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Petar Petrić
Episode · #152

MEDIJATOR Petar Petrić

Guest Petar PetrićHosted by Srđan ŠimacMay 3, 2026
About this episode
What you'll hear in this conversation

The early days of the pandemic presented a stark choice for businesses: freeze in panic or adapt at warp speed. For most, it was a forced pivot, but for some, it was a validation of a path already taken. Petar Petrić, founder of the Zagreb-based law firm Petrić i Kaić d.o.o., was one of the latter. His firm had already been championing technology in a traditionally conservative legal profession, even hosting a conference on the future of law a year prior. When the world shut down, they were uniquely positioned to observe and advise. Petrić offers a first-hand account of how entrepreneurs reacted to unprecedented external shock: the initial week of 'complete disbelief and shock,' followed by a rapid, often creative, reorientation. He shares what made this crisis different from others and how his firm, and many of their clients, quickly found new ways to operate. This conversation offers a look at resilience, not as a theoretical concept, but as a series of forced, immediate decisions made under pressure.

Insights from the conversation
What to take from this episode
01
A year before the pandemic forced most law firms online, Petar Petrić co-organised a conference called 'The Future of the Legal Profession,' advocating for technology and new ways of working. Many resisted the idea then; within months, the entire profession was forced to adopt these tools. The future isn't just coming; sometimes, it's forced on you overnight, validating the few who saw it coming.
02
Petrić observed that the initial 'complete disbelief and shock' among entrepreneurs lasted only about a week. Then, they quickly realised that 'waiting in their homes and doing nothing was not their mode of behaviour.' When external circumstances remove all familiar paths, the default for an entrepreneur isn't to stop, but to invent a new one.
03
What made the pandemic crisis unique, Petrić notes, was that 'not a single business owner got into trouble due to their own poor decisions or bad management.' When the cause of a downturn is external, the recovery isn't about fixing internal flaws; it's about holding onto optimism and finding new ways to operate.
04
Petrić recounts seeing fitness and dance schools move their entire offerings online, and restaurants transition to web-shops and delivery, all within a month. The speed with which diverse sectors can invent new delivery models, when forced, proves that innovation isn't always a choice; sometimes, it's the only way forward.
05
Every workday at Petrić's firm begins with a Zoom meeting at 8:30 or 9 AM, where all team members, regardless of location, discuss challenges, ideas, and deadlines. This structured, daily virtual check-in, he finds, can make a team even more efficient than when physically co-located, by removing commute times and enabling constant communication.
06
The host describes Petar Petrić as a 'new-breed lawyer of the 21st century' who 'breaks all the ingrained stereotypes about lawyers.' Often, the path to being seen as a new kind of professional in a conservative field isn't about grand gestures, but about quietly adopting tools and methods that others deem unnecessary until they become indispensable.
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