The International Union of Judicial Officers (UIHJ) has the pleasure of announcing that JUDr. Vladimír Plášil, LL.M., has been posthumously awarded the St. Yvo Special Prize as part of the Lawyer of the Year 2025 awards, in recognition of his outstanding contribution to the Czech justice system and to the enforcement profession.
JUDr. Vladimír Plášil was one of the key figures who shaped the modern form of the enforcement profession in the Czech Republic and supported its development within an international context. This distinction carries particular significance. In the 25-year history of the award, he became the first judicial officer ever to receive this honor. It represents both a personal tribute and an important recognition of the profession as an integral component of the judicial system.
The award was received during the gala evening by his wife, Mgr. Hana Plášilová Kaufmanová. In her speech, she paid tribute not only to his professional achievements but also to the values that guided his life and career, recalling that “Vladimír never forgot that behind the paragraphs of the law there are real human stories and destinies.”
Expertise, ethics and public service
For Vladimír Plášil, his work was above all a responsibility and a public service. He was known for being thorough, systematic and meticulous, while always preserving the human dimension of enforcement. He had the ability to engage in dialogue across legal professions and to seek balanced solutions, even where legal requirements met complex human realities.
The St. Yvo Special Prize therefore recognizes more than a professional career. It confirms that enforcement activities, when carried out lawfully, transparently and professionally, constitute a fundamental element in the implementation of the rule of law and the fair functioning of justice. The award symbolically underlines that enforcement is not a marginal discipline but a central pillar without which judicial decisions would often remain unenforced.
Building the profession and strengthening trust in justice
Vladimír Plášil stood at the very origins of the private enforcement profession in the Czech Republic. He was a founding member of the Chamber of Judicial Officers of the Czech Republic, a long-standing member of its Board, and from 2001 served as a judicial officer in Prague 7. He became President of the Chamber in 2018.
His presidency was marked by a strong emphasis on transparency and digitalization, contributing to greater efficiency in the Chamber’s work and improved communication with the public. He firmly believed that trust in justice is built not through declarations but through the daily quality of professional work, the culture of enforcement and the personal responsibility of those entrusted with its exercise.
International dimension and commitment to UIHJ
His legacy also extends beyond national borders. Vladimír Plášil actively supported international cooperation, the exchange of best practices and the strengthening of professional standards throughout Europe and worldwide. In this respect, his engagement with the International Union of Judicial Officers played an important role, reflecting his conviction that international dialogue is essential to improving enforcement systems and safeguarding the rights of parties to proceedings.
A legacy
Family members and professional colleagues remember Vladimír Plášil as a builder, a problem-solver and a man of long-term vision — a jurist who believed in the strength of legal rules as much as in individual responsibility. Above all, he demonstrated that even in demanding areas of law, it is possible to work with integrity, professionalism and deep respect for people.
That he became the first judicial officer to receive the St. Yvo Special Prize in its 25-year history is therefore not only a tribute to his life’s work, but also a powerful signal recognizing enforcement as an indispensable component of the Czech justice system and an effective instrument for upholding the rule of law.
