In The Corner Office, we ask Managing Partners at law firms across Central and Eastern Europe about their backgrounds, strategies, and responsibilities. This time around, we asked: What is the one most time-consuming administrative task for you as a Managing Partner, and what, if anything, have you done to try to minimize time spent on it?
Stefan Gugushev, Gugushev & Partners, Bulgaria: As a Managing Partner, the most time-consuming administrative task for me is hiring and managing people in a diplomatic way. Building and maintaining good employee relations requires constant attention. It is not only about selecting the right candidates but also about ensuring that existing team members feel respected, motivated, and aligned with the firm’s goals. Diplomacy plays a key role, listening carefully, addressing concerns in a fair manner, while balancing different interests within the team. To minimize the time spent, I rely on clear communication, regular feedback, and involving senior colleagues in decision-making. I also believe in setting transparent expectations from the start and creating an atmosphere of trust where people can speak openly. This way, potential conflicts are managed early, and the team remains focused and motivated. While it takes time, I see it as an investment in the stability and long-term growth of the firm.
Kostadin Sirleshtov, CMS, Bulgaria: The most time-consuming administrative task for any managing partner in every law firm is to manage to keep track of the pulse of the firm/office (by means of utilization, billings, collections, work-in-progress, churn, etc.). Our know-how here is technology-driven; CMS has implemented a software solution, which allows you to keep track of everything in real time with one click. It is an incredible tool that allows you to skip hours of daily research and to get up-to-date information immediately. Furthermore, it is also open to all fee-earners for them to manage to keep track of their individual progress and compare it to their peers.
Janos Tamas Varga, VJT Partners, Hungary: As a managing partner, the most time-consuming challenge is managing the flood of emails, meeting requests, and calendar changes that threaten to fragment focus. To address this, I use advanced digital workflow systems and AI tools to better manage my time and speed up certain outputs.
But while these tools bring efficiency, it is critical to ensure they remain just that – tools. In our profession, integrity and judgment cannot be delegated to technology. Overreliance risks undermining the very qualities clients expect from us.
For me, the real task is striking the right balance: leveraging innovation to free up time for strategic and client-focused work, while never losing sight of the human responsibility that defines our role. This will remain a continuous exercise for all of us in the profession.
Marija Gregoric, Babic & Partners, Croatia: For me, the most time-consuming administrative task as a Managing Partner is balancing the operational and strategic demands of the firm to ensure it delivers maximum value. This involves reviewing how routine processes can be automated and made more efficient, and identifying and implementing tools and systems that support the work of lawyers and staff. Delegating operational tasks and leveraging technology to handle repetitive work enables me to focus on the firm’s key priorities: maintaining close, proactive communication with clients so they experience the firm as a true partner in their business; supporting and developing talent to maintain a high-performing team; and introducing innovative tools and approaches that enhance service. Balancing these responsibilities is demanding, but it ensures the firm remains true to its mission: serving clients’ evolving needs with insight, agility, and foresight, while leading a technology-enabled practice that raises professional standards.
Nenad Popovic, JPM & Partners, Serbia: The most time-consuming administrative task I face is undoubtedly overseeing day-to-day regional operations and business development. The sheer scale of coordinating multiple teams, ensuring smooth operations, and driving growth initiatives across different jurisdictions demands constant attention and meticulous management. From monitoring and evaluating performance metrics, we use and, with the assistance of local managing partners, I am trying to achieve the alignment of local strategies with the group’s broader goals. The workload can sometimes be overwhelming.
To minimize the time spent on these operational responsibilities, I actively leverage technology to delegate tasks and streamline processes. By integrating advanced project management platforms and workflow automation tools, I can assign responsibilities more efficiently and track progress in real time. Collaborative apps facilitate seamless communication between teams, while data dashboards provide instant insights to inform quick decision-making. These digital solutions not only free up valuable time but also empower regional managers and senior partners to take greater ownership of their roles, fostering a culture of accountability and innovation.
Ultimately, embracing technology has been essential in transforming our approach to local and regional management and business development, allowing me to focus more on strategic priorities and less on routine administrative burdens.
Helen Alexiou, AKL, Greece: I wish it were something more interesting or less important, but, if I’m being honest, billing is my absolute nightmare. Drafting, checking, re-checking, correcting, reviewing, following up, it is so time-consuming that it’s practically impossible to fit within the working week. I end up trading family time for endless calculations, not to mention this dreadful feeling that I’m running a collecting agency, where recipients are inclined to question the charges (although we’re usually underbilling). It’s ironic: we spend our days helping clients solve complex problems, yet nothing stresses me more than sending out an invoice.
To minimize the time sink, I’ve leaned on two strategies. First, technology, making use of it as much as possible, from time capture to invoice templates. This past year, we even invested heavily, for our size, in billing software (the jury is still out). Second, discipline, blocking a fixed time each weekend to handle billing so it doesn’t balloon into the billing Olympics. And if all else fails, as it sometimes does, I remind myself: without billing, we’d simply be running a pro bono empire, noble, yes, but hardly sustainable.
