Dr. Levente Antal Szabó, partner and head of LeitnerLaw Szabó & Partners, was named one of Hungary’s most influential legal executives in 2025. In the interview conducted on this occasion, he offers insights into the workings of Hungary’s legal system and discusses the latest trends in the legal field — including the impacts of the EU AI Act, the dilemmas of integrating technology into legal practice, and the challenges of attracting top legal talent.
AI is
disrupting the world as we know it. How has LeitnerLaw adapted to this
transformation, and how is the firm leveraging the benefits of this technology?
I have always been eager to apply the latest legal technology solutions. Even when I worked as an independent lawyer, I dedicated a significant portion of my income to legal tech research and development. Now, as a member of the LeitnerLaw | LeitnerLeitner group, we can experiment with integrating cutting-edge solutions into our services in a secure environment. The changes are truly so significant that only the largest firms can manage them using their own resources.
Fortunately, the international background of our group ensures that we can develop solutions which adequately address all data protection and data security risks associated with the use of AI. However, the world of so-called ‘rule-based’ technological solutions still exists alongside AI: for example, we have very robust solutions in document automation. This duality will persist for a long time, which is why we have not stopped our ‘traditional’ legal technology developments either.
This is
somewhat comparable the coexistence of electric and internal combustion engine
cars. We are advocates of fast, but not reckless developments,
and we don’t plan to replace our proven and efficient tools with AI solutions
for the time being.
How do
digitalization and the spread of artificial intelligence affect headcount and
revenues?
Primarily, the positions of junior and back-office employees who do not use the new technological tools in a ‘natural’ way are at risk. We want to provide opportunities for those who are ready to develop, which increases the costs of training and development. During the training, we focus on two aspects: the safe use of technology and the development of a systems-thinking approach.
AI-generated responses must be approached critically — for example, only a lawyer with a systems-thinking approach can properly assess and override the effects of hallucination. The temporal limitations of AI (knowledge cut-off) must also be addressed with critical human thinking, especially due to the extremely rapid pace of change. Using the automotive industry as an analogy once again: in critical situations, we need to be better drivers than the AI, but for everyday routine tasks, it makes our work more convenient.
AI will have an impact on revenues generated from repetitive tasks, as well as on ‘classic’ consulting that provides routine answers to simple questions. It often happens that the client first consults AI and only turns to us for a ‘second opinion.’ Since a significant portion of our revenue comes from high value-added advisory services, we are not concerned about these changes.
What impact will the EU’s artificial intelligence Act have on the Hungarian legal environment and the daily operations of your clients?
First of all, everyone must clearly understand how the AI Act affects them. Naturally, our firm is also affected, as a developer of artificial intelligence systems. An important piece of advice for our clients is to avoid prohibited AI practices (e.g. emotion recognition, recruitment decisions based solely on AI, social scoring), and to take appropriate measures to manage the risks (e.g. staff training, documentation of AI use, human oversight, post-training evaluation).
Where is the legal market heading? Is further consolidation expected, or do independent boutique firms also have a chance to make a big impact with the help of cutting-edge technology?
In the legal business, I have worked in offices of all sizes and types: from small boutique firms to medium and large offices. Perhaps the difference is that in a small firm, you have to manage resources very wisely—there is no room for mistakes.
Naturally, the market is expected to become increasingly concentrated, and the key factor will undoubtedly be who can operate well in this new ‘hybrid’ world. I still believe in the character of small and medium-sized enterprises, meaning it’s not the size that matters, but the entrepreneurial and innovative spirit.
How do you evaluate the group of recent graduates?
Many complain that this new generation is difficult to manage (they are unwilling to work overtime, have attention difficulties, show moderate motivation, like to change jobs, etc.).
I see this quite differently. I really enjoy working with young people. They are much more open and able to learn many things at a much younger age than we did back then. There are enthusiastic young people; perhaps they still lack punctuality and a systematic approach, but these can be learned.
Although it is a fact that their attitude to work is different. They no longer sacrifice their entire lives on the altar of work, as we did, but today I also think that this is not a problem at all. Perhaps they are the ones who show us the way to find a balance between work and private life, because we did not know and still do not know this today. And if conflicts arise due to the attitudes of different generations, we strive for empathy. Even in the world of work, we learn to coexist.
Dr. Levente Antal Szabó is a partner and managing director of the law firm LeitnerLeitner Szabó & Partners. In recent years, his work has focused on advising family businesses, corporate transactions, and competition law. His goal is to support organizational sustainability through legal advice and to ensure that the baton is passed smoothly from one generation to the next.