With its sights currently set on deepening its European coverage, Dentons has expanded its presence in Italy by opening an office in Rome, its second branch in the country in less than 12 months.
After launching in Milan in October last year, Dentons has opened the Rome office with hires made earlier this year in Milan, including antitrust partner Michele Carpagnano and corporate partner Luca Pocobelli as well as a team of associates.
Several other partners, including Italy managing partner Federico Sutti, will split their time between Milan and Rome.
Dentons has been quick to expand its footprint in Italy after it hired 21 lawyers to open in Milan, including three partners from DLA Piper led by former Europe and Africa managing director Sutti, who had served as DLA’s Italy managing partner for more than a decade.
Dentons is bucking the trend of international firms retreating from Rome in recent years. Ashurst closed the doors to its Rome office in June and relocated its remaining lawyers to Milan, while Simmons & Simmons also announced its withdrawal from the Italian capital in August 2015.
‘If you want to be a leader in the legal market in Italy, you have to be in Rome.’
Federico Sutti, Dentons
Sutti told Legal Business that Dentons needed to operate in Rome to compete with the top Italian firms, and not just international law firms with an outpost in the country. ‘Rome is hard work if you want to be a real player. You can do a lot of work out of Milan, but if you want to be a leader in the legal market in Italy you have to be in Rome.’
Dentons global chief executive Elliott Portnoy added: ‘Many major Italian companies are headquartered in Rome, including several state-controlled enterprises as well as large infrastructure and energy companies. Opening an office there is the natural next step in our efforts to offer more.’
While the office has started off small, with two permanent partners, Sutti has been tasked with making a success of the operation and has plans to add a number of different practice areas to Dentons’ latest international outpost.
He suggested Dentons could expand in litigation and tax, and there was a possibility it would want to add an employment team.
Since joining Dentons, Sutti has overseen the rapid expansion of the Italian offices to 54 lawyers. ‘The reason people want to join us is because of our approach,’ he said. ‘They do not feel like they are being controlled from London, New York or Los Angeles.’
matthew.field@legalease.co.uk