International Law Firm to Open Offices in Milan and Rome,
Italian Desk in London
NEW YORK, Sept. 23 /PRNewswire/ -- International law firm Dewey Ballantine
LLP announced today that, as the next stage in its planned European expansion,
it will open offices in Milan and Rome and an Italian desk in the Firm's
London office.
The launch of the Italian practice, which will take effect on October 1,
2003, follows the hiring of leading Italian partners Bruno Gattai from Simmons
& Simmons in Milan, Stefano Speroni from Linklaters allied Milan firm Gianni,
Origoni, Grippo and Partners, and Ugo Giordano, formerly with Merrill Lynch.
In addition, Nicola Brunetti, former partner in the Milan office of Simmons &
Simmons, Giovanbattista Santangelo, former partner of the Rome office of
Simmons & Simmons, and Stefano Catenacci, formerly of Simmons & Simmons in
Milan, will join the Firm's Italian offices. Dewey Ballantine's Italian
practice will initially be staffed by approximately 20 lawyers.
Dewey Ballantine's Italian practice will further strengthen the Firm's
capabilities in Europe by providing clients with transactional advice in the
Firm's core practice areas of mergers and acquisitions (M&A), private equity,
project finance, corporate finance, structured finance, capital markets,
securities and tax.
"The launch of our Italian practice, a fundamental part of our European
strategy, will increase our global presence and will enable us to capitalize
on the many legal service opportunities existing in the burgeoning Italian
market," said Morton A. Pierce, chairman of Dewey Ballantine's Global M&A
Group. "Bruno, Stefano and Ugo are recognized as top practitioners in their
respective fields and will be a tremendous asset to our corporate and
investment banking clients."
Bruno Gattai, one of Italy's top M&A and private equity lawyers, will head
Dewey Ballantine's Italian Practice and will become the managing partner of
the Milan office. While at Simmons & Simmons in Milan, Mr. Gattai served as
managing partner and as a member of the Management Committee. His practice
has included the representation of financial institutions such as ABN AMRO,
BNP Paribas, Permira, Centrobanca, 21 Investmenti and Meliorbanca, Italian
insurance company RAS and corporate clients such as Barilla and Falck.
Stefano Speroni joins Dewey Ballantine as the partner responsible for the
Rome office and will divide his time between the Milan and Rome offices. Mr.
Speroni, another top M&A specialist, has represented clients such as Italian
communication company Wind, Treasury-owned conglomerates Finnmecanica
(Defence) and Enel (Energy), leading Italian bank Banca IMI and private equity
house 3i. Mr. Speroni has a wide and diversified practice also covering
equity capital markets, banking and securitization.
Based in the London office, partner Ugo Giordano will manage the Firm's
Italian desk in London. Mr. Giordano, as one of the leading lawyers advising
on the first issuances of foreign structured debt in Italy, brings cutting-
edge experience in securitization, structured finance and sophisticated
financial products to Dewey Ballantine. He has worked for Italian law firm
Chiomenti and for Clifford Chance and, prior to joining Dewey Ballantine,
spent two years with Merrill Lynch in London. Mr. Giordano's practice has
involved the representation of financial institutions such as ABN AMRO, BNP
Paribas, Credit Suisse First Boston, Deutsche Bank, Goldman Sachs, Lehman
Brothers and Morgan Stanley.
Nicola Brunetti, an M&A and energy lawyer, and Stefano Catenacci, a
private equity, bankruptcy and general corporate lawyer, will be based in
Dewey Ballantine's Milan office. Giovanbattista Santangelo, whose practice
focuses on M&A and capital markets, will be based in the Rome office.
James D. Simpson, Dewey Ballantine's London-based Management Committee
member and head of the European Project Finance Group said, "The opening of
the Italian offices underlines the Firm's commitment to Europe and builds on
the successful path we took in 2002 with the launch of our German desk and
Frankfurt office, the acquisition of Hunton & Williams' Warsaw office and the
continued expansion of our London office. The vast expertise and client
experience brought to the Firm by the new Italian partners offer us an
exceptional opportunity to develop our growing European business."
Bruno Gattai said, "Dewey Ballantine is a firm with a clear strategy and a
sophisticated international presence. This major new venture allows us to
move forward aggressively in Europe and service the needs of our clients in an
evolving and dynamic Italian market. Dewey Ballantine's global strength in the
investment banking and finance communities will enable the Italian practice,
from the outset, to be one of the leading U.S. law firms in Italy."
About Dewey Ballantine
Dewey Ballantine LLP, founded in 1909, is an international law firm with
more than 550 attorneys located in New York, Washington, D.C., Los Angeles,
East Palo Alto, Houston, Austin, London, Warsaw, Milan, Rome, Budapest, Prague
and Frankfurt. Through its network of offices, the Firm handles some of the
largest, most complex corporate transactions, litigation and tax matters in
such areas as M&A, private equity, project finance, corporate finance,
corporate reorganization and bankruptcy, antitrust, intellectual property,
sports law, structured finance, and international trade. Industry
specializations include energy and utilities, healthcare, insurance, media,
consumer and industrial goods, technology, telecommunications and
transportation.
SOURCE Dewey Ballantine LLP
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Related links:
http://www.deweyballantine.com
CONTACT:
Jacinta Asquith of Dewey Ballantine LLP,
+44-20-7456-6034; or Sean Dougherty, or Susan Boyle, both of The
MWW Group, Public Relations, +1-201-507-9500, for Dewey
Ballantine LLP
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