The Legal 500

Bonelli Erede Pappalardo represented Edizione in its debt-financed, voluntary tender offer for the issued and outstanding shares in its subsidiary, Benetton Group, and advised listed Italian company Buongiorno on DOCOMO Deutschland’s public tender offer to acquire all of Buongiorno’s shares. Milan-based Carlo Montagna is highly esteemed.

Chiomenti Studio Legale’s recent experience includes assisting Intesa Sanpaolo in its €5bn follow-on equity offering to its existing ordinary and saving shareholders; and acting for Avio, as issuer, and Cinven, as selling shareholder, on Avio’s proposed IPO. Rome-based Manfredi Vianini Tolomei, Antonella Brambilla and Federica Calmi are recommended, as is Milan-based Enrico Giordano.

Cleary Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton LLP’s Milan-based Pietro Fioruzzi is a key contact. Rome-based Giuseppe Scassellati-Sforzolini has experience in multi-jurisdictional equity offerings by Italian companies; and Claudio Di Falco has acted on international capital market transactions, including an exchange offer and a yankee bond issue.

Clifford Chance assisted lead manager Mediobanca and other banks on SAI Fondiaria’s €1.1bn capital increase in connection with its integration plan with Unipol; and acted for Syntegra Capital on the proposed IPO of Moleskine shares. Alberta Figari, Paolo Sersale and team head Filippo Emanuele are recommended.

Latham & Watkins LLP’s practice covers equity offerings, such as IPOs and secondary offerings, listings, and convertible bonds and other equity-linked products; and structured finance transactions, such as equity derivatives. The team advised Meridiana Fly on its capital increase. Milan-based Antonio Coletti and Maria Cristina Storchi are well regarded. Jeffrey Lawlis, who is based in London and Milan, is also a key contact.

Linklaters has recently acted on IPOs, rights issues and restructuring transactions. It acted as Italian and international legal counsel to UniCredit on its €7.5bn rights issue, which was the largest ever rights issue by an Italian bank. Claudia Parzani and Teresea Triglia, in Milan, are well regarded. Luigi Sensi left the firm to take up an academic position.

DLA Piper LLP advised Compagnia della Ruota, an Italian investment company that is focused on special situations, on its AIM Italia listing. Milan-based team head Francesco Maria Aleandri and Rome-based Luigi Rizzi are recommended. The firm recruited Rome-based Michael Bosco from Shearman & Sterling LLP.

Milan-based Anton Carlo Frau is d'Urso Gatti e Bianchi Studio Legale Associato’s principal contact. The team recently advised Edison on its €1.9bn public share offering.

Gianni, Origoni, Grippo, Cappelli & Partners’ recent highlights include advising Bank of America Merrill Lynch and Mediobanca on the demerger of De’ Longhi’s Professional Division and the listing of shares of the resulting entity, De’ Longhi Clima. Milan-based Fabio Ilacqua and Rome-based Paolo Iemma are the main contacts along with Andrea Marani, who divides time between the two offices.

Labruna Mazziotti Segni’s experience includes advising issuers and underwriters on transactions. Antonio Segni is well known for his experience in IPOs, rights offerings and tender offers on equity securities.

Legance Studio Legale Associato advised AXA on an option rights subscription agreement relating to Banca Monte dei Paschi di Siena’s share capital increase. Milan-based Bruno Bartocci and Giorgio Vanzanelli are well respected.

Studio Legale Riolo Calderaro Crisostomo e Associati represented Banca Popolare di Milano on its €800m share capital increase, which was offered to existing shareholders and convertible bond holders. Michele Crisostomo, Federico Vezzani and Fiona Chung are the principal practitioners.

White & Case LLP advised the eight underwriters of Unipol’s €1.1bn rights issue. Milan-based group head Michael Immordino and Nicholas Lasagna are recommended. The firm recruited Ferigo Foscari from Chiomenti Studio Legale.

NCTM Studio Legale Associato assisted Brunello Cucinelli with the listing of its shares on the Italian Stock Exchange. Milan-based Stefano Padovani and Lukas Plattner are key contacts. Milan-based Riccardo Papetti and Michaela Castelli joined from Studio Legale Associato in affiliation with Simmons & Simmons LLP, but Giuseppe Labianca departed to become Brunello Cucinelli’s legal affairs director.

Shearman & Sterling LLP is ‘very good for content and dedication’. It acted as Italian and US counsel to a consortium of 27 banks – led by joint global co-ordinators BofA Merrill Lynch, Mediobanca and UniCredit Corporate & Investment Banking – on UniCredit’s €7.5bn rights offering; and as US counsel to Banca Popolare di Milano (BPM) on its €800m rights issue. Rome-based Domenico Fanuele ‘meets deadlines and provides good advice’. Michael Bosco joined DLA Piper LLP.

Studio Legale Associato in affiliation with Simmons & Simmons LLP advised Cogeme Set, an automotive products manufacturer, on its capital increase as part of a creditors’ composition procedure. Milan-based Bernadetta Troisi is the key contact, after Riccardo Papetti and Michaela Castelli joined NCTM Studio Legale Associato.