The Legal 500

Bonelli Erede Pappalardo provides ‘excellent response times, industry knowledge and realistic expectations’. Recent highlights include clawback actions, major shareholder litigation, construction disputes, high-value insolvencies, environmental disputes and international arbitration. Vittorio Allavena heads the team. Sergio Erede remains a principal contact.

Lombardi Molinari e Associati recently acted for Fininvest in an appeal against the judgment to pay €750m in damages to CIR in relation to the high-profile Lodo Mondadori dispute, and assisted the City of Milan in an action against four foreign banks acting as advisors and arrangers in a €1.685m bond issue. The team also represented Risanamento in its bankruptcy petition. Giuseppe Lombardi and Ugo Molinari are recommended.

Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer’s Rome-based Fabrizio Arossa represented British Gas with continuing €2bn civil claims brought within criminal proceedings concerning the Brindisi regasification plant project. In Milan, Enrico Castellani advised Deutsche Bank on a large dispute generated by the collapse of a joint venture related to the development of wind energy parks.

Gianni, Origoni, Grippo & Partners recruited Allen & Overy – Studio Legale Associato’s former litgation head Alberto Nanni. The team recently acted on three related Milan Chamber of Arbitration arbitral proceedings concerning a shareholders and directorship dispute, and assisted a major energy company in litigation proceedings against a consortium of companies. Antonio Auricchio, class action expert Daniele Vecchi and white-collar specialist Federico Busatta are recommended, as is founding partner GianBattista Origoni.

For some clients, ‘the best choice on the Italian market’, Pedersoli e Associati’s highlights included assisting the majority shareholders of a real estate company in connection with several civil proceedings brought by a minority shareholder. Andrea Magliani’s ‘pragmatic and grounded approach’ is praised, Filippo Casò ‘listens to his clients’, and Valeria Mazzoletti is ‘a superb litigator who wins really tough disputes’.

Chiomenti Studio Legale’s three-partner disputes team is headed by Andrea Bernava. The practice is especially noted for civil, commercial, corporate, banking and financial disputes.

A ‘class act’, Cleary Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton LLP was counsel to the Republic of Argentina in a claim brought at the International Centre for Settlement of Investment Disputes under the Argentina-Italy bilateral investment treaty. ‘Technically strong’ Ferdinando Emanuele is recommended.

NCTM Studio Legale Associato’s Paolo Pototschnig chairs the litigation department. Pototschnig specialises in commercial, corporate, banking and insurance disputes, as well as bankruptcy, TLC and energy cases. Alberto Toffoletto acts in domestic and international arbitration.

Allen & Overy – Studio Legale Associato’s Massimo Greco is experienced in civil, commercial and financial litigation, recently assisting financial institutions with cases relating to derivatives agreements. Greco also has considerable experience in regulatory arbitration matters, especially within the energy sector. Pasquale Cardellicchio is noted for banking, regulatory and insolvency-related issues. Former litgation head Alberto Nanni left for Gianni, Origoni, Grippo & Partners.

Studio Professionale Associato a Baker & McKenzie’s Gianfranco Di Garbo focuses on commercial and construction disputes. Di Garbo assisted an electronics and electrical engineering client in an arbitration proceeding involving a public tender and contractual liability. Claudio Camilli is also well versed in corporate litigation and arbitration.

Carnelutti Studio Legale Associato assisted Caboto Sim (now Intesa Sanpaolo) in litigation connected to investments in covered call warrants. Established client, Eurofly, is a client for all its disputes. ‘Even in tough times, Margherita Barié is calm and reflective, but can she be very strong when required’.

Led by Fabio Guastadisegni Clifford Chance’s recent work focused on advising banks, financial institutions and insurance firms on securities litigation. The team advised Standard & Poors on claims for damages brought by investors who invested in Lehman securities, marking the first time the civil liability of rating agencies was addressed in Italy.

De Berti Jacchia Franchini Forlani houses two partners wholly devoted to arbitration. The team successfully finalised multi-party settlement negotiations concerning the termination of longstanding distribution and retail agreements. Maria Cristina Franchini is ‘an outstanding professional’. Giovanni De Berti is recommended, and Roberto Jacchia is ‘creative and open to innovative solutions’.

Studio Legale De Nova’s Giorgio De Nova is frequently cited as a respected arbitration specialist and leading individual.

The recent merger to form Hogan Lovells Studio Legale added to the group’s list of major clients, instructions and spectrum of activities covered. It has strengths in product liability, product safety and commercial disputes, as well as banking and corporate disputes, insurance and arbitration, The practice assisted Google in various actions brought by Italian users concerning online services such as YouTube and Google Streetview. Product liability head Francesca Rolla is ‘flexible and responsive’, and ex-Norton Rose Studio Legale litigation head Cristina Pagni is well respected. Senior associate Filippo Chiaves is noted for contentious insolvency.

