By teaming up with lawyers and other experts, Tomáš Nielsen, Partner in Nielsen Legal, has initiated a legal hackathon – Together, We Will Help – as expert reaction to the Czech government interventions to tackle the spread of COVID-19.
The legal hackathon aims to develop practical solutions to the challenges posed by the coronavirus pandemic, offer guidance and information for the public on the current situation, look for effective legal tools to protect the rights of individuals and businesses, and check that the government and public broadcasters obey the law even in times of the crisis.
Currently, the legal hackathon focuses on:
1. providing legal recommendations to businesses negatively impacted by the state of emergency;
2. providing legal recommendations to individuals negatively impacted by the state of emergency;
3. scrutinising the activities of the public broadcaster (Czech Television) in times of the coronavirus crisis; and
4. examining the legal liability of the state and public authorities for losses suffered.
“Our aim is not to search for the culprits behind today’s situation with twenty-twenty hindsight. We aim to provide legal support and guidance to anyone negatively impacted by the situation; to lend assistance in creating the rules to ensure that the crisis-related concepts of law are not misused and that there are clear guidelines for the government and public broadcasters on how to act in times of the crisis, whether as regards restricting fundamental rights, informing the public or managing public money; to make the accountable persons responsible for breaching their duties; and to make sure that the Czech Republic will be able to withstand a potential future crisis not only efficiently but also responsibly,” Tomáš Nielsen comments on the reasons for launching the initiative organised together with lawyer Jindřich Rajchl and IT Specialist Zdeněk Lokaj.