The Legal 500 > DLA Piper > Milan, ITALY

Italy

Administrative and public law

Administrative and public law - ranked: tier 2

DLA Piper

DLA Piper covers the whole spectrum of administrative and public law matters, including environmental, regulatory, public procurement, planning and zoning issues, and caters in particular for clients from the energy, real estate and life sciences sectors. Germana Cassar, who is praised for her ‘professional behaviour and excellent skills’, has been assisting Trans Adriatic Pipeline with the Italian law aspects of the pipeline project to transport natural gas from the Caspian Sea to Western Europe. Giorgia Romitelli is ‘outstanding in terms of preparation, competences and experience in her field’ and defended Asolo Hospital Service in a dispute filed by Coopservice concerning the right of a minority shareholder to be preferred in respect to a third party in the assignment of services. Francesco Cerasi heads the team. Guido Alberto Inzaghi and Simone Pisani joined BIP - Belvedere Inzaghi & Partners in October 2017, and counsel Rosemarie Serrato left in February 2018 to join Nctm Studio Legale.

Leading individuals

Giorgia Romitelli - DLA Piper

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Banking and finance: Bank regulatory

Banking and finance: Bank regulatory - ranked: tier 4

DLA Piper

DLA Piper's 'team comprises high-value, talented professionals who are very experienced'. It provides regulatory advice on banking, securities brokerage and investment services, asset management, electronic money and payment services, and AML matter. Rome’s Agostino Papa, Vincenzo La Malfa and of counsel Danilo Quattrocchi are key practitioners.

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Banking and finance: Borrower side

Banking and finance: Borrower side - ranked: tier 3

DLA Piper

DLA Piper 'anticipates future issues and finds the right solutions'. The team advises on leveraged and corporate lending and is regularly involved in major syndicated lending transactions; it is also highly regarded for project financing and real estate finance. Federico Zucconi Galli Fonseca led advice to Four Investments on a financing from UBI Banca and Banco BPM for the acquisition and development of a hotel in Milan. Antonio Lombardo heads the corporate and finance department in Italy; other highly rated practitioners are Francesco De Gennaro, Agostino Papa, Giovanni Ragnoni Bosco Lucarelli, Francesco Ferrari, Ugo Calò and Francesco Novelli. Claudio D’Alia is a key legal director, and Chiara Anceschi and 'highly prepared banking lawyer' Giuseppe Mele were hired from Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer and BonelliErede, respectively.

Leading individuals

Antonio Lombardo - DLA Piper

Next Generation Partners

Claudio D’Alia - DLA Piper

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Banking and finance: lender or arranger side

Banking and finance: lender or arranger side - ranked: tier 3

DLA Piper

DLA Piper 'has strong capacity and always delivers on time'. The practice is well known for leveraged and corporate lending (including acquisition finance), syndicated lending, project financing and real estate finance. Antonio Lombardo heads the corporate and finance department in Italy; Lombardo and Ugo Calò advised Banca IMI and Banca Popolare di Milano on three facilities granted to E2E. Other highly rated practitioners are Francesco De Gennaro, Federico Zucconi Galli Fonseca, Agostino Papa, Giovanni Ragnoni Bosco Lucarelli, Francesco Ferrari and Francesco Novelli. Claudio D’Alia is a key legal director and Chiara Anceschi and Giuseppe Mele were hired from Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer and BonelliErede, respectively.

Leading individuals

Antonio Lombardo - DLA Piper

Next Generation Partners

Claudio D’Alia - DLA Piper

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Capital markets: Debt

Capital markets: Debt - ranked: tier 4

DLA Piper

DLA Piper advises on the issuance and subscription of all types of debt securities and acts in securitisation transactions. The team is also experienced in the minibond market The client list includes UniCredit and Alitalia. Luciano Morello heads the Italian DCM practice.

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Capital markets: Equity

Capital markets: Equity - ranked: tier 3

DLA Piper

With a particular focus on cross-border transactions, DLA Piper advises on IPOs, rights issues, tender offers, secondary offerings and convertible, equity-linked and hybrid instruments. Francesco Maria Aleandri advised the issuer on HSD's MTA listing.