Labruna Mazziotti Segni stands out for mass tort actions, cross-border litigation, complex collective litigation and disputes in pharmaceutical and environmental matters. Highlights included assisting Unicredit Banca di Roma in Italy’s first ever class action proceedings, pursuant to the 2010 legislation. Enrico Zattoni is ‘smart, a pleasure to work with, and has deep knowledge of thepharma field’. Francesco Ruggeri Laderchi is also recommended.

Co-headed by Silvano Enne and Stefano Parlatore, ‘value-for-money firm’ Legance Studio Legale Associato recently advised on business-related disputes relating to unfair competition, breach of agency and distribution agreements, supply contracts, share purchase agreements, domestic and international sale of goods contracts, business torts, e-commerce, product liability, and IP infringements. The practice is also experienced in banking and insolvency litigations.

Studio Santa Maria acts in arbitrations, as well as international, domestic and environmental litigation. Alberto Santa Maria and Claudio Biscaretti di Ruffia are key contacts.

Studio Legale Schlesinger – Anelli’s leading individual Piero Schlesinger has a longstanding reputation for excellence within the local dispute resolution community.

Ilario Giangrossi and his team recently joined Ashurst from Pedersoli e Associati. Highlights included advising Carifirenze in arbitration proceedings against BNP Paribas in relation to the corporate control of Findomestic. Emanuella Agostinelli left for Piergrossi Bianchini Eversheds.

Bird & Bird LLP ‘impresses with its business acumen and industry knowledge’. The disputes practice includes telecoms-related antitrust litigation and IP disputes. Osvaldo Lombardi advised BPhone in an appeal proceeding concerning the misuse of market power by Telecom Italia of its fixed-line access. Stefano Pravettoni acts in commercial litigation. Edoardo Courir is also a key contact.

CMS Adonnino Ascoli & Cavasola Scamoni has built a standalone corporate fraud team. The practice has been involved in a growing number of national and international arbitrations.

Founded in 2006, Studio Legale Craca Pisapia Tatozzi acts in disputes connected to corporate matters, insolvency cases and real estate. The firm is also active in arbitration. Roberto Sacchi is recommended.

The ‘highly skilled’ team at DLA Piper recently welcomed Bruno Giuffrè from Giuffrè Scorcelli Rosa & Partners as team head, ‘bright lawyer’ David Marino as partner, and several associates. The practice acted in real estate-related arbitrations and potential class actions. Domenico Aiello is ‘reliable and precise’. Francesco Cerasi and Stefano Modenesi are well regarded.

Dewey & LeBoeuf Studio Legale is noted for both trial work and for acting in Italian and international arbitrations. Marco Consonni represented BravoFly and other online travel operators in pan-European litigation against Ryanair for alleged screen-scraping activities of the online travel agents on Ryanair’s website. Davide Contini is recommended. At Rome-based boutique Studio Legale Irti, Nicola Irti and Alfredo Irti lead a team of 15 lawyers specialising in litigation and arbitration. The ‘highly regarded’ Natalino Irti remains a key contact.

Macchi di Cellere Gangemi’s Silvia Lazzeretti leads the team. UBS was assisted in appeal proceedings concerning the merger of Edison into Italenergia.

At Studio Mariconda, Vincenzo Mariconda is praised by market experts for his dispute resolution experience.

Orrick, Herrington & Sutcliffe was joined by Tonucci & Partners in alliance with Mayer Brown LLP’s founding partner Riccardo Troiano as head of the arbitration and litigation practice in Italy. The team assisted a multinational energy group as defendant in a dispute concerning an alleged breach of an engineering contract. Luigi Colombo also has extensive experience in litigation.

Paul, Hastings, Janofsky & Walker (Europe) LLP’s lead disputes partner Francesca Petronio is ‘well prepared and knows her facts’. IKEA was assisted in disputes with general contractors. The team’s white-collar crime practice has grown considerably.

Pavia e Ansaldo fields a well-reputed team in litigation and arbitration for commercial and corporate matters, as well as intellectual property, employment, administrative and environmental cases.

Piergrossi Bianchini Eversheds welcomed Emanuella Agostinelli as partner from Ashurst. The team advised a Spanish company in arbitration against an Italian merchant bank connected to an aborted acquisition of a large waste management company in northern Italy. Giorgio Sacerdoti is noted for arbitration. Riccardo Buizza left for Studio Legale Associato con Withers LLP

Portolano Colella Cavallo Studio Legale’s dispute resolution practice is growing as a result of its Milan office’s expansion. It recently featured in a number of arbitrations. Noted predominantly for its strength in media and IT-related cases, the practice has also acted in insurance and commercial disputes.

Tonucci & Partners in alliance with Mayer Brown LLP offers ‘excellent response times and appropriate advice’. Giorgio Altieri heads the firm’s white-collar group and Nicola Romano is noted for bankruptcy and insolvency matters.