Italy

Milan, 19th January 2026 – Delfino e Associati Willkie Farr & Gallagher LLP announces the appointment of Riccardo Sgrò as Partner. Mr. Sgrò has developed extensive experience in handling complex extraordinary transactions, both domestically and cross-border, advising leading credit institutions, distressed companies, investment funds, and institutional investors on debt restructuring and turnaround processes. In addition to his professional practice, Riccardo Sgrò is involved in teaching activities and is the author of publications and specialist articles on insolvency proceedings and corporate crisis law. Commenting on the appointment, Mr. Delfino stated: “Riccardo Sgrò, with his outstanding track record, strengthens the Firm’s presence in the restructuring and special situations finance sector, bringing expertise that will be highly valued by our Italian and international clients.” Delfino e Associati Willkie Farr & Gallagher LLP is a law firm based in Milan and Rome, operating in association with Willkie Farr & Gallagher LLP in the areas of Private Equity and M&A, Corporate Restructuring and Insolvency, Corporate Governance, Italian and international Regulatory and Compliance, Banking and Finance, Litigation, Employment Law, Taxation, and other practice areas. The Firm was established in 2000. Riccardo Sgrò    

Milan, January 19, 2026 – LawaL Legal & Tax Advisory announces the addition of Roberto Romito as partner of its Rome office. Romito, with consolidated experience in international and EU taxation, specializes in cross-border financial transactions (outbound and inbound). For many years, he has been supporting foreign entities such as companies and institutional investors operating in the Italian market, providing, in particular, assistance in the recovery of taxes unduly paid in Italy. This tax refund activity (executed in compliance with the provisions of national legislation, double taxation agreements, EU directives and the guidelines provided by the EU Court of Justice) is carried out through discussions with the competent tax authorities, up to and including the tax litigation stage if necessary. Romito has gained previous work experience at leading national and international law and tax firms assisting national and multinational groups in the areas of corporate taxation and business restructuring. He also gained two years' experience at an overseas firm belonging to a global network, dealing with EU tax issues and the impact of EU Court of Justice rulings on Member State tax regimes. Joining him at Lawal is Elena Mastromauro, a Supreme Court Lawyer (Avvocato Cassazionista) with over twenty years' experience in taxation, specializing in tax litigation, primarily gained in international firms. She specializes in assisting with refund claims submitted by foreign entities and pending at the Centro Operativo di Pescara (COP) of the Italian Tax Authorities (competent Italian Office for refunds requested by non-residents) as well as managing the recovery of undue taxes (direct and VAT), in both pre-litigation and litigation proceedings. Over the years, Romito and his team have successfully helped several foreign investors — including companies, pension funds, and investment funds — to recover taxes withheld in Italy on investments in Italian equities or bonds, and on loans granted to Italian entities. Lawal intends to strengthen this specific area of interest by creating a dedicated withholding tax refund business unit (WHT RBU), thereby meeting the needs of the financial market. Lawal currently has around 70 professionals in its four offices in Milan, Rome, Turin and Paris.

Delfino e Associati Willkie Farr & Gallagher LLP successfully assisted Polymarket.com in the administrative appeal before the Regional Administrative Court (TAR) against the order requiring the site to be blocked. On 15 December 2025, the Italian Agency for Customs and Monopolies ordered the immediate restoration of access to polymarket.com, which had originally been blocked by the same Agency pursuant to its powers to remove services and products deemed non-compliant with the regulations governing gaming and betting. Polymarket.com is a platform hosting so-called prediction markets on real-world events, ranging from politics and current affairs to economics and sports, with the stated aim of aggregating the forecasts of the “wisdom of crowds” in order to generate real-time statistics and polling data. In addition to predictive surveys, the platform also includes a feature that allows users to place bets—using cryptocurrencies, in particular the USDC stablecoin—on the outcomes of the reported events. Delfino e Associati Willkie Farr & Gallagher LLP secured the revocation of the Agency’s blocking order with respect to all website functionalities unrelated to so-called prediction markets, thereby allowing users connecting from Italy to access all news, surveys, and information available on the site. This significant result was achieved by the team at Delfino e Associati Willkie Farr & Gallagher LLP, led by Attorney Roberto Cursano (pictured). Alongside Attorney Cursano, Attorneys Francesca Romana Baratta and Riccardo Ovidi assisted the client throughout all stages of the administrative proceedings. “The revocation of the original blocking order against polymarket.com, obtained following the filing of the appeal before the Regional Administrative Court of Lazio,” notes Roberto Cursano, partner at Delfino e Associati Willkie Farr & Gallagher LLP, “represents a particularly important precedent in the context of the regulation of digital services and innovative platforms. It confirms the need for a rigorous, proportionate, and case-by-case application of restrictive measures adopted by administrative authorities, especially when such measures affect access to online services and the freedom of information and economic initiative.”

Milan, December 22, 2025 – LawaL Legal & Tax Advisory expands its structure and strengthens its consulting services with the arrival of Pierpaolo Maio, as Partner, and the establishment of the new Data Governance & Strategy department. With a solid background in Digital Compliance, Life Sciences Law, and Data Protection, Mr. Maio brings to LawaL experience gained on complex projects with a high regulatory content, with a specific focus on Italian and European legislation. His professional activity covers strategic areas such as GDPR compliance, AI Act, Data Act, NIS2, and Legislative Decree 231/2001, integrating vertical skills in the definition of advanced data governance models, integrated compliance programs, document retention, and regulatory assistance in the healthcare and technology sectors. Particularly active on issues of artificial intelligence in healthcare, Mr. Maio assists leading life sciences and technology companies in managing compliance requirements relating to clinical trials, medical devices, and large-scale healthcare data processing. He regularly participates as a speaker at legal seminars in Italy and abroad and teaches in master's and postgraduate training programs. Alongside Pierpaolo Maio's arrival, Daniela Lucia Calabrese also joins the department as Senior Associate. A Digital Specialist and Cyber Legal, Policy & Compliance Officer, she has experience in digital compliance, cyber security, and digital preservation. She is an ISO/IEC 27001:2022 Lead Auditor and, as Preservation Manager, has expertise in ISO 16363 audits and the OAIS – ISO 14721 model. She assists public administrations and companies in defining compliance and audit strategies on NIS2, GDPR, AI Act, ISO 27001, ISO 42001, and NIST CSF, with a particular focus on digital preservation, document management, and infrastructure security. The new Data Governance department integrates synergistically with the firm's existing practices, further strengthening LawaL's ability to offer multidisciplinary advice on operations that require structured regulatory oversight in the areas of data protection, digital compliance, and responsible information systems management. With this addition, LawaL confirms its growth strategy and ongoing commitment to supporting clients in addressing the new challenges posed by regulatory and technological developments.