Istvan Szatmary, Oppenheim, Hungary: Legal business is a people’s business, even at a time of AI and legal tech tools. That is why I think that one of the most challenging tasks is conducting the annual performance reviews of colleagues. At first sight, this might seem to be an administrative task, but it is not at all such a to-do. Even though we have streamlined the process by introducing a standardized framework, defining clear evaluation criteria, using structured forms, and setting a firm timeline, this is an area that should not be automated. Performance reviews are more than an HR requirement: they are a critical opportunity to recognize achievements, address challenges, and align career goals with the firm’s strategy. Drafting individual assessment notes and ensuring all documentation is properly filed also requires careful attention. Each colleague’s role and contribution differ, so a tailored, case-by-case discussion is essential. Templates and guidelines reduce the paperwork, but the heart of the process is the personal dialogue. I dedicate time to preparing constructive, evidence-based feedback and to holding meaningful conversations. While demanding, this investment fosters professional growth, strengthens engagement, and reinforces a culture of trust and excellence, making the effort both unavoidable and worthwhile.
Milos Velimirovic, Kinstellar, Serbia: As Managing Partner, my responsibilities extend well beyond legal work. I oversee several management streams: finance, human resources, operations, business development, and client relationship management, which keep the firm thriving. The most time-consuming task is coordinating these diverse streams, each of which generates its own reports, requests, and decisions.
Client relationship management is particularly demanding. It is not only about ensuring service quality but also about nurturing trust, anticipating client needs, and maintaining the personal connections that underpin long-term partnerships. Balancing these relational demands with internal oversight, such as reviewing budgets, monitoring HR initiatives, or guiding operational priorities, often fragments my time and draws focus away from forward-looking strategy.
Importantly, management is not concentrated in my role alone. All partners in our office are actively engaged in running the firm, with each assigned specific management streams according to expertise and interest. This shared responsibility extends to regional initiatives, where we collaborate on projects that strengthen the firm across jurisdictions. A particular focus is our Western Balkans Hub, which runs through all streams we manage. By aligning finance, HR, operations, business development, and client relationships with this regional strategy, we ensure consistency, efficiency, and a stronger presence in a highly dynamic market.
Ivana Ruzicic, PR Legal, Serbia: For me, the most time-consuming administrative task is reviewing and approving time sheets. It is essential for the accuracy of billing and for tracking the performance of the firm, but it takes a lot of attention and energy. As Managing Partner, I need to make sure that everything is correct, consistent, and fair.
To make this process more efficient, we hired a Finance Manager with a background in law firm operations. She introduced clear procedures, simple models, and useful tools that make the whole process more organized. Instead of me going through every detail from the beginning, I now receive time sheets that are already structured in a standardized format. This allows me to focus only on the final review and approval.
The system also helps our lawyers, because they know exactly how to fill in their time records and what is expected. It reduces mistakes and back-and-forth corrections. Overall, the work is still necessary and sometimes repetitive, but it is now faster and less stressful thanks to the structure and support we created.
Christoph Mager, DLA Piper, Austria: As Country Managing Partner of an international law firm, the most time-consuming administrative aspect of my role is overseeing performance, WIP management, hiring business support members, and day-to-day operational decisions. In parallel, recruiting lateral partners, managing partner promotion processes, conducting performance reviews, supporting team members in their career development, and making compensation decisions are essential responsibilities to sustaining our firm’s excellence and global competitiveness, to which I need to dedicate appropriate time. To minimize the time spent on the more operational matters and focus effectively on setting and executing our strategic goals, I appointed a Head of Operations (HoO). The HoO oversees day-to-day finance and operations and plays a key role in bridging our legal and non-legal teams. This structure fosters smoother communication, strengthens collaboration, and ensures our legal expertise is aligned with broader organizational goals.
Delegating operational oversight to our HoO empowers me to focus on high-impact leadership decisions, particularly those that shape the future of our partnership. It also enables me to fully dedicate myself to my responsibilities as a transaction lawyer, ensuring both legal integrity and visionary leadership. This structure keeps our firm agile and strategically positioned to meet the evolving demands of the legal industry.
Andrea Gritsch, Wolf Theiss, Austria: As Managing Partner of Wolf Theiss, a firm deeply rooted in the CEE/SEE region with offices in 13 countries and a hub in Brussels, one of the most time-consuming administrative tasks is aligning internal processes and standards across jurisdictions. Each office operates within its own legal and regulatory framework, which makes harmonization both essential and complex.
To minimize the time required, we have invested in centralized management tools and streamlined our governance structures. At the same time, we have empowered local leadership with greater autonomy, supported by clear, firm-wide policies. This balance between consistency and local flexibility has significantly reduced the need for constant top-down oversight and allows me to dedicate more time to strategic leadership.
This article was originally published in Issue 12.8 of the CEE Legal Matters Magazine. If you would like to receive a hard copy of the magazine, you can subscribe here.