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Commercial, corporate and M&A

Commercial, corporate and M&A - ranked: tier 3

DLA Piper

DLA Piper 'leaves clients fully satisfied'. The corporate department has experienced an increase of instructions in the food, fashion, technology, manufacturing and energy sectors; Danilo Surdi assisted Italmobiliare with the acquisition of a 40% stake in privately-held Italian locks and security device manufacturer, Iseo. In other areas, Goffredo Guerra advised Laureate Education on the Italian aspects of the sale of its Italian and Cypriot universities. Wolf Michael Kühne's 'support is extraordinary and his knowledge is outstanding'. Other highly rated advisers are Fabio del Bene, Francesco Novelli, Alessandro Piermanni, Giulio Maroncelli and Matteo Almini.

Leading individuals

Goffredo Guerra - DLA Piper

Next Generation Partners

Danilo Surdi - DLA Piper

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Compliance

Compliance - ranked: tier 1

DLA Piper

DLA Piper's practice covers corporate compliance programmes, internal and regulatory investigations and defence in criminal matters, anti-bribery and corruption, AML issues and data protection compliance. It advised Valagro, which produces and commercialises biostimulants and specialty nutrients, on the implementation of compliance programmes. Rome-based Raffaella Quintana heads the white-collar crime, investigations and compliance practice within the litigation and regulatory department; Antonio Carino in Milan is also a key adviser.

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Dispute resolution

Dispute resolution - ranked: tier 2

DLA Piper

The sizeable team at DLA Piper provides comprehensive advice on a wide range of contentious work, including corporate, financial and commercial litigation and arbitration. Stefano Modenesi heads the team. In recent work, the group defended Fondo Italiano d’Investimento and the directors and auditors appointed by the client in manufacturing company Zeis Excelsa in a claim brought by a minority shareholder regarding alleged serious irregularities in the administration of the company. In 2018, counsel Alessia Marconi joined from Studio Legale Associato a Watson Farley & Williams and Davide Rossetti was promoted to partner. White-collar crimes expert Raffaella Quintana, Alessandro Lanzi, Italy managing partner Bruno Giuffré and Francesco Cerasi are other names to note.

Leading individuals

Bruno Giuffré - DLA Piper

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EU and competition law

EU and competition law - ranked: tier 2

DLA Piper

The ‘well organised, flexible and committed’ team at DLA Piper provides ‘high-quality and pragmatic advice, adopting a smart sector approach’. Practice co-head Alessandro Boso Caretta, who has ‘strong technical legal skills and an outstanding ability to solve problems’, successfully represented Vodafone Automotive in proceedings regarding an alleged anti-competitive agreement concerning long-term rental and fleet management markets involving 17 companies. Fellow co-head Domenico Gullo acted for Consorzio Bancomat before the ICA in a review of the measures limiting multilateral interchange fees applied to transactions with debit cards within the domestic debit scheme.

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Employment

Employment - ranked: tier 2

DLA Piper

DLA Piper’s areas of expertise includes collective dismissals, industrial relations, social security law issues related to M&A matters, reorganisations and employee transfers. Practice co-head Fabrizio Morelli advised HCL Technologies Italy on the transfer of employees from IBM and the drafting of settlement agreements; fellow co-head Giampiero Falasca assisted Pfizer with several employment-related matters, including designing an innovative welfare plan for employees. On the contentious side, the group is defending Almaviva against 1,000 claims filed by former employees following a large company restructuring and mass dismissal procedure.

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Industry focus: Energy

Industry focus: Energy - ranked: tier 1

DLA Piper

DLA Piper is active in M&A, project financing, civil litigation, regulatory and white-collar criminal defence. A team led by regulatory specialist Germana Cassar, 'pure energy lawyer' Francesco Novelli and M&A partner Giulio Maroncelli is advising on the administrative, corporate, competition, contractual and employment aspects of the Trans Adriatic Pipeline; this is a project designed to facilitate the transportation of natural gas from the Caspian Sea to Italy and Western Europe. The firm also assisted Credito Valtellinese and the Milan branch of Natixis, as lender and agent respectively, with the structuring of a multimillion-euro project financing of Wind Farm Rocchetta. Giovanni Ragnoni Bosco Lucarelli is the name to note for project finance expertise.

Leading individuals

Francesco Novelli - DLA Piper

Germana Cassar - DLA Piper

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Industry focus: Food

Industry focus: Food - ranked: tier 2

DLA Piper

The food and beverage group at DLA Piper is active in corporate and M&A, employment, IP and litigation. Wolf Michael Kühne is the head of the practice. Highlights included successfully acting for Mondelēz International in a patent infringement litigation pertaining to its product Philadelphia cheese. Goffredo Guerra has 'wonderful business acumen' and associate Elena Varese is 'a very skilled IP and advertising lawyer, with extensive experience of the beverages industry'.

