Overview
Restructuring remained a key theme for a number of law practices in Italy, not just in debt and insolvency matters, but company reorganisations also kept employment and tax lawyers busy. Dispute resolution teams stayed buoyant but the eagerly awaited 2010 class action law is yet to take off in a meaningful way.
Law firms in Italy have also been keen to ensure that they house viable energy law practices that can assist not only with the corporate and finance side, but also in the administrative law aspects.
Change remains commonplace in the Italian legal market. Corporate finance boutique MBL & Partners suffered the exit of almost half the partnership, including senior partner Daniele Bonvicini and managing partner Roberto Ludergnani, who left to found Milan and Bologna-based BLF Studio Legale. MBL & Partners has since been renamed Marena Castorino D’Angelo & Fagotto.
Domestic legal giant Gianni, Origoni, Grippo & Partners recently recruited Allen & Overy – Studio Legale Associato’s former litgation head Alberto Nanni and reinforced its ranks in Padua with the arrival of corporate partner, Paolo Brugnera, and financial institutions litigator Paolo Gnignati from Simmons & Simmons, whose Rome office also endured several partner and associate departures to DLA Piper. Norton Rose Studio Legale launched a new antitrust department in Milan when Andrea Zulli joined from Linklaters. Clifford Chance witnessed another spinoff when Massimo La Torre left to form Grasso La Torre Morgese Cesàro and founding partner Gianfranco Negri-Clementi left NCTM Studio Legale Associato to form Negri-Clementi Studio Legale Associato.
Others continue to look further afield. Aside from opening in Rome, NCTM Studio Legale Associato was granted a licence to carry out business in Shanghai, following in the footsteps of Chiomenti Studio Legale that has a licence to practise both in Beijing and in Shanghai.