Seladore Legal announced today (5 September) that it has opened its first international office in Milan. The office will be led by Laurence (Larry) Shore, who joined the firm from BonelliErede as a partner earlier this week.
Shore brings a wealth of expertise in international arbitration, which will be a key focus for the new office.
He has represented clients in disputes under a range of rules including the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC), the London Court of International Arbitration (LCIA), the International Centre for Dispute Resolution (ICDR), the International Settlement of Investment Disputes (ICSID), the American Arbitration Association-Commercial, the United Nations Commission on International Trade Law (UNCITRAL), and the Swiss Arbitration Centre, across sectors including energy, construction, mining, telecoms, and finance.
In conversation with Legal Business, Seladore Legal founding partner Simon Bushell said: ‘We’re looking to work for clients with an international profile, including energy companies, engineering companies, and construction companies.’
The office will also target high-net-worth individuals. ‘With the nondom tax regime under threat in the UK, we may well find that more such individuals move to Milan’, Bushell continued.
Shore is also qualified in England and Wales and a member of the District of Columbia bar as well as the state bars of New York and Virginia. His prior experience includes time as a partner at Gibson Dunn in New York from 2008 to 2013, along with two separate stints at Herbert Smith Freehills. He first joined HSF from the US State Department in 1995 and made partner in 2003. He left for Gibson Dunn in 2008 but returned to HSF in 2014, before leaving again for BonelliErede in 2017, where he became of counsel in 2020.
Bushell also spent 26 years at HSF earlier in his career, making partner in 1997. ‘Larry fits the Seladore bill entirely’, he told Legal Business. ‘He comes from the same bloodline as many of us – from HSF. And he was an instrumental part in the expansion and success of the international arbitration group there.’
Legal Business understands that Seladore Legal is eyeing further international expansion in the near future.
‘Milan is a vibrant financial hub and central to a major economy’, Bushell said. ‘It is natural to expect our exceptional dispute resolution services to be sought by Italian clients, particularly those engaged in complex cross-border matters governed by English law. With Larry’s connections in Milan and the firm’s track-record in complex commercial disputes, we are well-placed to meet the growing demands of a truly global client base.’