Less than a year after launching an office in Milan, Dentons has announced that the firm is opening a second Italy office in Rome, bringing its total number of lawyers in the country to 50.
“When we entered the Italian market last October, we had a clear vision to build Dentons into a full service firm within two years and one of the top international law firms in Italy within three years,” said Managing Partner Federico Sutti “Opening an office in the capital city of Rome is one of the cornerstones of that strategy.”
Sutti will lead both the Rome and Milan offices as Dentons’ Italy Managing Partner. The initial team in Rome will include Antitrust Partner Michele Carpagnano and Corporate Partner Luca Pocobelli along with a team of associates. The firm said the team would grow over the coming year as Dentons continues to recruit local talent. In addition, several Milan-based partners, who serve a large portfolio of clients in Rome, such as Stefano Speroni, Matteo Falcione and Federico Sutti himself will split their time between the two offices.
Tomasz Dąbrowski, Chief Executive Officer for Dentons Europe said, “Under Federico Sutti’s strong leadership, Dentons has transformed the legal market in Italy. In less than a year since we opened the Milan office, our team has more than doubled in size and we have added a wide range of practice capabilities. I am confident that Federico and his team will continue to build the momentum in Rome.”
“This investment was very much driven by our clients,” said Global Chairman Joe Andrew. “Although Rome is Italy’s largest city and second largest legal services market, many international law firms have reduced their presence in Rome, meaning companies cannot benefit from the same legal offering as in Milan. “By opening in Rome, we will give our clients access to Dentons’ truly global reach.”
Elliott Portnoy, Global CEO, added, “Dentons’ polycentric model is about being present in the key markets where our clients do business. Many major Italian companies are headquartered in Rome, including several state-controlled enterprises, as well as large infrastructure and energy companies. Opening an office in Rome is the natural next step in our efforts to offer more to clients.”
Dentons now has more than 50 lawyers in Italy including 12 partners, and the main practice areas are Corporate, M&A, Real Estate, Energy, Litigation and Arbitration, Employment Competition and Antitrust and Tax.
