Dr. Szentkláray Bence LL.M.
Professional career path
I began my professional career in my second year of university at a law firm specializing in international economic law at a high level. First as an intern, then as a translator, and later as a liquidator, I gained experience in the founding, operation, and liquidation of an international bank during my university years. I spent the last two years of university working in Vienna, assisting in the liquidation of the Austro-Hungarian Bank. I also wrote my thesis in connection with liquidation proceedings.
As a trainee lawyer, I first worked at the legal department of an international bank, then at the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, working on legislative drafting representing the law firm; upon the conclusion of this, I handled economic and compensation cases.
After my time as a trainee lawyer, I lived in Egypt for seven years. I started working at a diving center in Hurghada, and seven years later, I was the owner of five diving centers and a bar. I held more than 15 instructor trainer and 30 instructor certifications across five diving organizations in recreational, technical, mixed-gas, and rebreather diving. Furthermore, I obtained trainer certifications in trimix gas blending, oxygen administration, first aid, and other specialized areas related to diving. The Arab Spring and the tragic bus accident in Hurghada brought about my return home and a renewed momentum for practicing law.
Upon returning, while preparing for the bar exams, the Hurghada bus accident defined my professional interest. I knew several of the victims personally through diving and Hurghada, so with an excellent colleague, we took on the case, which defined my next 11 years until its conclusion. After passing the bar exams, I founded the Szentkláray Law Firm.
My interest in civil liability law became definitive; I took on more and more compensation and personality rights cases and fewer economic law matters. To refresh and expand my knowledge, I completed the specialist postgraduate program in compensation law at Pázmány Péter Catholic University, and since then, I have dealt almost exclusively with accidents involving personal injury, personality rights violations, and neighbor law violations.