Italy > Private equity > Law firm and leading lawyer rankings

BonelliErede has a deep team and is regularly involved in key Italian private equity transactions. Private equity focus leader Umberto Nicodano advised GE on the sale of GE Capital Interbanca Group to Banca IFIS. Mario Roli is ‘very commercially aware and client-oriented, and great at meeting challenging deadlines’ – he assisted state-owned Singaporean investment company Temasek with its investment in Moncler. Alessandra Piersimoni is ‘dedicated to clients and has the rare combination of both legal expertise and commercial judgement’. Eliana Catalano, Andrea Carta Mantiglia and Vittorio Pomarici are also highly rated.

Chiomenti Studio Legale’s Milan-based private equity business unit head Luigi Vaccaro recently advised a shareholder group, led by Investindustrial and L Catterton on the sale of its investment in Stroili, an Italian affordable jewellery brand. Franco Agopyan acted for Charterhouse Capital Partners on the sale of DOC Generici, a distributor of generic equivalent medicines. Luca Fossati and Carlo Croff are also recommended.

Gattai Minoli Agostinelli & Partners advises on some of the largest private equity deals in Italy. Recent deals included assisting HG Capital and Bain Capital with the sale of TeamSystem, an Italian software company, to Hellman & Friedman and advising CVC on the acquisition of Italian generic drugs distributor, Doc Generici. Bruno Gattai, Riccardo Agostinelli, Piero Albertario and Nicola Brunetti are recommended. Other names to note include Sebastiano Cassani, Stefano Catenacci and Gerardo Gabrielli, as well as Laura Ortali, Cataldo Piccarreta and Lorenzo Vernetti.

Gianni, Origoni, Grippo, Cappelli & Partners regularly advises on retail, fashion and luxury, infrastructure, health and pharma-related private equity matters. Rome-based Roberto Cappelli advised private equity firms Hutton Collins and Three Hills Capital Partners on their exit from an investment in Dedalus, an Italian healthcare software group. Rome-based Francesco Gianni, Stefano Bucci and Renato Giallombardo are also recommended, as is Milan-based Gianluca Ghersini.

Cleary Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton LLP is recommended for high-end private equity transactions, where it can leverage support from the firm’s tax, employee benefits, leveraged finance, M&A and capital markets practices. The team advised Lone Star on its bid to acquire Grandi Stazioni’s retail business. Roberto Casati and Roberto Bonsignore are key contacts.

Clifford Chance’s Milan-based private equity group head Claudio Cerabolini recently led the advice to Apax Partners, which teamed up with NB Renaissance to take control of Engineering Ingegneria Informatica. Paolo Sersale and Alberta Figari are also recommended.

Latham & Watkins LLP’s ‘team is available 24 hours a day, is well prepared, and brings the acumen required to find new solutions’. It advised CVC on the acquisition of Italian gaming and payments operator, Sisal Group, from funds which were advised by Apax Partners, Permira and Clessidra. Local department chair Stefano Sciolla has ‘deep knowledge of the market’ and Jeffrey Lawlis is ‘great at negotiating with counterparts’. Antonio Coletti is also highly rated and Giovanni Sandicchi made partner.

Legance – Avvocati Associati has ‘great industry and regulatory knowledge, and represents great value for money’. The team recently advised Apax Partners on the sale of Rhiag-Inter Auto Parts Italia. Rome-based Filippo Troisi is recommended.

Linklaters’ highlights included advising HgCapital on the sale of TeamSystem, an Italy-based provider of software solutions, to US-based Hellman & Friedman. Practice head Giorgio Fantacchiotti, corporate specialist Pietro Belloni and Italy managing partner Andrea Arosio are highly rated.

The sectors in which NCTM Studio Legale advises its private equity clients include energy, industrial, manufacturing, financial services, food, pharmaceuticals, and luxury goods. The team advised Investcorp and Equistone (as equity sponsors) on the sale of N&W Global Vending to US private equity firm, Lone Star. Milan-based Simone De Carli and Paolo Montironi are recommended along with Pietro Zanoni, ‘a clever professional, whose key qualities are acumen, commitment and stamina’. Rome-based Piero Corigliano is ‘highly knowledgeable’ and Matteo Trapani is also well regarded.

Milan-based Goffredo Guerra heads DLA Piper’s department, which led advice to Vision Capital on the planned divestment of the food and beverage division of its portfolio company Bormioli Rocco. Alessandro Piermanni and Fabio del Bene are also key names; Francesco Satta exited for Pavia e Ansaldo.

Gatti Pavesi Bianchi Studio Legale Associato is experienced in advising Italian and foreign private equity funds, particularly in a transactional context, and Gianni Martoglia recently assisted NB Renaissance Partners with the buyout of Farnese Vini Group. Francesco Gatti, Stefano Valerio, Carlo Pavesi and Andrea Giardino are also recommended.

At Pedersoli Studio Legale, Milan-based Alessandro Marena recently advised Motion Equity Partners, the UK-based private equity firm, on the approximately €340m sale of Agrifarma to Permira Advisers. Milan-based Ascanio Cibrario, Elio Marena and Antonio Pedersoli are also recommended along with Turin-based Andrea Gandini, Marcello Magro and Carlo Re.

Studio Legale Associato in affiliation with Simmons & Simmons LLP advises private equity funds on investments, divestments, corporate governance and tax structures, as well as financings, restructurings and related disputes. It also advises on venture capital and turnaround funds. The team assisted Wise with the transfer of a stake in SPII to Schaltbau Holding. Andrea Accornero is recommended.

Allen & Overy – Studio Legale Associato’s client list includes private equity investors, arranging banks, management teams and investee companies. Milan-based Giovanni Gazzaniga advised J. C. Flowers & Co. on the sale of its majority stake in Equita SIM, an investment banking firm. Paolo Ghiglione is also highly rated.

Pavia e Ansaldo has substantial cross-border experience in advising private equity funds, sponsors, banks, and domestic and international investment companies on private equity and venture capital transactions. Stefano Bianchi and Roberto Zanchi in Milan are key contacts.