amount of legislation; throughout the summer and early fall, the legislators will be super busy. And that means we lawyers will be super busy as well.”

This article was first published in the Budapest Business Journal print issue of June 5, 2026.