The Italian report – Midway upon the journey of our life

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The Italian report – Midway upon the journey of our life

Visiting Milan at the end of 2019, it was striking that a map of law firms’ office addresses drawn up just the year before was no longer reliable: too many had moved, taken up larger premises… or no longer existed.

Finding our way to meetings with 20 partners at domestic and international firms, an unusual buzzword was emerging: consolidation. ‘There are too many Italian firms and there is not space for everyone, so they need to consolidate,’ argues one Milan-based partner of a foreign firm. Continue reading “The Italian report – Midway upon the journey of our life”

International round-up: Squires enters Italy as NRF shuts Bahrain outpost

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International round-up: Squires enters Italy as NRF shuts Bahrain outpost

Squire Patton Boggs has entered the Italian legal market with a four-partner Milan base while Norton Rose Fulbright has become the latest to join a long series of office closures in the Middle East.

Squires said today (23 January) it has picked the Northern Italian city for its 45th office with a team from US rival Curtis, Mallet-Prevost, Colt & Mosle, led by Italy managing partner Galileo Pozzoli. Continue reading “International round-up: Squires enters Italy as NRF shuts Bahrain outpost”

Italian legal market consolidates as local champion Bonelli merges with rival Lombardi

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Italian legal market consolidates as local champion Bonelli merges with rival Lombardi

The leadership of Slaughter and May’s Italian ally, BonelliErede, claims the firm has moved far ahead of its competitors after the recent takeover of litigation and corporate independent, Lombardi e Associati.

In a significant move for a market traditionally used to schisms, the merger – effective from July – sees Bonelli strengthen its position as the largest of the country’s three champions, growing its lawyer headcount by 70 to more than 500. Continue reading “Italian legal market consolidates as local champion Bonelli merges with rival Lombardi”

BonelliErede shakes up Italian legal market to merge with 70-strong rival Lombardi

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BonelliErede shakes up Italian legal market to merge with 70-strong rival Lombardi

Slaughter and May Italian ally BonelliErede is to merge with litigation and corporate independent firm Lombardi e Associati, strengthening its position as the largest player among the country’s three champions.

Bonelli’s partnership unanimously approved the move on Saturday (25 May) and as of July the firm will take on around 70 lawyers, growing its headcount to more than 500. Continue reading “BonelliErede shakes up Italian legal market to merge with 70-strong rival Lombardi”

Letter from… Milan: Living in style yet still playing the generation game

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Letter from… Milan: Living in style yet still playing the generation game

‘All the top people in this country have grey hair,’ notes one Milan playmaker. It is a truth Italians know all too well: those pulling the strings of the country’s politics and economy are often years past the average European age of retirement. And law is no exception.

The country’s top firms still owe their success to a few veteran rainmakers and their decade-old connections. Individuals like Sergio Erede, Michele Carpinelli and Francesco Gianni, all past 65, still define Italy’s legal market more than 20 years since foreign advisers first arrived in scale. The three largest independents – BonelliErede, Chiomenti and Gianni, Origoni, Grippo, Cappelli & Partners – all generate comfortably over €100m (exact figures must be taken with a pinch of salt).

Continue reading “Letter from… Milan: Living in style yet still playing the generation game”

The Italian job: Dentons opens in Rome a year after Milan launch

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With its sights currently set on deepening its European coverage, Dentons has expanded its presence in Italy by opening an office in Rome, its second branch in the country in less than 12 months.

After launching in Milan in October last year, Dentons has opened the Rome office with hires made earlier this year in Milan, including antitrust partner Michele Carpagnano and corporate partner Luca Pocobelli as well as a team of associates.

Continue reading “The Italian job: Dentons opens in Rome a year after Milan launch”

European tax boost for Shearman as it becomes BFs with Tremonti

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Shearman & Sterling has boosted it European tax offering by entering into a ‘best friends’ cooperation agreement with tier one Italian tax practice Tremonti Vitali Romagnoli Piccardi e Associati.

The firms have previously worked together on high profile transactions for corporates and financial institutions and will remain fully independent but will now jointly pitch for work from both Italian and international clients. Continue reading “European tax boost for Shearman as it becomes BFs with Tremonti”