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Industry focus: Healthcare and life sciences

Industry focus: Healthcare and life sciences - ranked: tier 1

DLA Piper

DLA Piper fields a dedicated healthcare sector team, which complements its life sciences practice; both groups are praised by clients as 'efficient', providing assistance with corporate and M&A, finance, IP, white-collar criminal law issues, competition and litigation matters. Recent highlights include assisting Italian pharmaceutical company Dompé with coordinating a cross-jurisdictional IP and compliance project, and representing Immucor Italia in administrative law proceedings over public tender procedures. Antonio Carino has 'terrific technical skills'. Associates Raffaele Perfetto and Veronica Rossetti 'work hard to meet client expectations'. Roberto Valenti and Vito Biscelgie are also recommended. Marco de Morpurgo joined from Allen & Overy - Studio Legale Associato in October 2018. Of counsel Marina Rubini left for an in-house position.

Leading individuals

Roberto Valenti - DLA Piper

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Industry focus: Manufacturing

Industry focus: Manufacturing - ranked: tier 1

DLA Piper

In June 2018, DLA Piper established a cross-practice group focused on serving clients in the industrial sector, as part of its focus on certain key industries. Led by Alessandro Piermanni, its team undertakes corporate and M&A, compliance work and litigation, among other matters. Permiani and others assisted Ecoflam (a specialist in combustion technologies) with its acquisition of Burning & Combusters Equipment. Another ongoing mandate has involved representing Alpinestars (a manufacturer of clothing and protective gear for motorsports) in cross-jurisdictional patent infringement litigation against Dainese over motorcycle airbag technologies. Wolf Michael Kühne is another key contact.

Leading individuals

Wolf Michael Kühne - DLA Piper

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Industry focus: Retail

Industry focus: Retail - ranked: tier 1

DLA Piper

The cross-practice retail, fashion and design department at DLA Piper is jointly led by Davide Rossetti and associate Elena Varese. The team represented Duracell in trade mark infringement cases concerning the pink rabbit mascot and colour combination of its batteries. Another highlight involved advising Jacobs Douwe Egberts on a corporate joint venture with Natex Dispenser Division for the management of '12oz Coffee Joint' branded cafes in Italy. Starbucks, Luxottica and Valentino are other major clients of the firm.

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Industry focus: TMT

Industry focus: TMT - ranked: tier 1

DLA Piper

DLA Piper's TMT practice group 'combines strong technical expertise with a deep knowledge of the local market'. Key areas of work include corporate and M&A, regulatory, litigation and IP. Practice head Giulio Coraggio and associate Giulia Zappaterra assisted Audi with the privacy, commercial, regulatory and liability aspects of its cross-jurisdictional connected car project, which involves significant digitalisation of vehicles. The firm also successfully represented Vodafone Italia in an appeal of a first instance decision to award BT compensation for an alleged abuse of a dominant position by the client in the provision of electronic communications wholesale services. Alessandro Boso Caretta is recommended for his 'incredibly thorough and multidisciplinary understanding of the telecoms sector'. The firm saw a number of new arrivals and departures this year. Former team head Giangiacomo Olivi left for Dentons in April 2018.

Leading individuals

Alessandro Boso Caretta - DLA Piper

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Industry focus: luxury goods

Industry focus: luxury goods - ranked: tier 1

DLA Piper

The fashion, retail and design group at DLA Piper is 'always available, very professional and has excellent knowledge of the industry'. Davide Rossetti and associate Elena Varese jointly lead the team, for whom the mainstays of the practice are matters involving areas such as corporate, employment, real estate, litigation and IP. A major highlight saw the firm successfully represent Franklin & Marshall in a trade mark dispute against Franklin & Marshall College. Varese and Giulio Coraggio are 'ideal to work with from a business point of view'. The group has undergone significant expansion at associate level.

