The Legal 500

Within Administrative law Other recommended firms

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Within Banking and finance, tier 4

Cleary Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton LLP’s Milan-based Roberto Bonsignore is ‘excellent; his advice and local market knowledge are invaluable’. Rome counsel Claudio Di Falco is also highly rated. Counsel Carlo de Vito Piscicelli, who returned to Europe from New York, splits his time between Milan and London. The team advised Sogefi on negotiating a five-year term and revolving credit agreement worth €200m with a pool of lenders led by ING Bank.

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Within Corporate and M&A Milan and Rome, Cleary Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton LLP is a second tier firm,

Cleary Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton LLP recently advised Angelo Moratti, Gian Marco Moratti and Massimo Moratti on the €178.5m sale of a 13.7% stake in Saras to Rosneft JV Projects; and subsequently represented Saras in the voluntary €94.9m partial tender offer launched by Rosneft JV Projects to purchase a 7.29% stake in Saras. Milan-based Roberto Bonsignore ‘does a great job of helping to contextualise and understand Italian matters’, Roberto Casati and Pietro Fioruzzi are recommended, and Rome-based Giuseppe Scassellati-Sforzolini is also highly rated.

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Within Dispute resolution, Cleary Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton LLP is a second tier firm,

Cleary Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton LLP recently successfully defended three HSBC Holdings companies and other entities against all damages claims brought by Independent Global Managers in connection with HSBC’s role as custodian of Thema International Fund; the case was the first Italian decision in the Madoff fraud litigation. Rome-based Ferdinando Emanuele and Milan-based Carlo Santoro are highly rated.

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Within Energy, Cleary Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton LLP is a third tier firm,

Cleary Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton LLP advised Angelo Moratti, Gian Marco Moratti and Massimo Moratti on the sale to Rosneft JV Projects of a 13.70% stake in Saras, an Italian oil refinery and energy company.

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Within EU, regulatory and competition law, Cleary Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton LLP is a first tier firm,

Cleary Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton LLP remains the ‘top antitrust and competition law firm in Italy’. The practice provides EU and Italian law advice to some of the largest Italian and multinational companies regarding matters such as abuse of dominant positions, state aid, restrictive agreements or practices. It also acts for clients in subsequent appeals before national and international courts and institutions, and has experience in merger clearances. Rome-based Mario Siragusa and Pietro Merlino are ‘very experienced, diligent and client-oriented’. In Rome, Marco D’Ostuni and Giuseppe Scassellati-Sforzolini are recommended along with counsels Cesare Rizza and Pietro Merlino. Counsel Matteo Beretta in Milan is another key adviser.

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Within Restructuring and insolvency, Cleary Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton LLP is a third tier firm,

Cleary Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton LLP’s recent experience includes advising the senior secured bondholders on Seat Pagine Gialle’s debt restructuring.

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Within Tax, tier 4

Cleary Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton LLP’s ‘service levels are of high quality’. The team acted for Europa TV in a successful appeal before the Italian Supreme Court on the notion of abuse of law raised by a second instance tax court. Rome-based Vania Petrella is ‘smart and responsive’.

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Within TMT, tier 4

Cleary Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton LLP advises IT, media and telecoms clients on the full scope of matters including corporate transactions, regulatory matters, investigations and disputes on issues related to patents, licensing, and abuses of dominant positions.

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Within Capital markets: Debt, Cleary Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton LLP is a third tier firm,

Cleary Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton LLP was Italian, US and international counsel to issuer Fiat Finance and Trade – and guarantor Fiat – in Fiat Finance and Trades’ €850m notes offering. Rome-based Giuseppe Scassellati-Sforzolini is ‘knowledgeable and commercial’; and Pietro Fioruzzi in Milan is also well regarded.

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Within Capital markets: Equity, Cleary Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton LLP is a third tier firm,

Rome-based Giuseppe Scassellati-Sforzolini and Milan-based Pietro Fioruzzi are the key advisers at Cleary Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton LLP, which acted as international counsel to The Hellenic Republic in connection with its exchange of Greek bonds held by private sector creditors; the matter marked the largest-ever bond exchange.

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