After a long year of waiting, law firms from Hungary finally had the opportunity to show off their bowling skills again last night, as the second year of the CEE Legal Matters Budapest Law Firm Bowling Challenge brought 14 four-person teams together for an intense challenge, with the proceeds donated to the winning team's charity of choice.
The bowling balls and the minutes flew fast, and although the teams took the challenge seriously, there was little doubt that the primary goals of the evening – having fun and relaxing with colleagues and counterparts – were met. When the final ball was rolled, at the end of the second round, there was little doubt as to the final result, as 2018 Champion Dentons (with 850 points) claimed the trophy.
Following Dentons was Nagy & Trocsanyi 810). Szecsenyi & Partners (782); Hogan Lovells (773); KNP Law (749); DLA Piper (726); Sar and Partners (697); Allen & Overy (627); OPL (660); SBGK (655); Schoenherr (651); Lakatos Koves & Partners (648); Szabo, Kelemen & Partners (614); and CMS (537).
The highest individual score of the night belonged to Bernadett Lengyel from SBGK, who racked up an impressive 158.
The charity organization chosen by Dentons to receive the evening's proceeds is Onkentes Tuzolto, Muszaki-mento es Vizimento Egyesulet, a Hungarian NGO that works to strengthen the healthcare system in the Hungarian communities of Dunakeszi, Godollo, and Fot by improving family doctor and home-pediatrician care services, as well as emergency service settlements in the region. “Charity organizations are really important to us, and we choose this one because they collect money for children,” said Gabor Feher, a key member of the victorious Dentons team.
Feher went on to express enthusiasm for the event in general, noting that there are few such opportunities for lawyers to meet in a social environment in Hungary. “In my opinion there is a need for this, because we meet each other on certain cases, but never in a more informal environment. So, thanks CEE Legal Matters for this opportunity.”
Adam Dunai, a lawyer at OPL, agreed. “It is a very good idea to bring firms together like this. It’s a good way to relax after a long working day, but also to get to know people from other Hungarian firms." OPL teammate Peter Toth was also enthusiastic. “It was really great to compete with the other firms, we liked the challenge, and luckily we didn’t end up in the last place. We didn’t win either, I think we finished somewhere in the middle. Anyways, we heard that next year might be darts, we are getting prepared, and we’ll be unbeatable.”
Several teams admitted to training for the event seriously. “We had three preparation sessions in-house, and we fought with my colleagues for the four places to be on the team," said lawyer Olga Peter-Szabo, a key member of the Nagy & Trocsanyi team. "We didn’t win – last year we were fourth, now we came second – but we are really proud of all our members. It was an awesome night, we had a good game, and lots of fun.”
"I think everybody brought positive energy," said CEE Legal Matters Events Producer Vaida Stockunaite, smiling as she recalled the night. "And we hope it provided a good opportunity to relax with colleagues outside the office."