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Intellectual property

Intellectual property - ranked: tier 2

DLA Piper

Intellectual Property: Copyright - ranked: tier 1

DLA Piper

DLA Piper has 'an unmatched combination of know-how and responsiveness’ and is noted for its patent, trade mark, copyright and designs enforcement and protection work. The ‘extremely competent’ Gualtiero Dragotti, who is able to ‘find the best strategy for the client’, successfully acted for Mondelēz International in relation to an articulated patent infringement and validity proceeding in the field of lactic bacteria, and is acting for pet food company Morando in several trade mark disputes with major global competitors. Roberto Valenti also attracts praise for ‘giving clear and pragmatic advice’. Marina Rubini left to take up an in-house role in April 2018, and Giangiacomo Olivi and associate Sara Balice joined Dentons and Herbert Smith Freehills respectively. Alessandro Ferrari recently made partner.

Leading individuals

Gualtiero Dragotti - DLA Piper

Roberto Valenti - DLA Piper

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Investment funds

Investment funds - ranked: tier 2

DLA Piper

DLA Piper's 'output is always of a high quality'. The team assists with the legal and regulatory aspects surrounding the asset management sector, including fund establishment, governance structures and capital requirements, and relations with investors and supervisory authorities. Agostino Papa acted for Serenissima on the setting up and structuring of a real estate-reserved alternative investment fund (AIF) that focuses on senior housing and health and social care, in partnership with French operator Orpea; Nicoletta Alfano is a lead lawyer.

Leading individuals

Agostino Papa - DLA Piper

Next Generation Partners

Nicoletta Alfano - DLA Piper

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Private equity

Private equity - ranked: tier 3

DLA Piper

DLA Piper advises PE funds, management teams and acquisition finance providers on PE investments; assists entrepreneurs with investments made in their companies by PE funds; acts for investors on the conditions of investments made in third party funds; and advises funds on fundraising processes. Alessandro Piermanni acted for Luxembourg-based private equity firm ASC Investment on the acquisition of Vitrablok, a specialist glass block manufacturer. Other names to note are Goffredo Guerra, Fabio del Bene and Matteo Almini.

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Real estate and construction

Real estate and construction - ranked: tier 1

DLA Piper

Jointly led by the ‘knowledgeable’ Francesco De Blasio in Rome and Paolo Foppiani in Milan, DLA Piper ‘is able to provide strong and high-level advice on any kind of real estate transaction’. Olaf Schmidt is also highly regarded; he recently acted for developer Omnam on the purchase of two historic properties in the centre of Rome and assisted Kildare Partners with the indirect purchase of more than 200 real estate assets from Banca Intesa through a fund structure. The Student Hotel Group received advice on the acquisition of a development plot in the centre of Florence and on the related town planning issues. The group welcomed Giuseppe Mele and Chiara Anceschi in December 2017 and February 2018 from BonelliErede and Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer respectively. Guido Inzaghi left in October 2017 to join BIP - Belvedere Inzaghi & Partners, while senior counsel Rosemarie Serrato joined Nctm Studio Legale in February 2018.

Leading individuals

Olaf Schmidt - DLA Piper

Next Generation Partners

Paolo Foppiani - DLA Piper

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Restructuring and insolvency

Restructuring and insolvency - ranked: tier 2

DLA Piper

DLA Piper experienced an increase in distressed M&A deals and is known for real estate portfolio acquisitions in pre-insolvency situations; restructuring-related fund incorporation; assisting lenders and investors with shipping-related restructuring and special opportunities investments; and insolvency-related litigation. Antonio Lombardo assisted a pool of Italian banks with a €500m debt restructuring. Francesco De Gennaro, Ugo Calò, Luca Magrini and Federico Zucconi Galli Fonseca are also key contacts; Chiara Anceschi was hired from Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer.

Leading individuals

Antonio Lombardo - DLA Piper

Francesco De Gennaro - DLA Piper

Next Generation Partners

Luca Magrini - DLA Piper

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Tax

Tax - ranked: tier 2

DLA Piper

DLA Piper is 'extremely knowledgeable and practical'. The practice is well known for tax audits and litigation, cross-border reorganisations, tax restructuring, M&A, wealth planning and transfer pricing; it has also assisted with the implementation of the Italian patent box regime, which applies a reduced taxation for income deriving from the exploitation of IP rights. The team advised VF International, known for branded lifestyle apparel, footwear and accessories, on transfer pricing matters. Antonio Tomassini and Christian Montinari co-head the tax department; Alessandro Martinelli is known for tax litigation, tax compliance and international taxation; and the 'outstanding' Andrea di Dio 'intelligently hones in on the best way forward'. Antonio Martino is a highly regarded of counsel and Federico Pacelli, who is responsible for the Italian transfer pricing practice, joined from BonelliErede.