27th November 2014Milan

however, distinguished them-selves during the year and not just on legal technical merit. The profession in Italy, known for its deep-rooted attachment to tradition, has been changing in recent years. As a result of the prolonged economic crisis, law firms have been compelled to go back to the drawing board and adopt a fresh approach to improve the competitiveness and efficiency of their services. Once again, this edition of the TopLegal Awards put a strong emphasis on firms’ capacity to innovate and support clients’ business strategies in addition to providing the best legal as-sistance. Some of the successes at the TopLegal Awards re-flected the ability by law firms to respond quickly to clients’

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Italy special report

TOPLEGAL AWARDS 2014

A Night of Legal Firsts

The TopLegal Awards, now in their eighth year, mirrored a year of innovation

for the Italian legal market

AFTER MONTHS OF EX-pectation, the TopLegal

Awards, which took place on 27 November at the East End Studios in Milan, proved once again to be the most antici-pated event of the legal calen-dar. For some it was a case of triumphant celebrations; for others, disappointment for a prize longed for but not forth-coming. The curtain lifted around 9.00pm and fell close to 11.30pm. In all, thirty-three prizes were awarded. To assist TopLegal’s Research Unit on selecting the winners, a jury of 17 experts drawn from Italian business and finance.

If some of the winners were predictable, others achieved an unexpected victory (see box). Both winners and finalists,

THE TOPLEGAL PANEL OF JURORS

TopLegal thanks all the Jurors for their invaluable

assistance and commitment to the TopLegal Awards

Gianpaolo Accossato Magneti Marelli

Lorenzo Bertola AgustaWestland

Arturo Betuni Banca Monte dei Paschi di Siena

Simone Chini Allianz

Michelangelo Damasco Autostrade per l’Italia

Alessandra Ferrari GE Avio

Federico Finzi Amazon Italia Services

Andrea Liaci Banca IMI

Salvatore Lo Giudice RAI

Fabio Londero Danieli & C. Officine Meccaniche

Lorenzo Michetti Rottapharm

Giuseppe Nicosia Prelios

Daniele Novello Total E&P Italia

Maurizio Raffaini Nexive

Marco Reggiani Snam

Mauro Soldera Gruppo Adecco Italia

Nicola Verdicchio Pirelli & C.

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changing demands or their need to re-position themselves effectively in a new segment of the market. Yet others dem-onstrated an ability to thrive in areas of legal specialization under intense pressure from the downturn.

As in recent years, there were some notable changes to this year’s Awards. The biggest of these concerned the decision to phase out individual prizes, in the various categories relat-ing to practice areas, in favour of a shift towards the law firm and its team. The elimination of the individual categories was designed to recognise not only the importance and value of collective efforts, but also to support the idea of the law firm as a brand and institu-tion, something with which the Italian legal market, with its customary focus on high-profile personalities, continues

Italy special report

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1. Alberto Santa Maria, winner (centre) of the TopLegal Award for Excellence, is congratulated by Alessandra Ferrari, General Counsel of General Electric Avio

2. Bruno Gattai (centre), TopLegal’s Lawyer of the Year

3. Chiomenti (Annalisa Reale, left) and Bonelli Erede Pappalardo (Marco Maniscalco), joint winners of the Employment/Industrial relations Law Firm of the Year award

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to struggle. Another important change concerned the individ-ual grouping of the nine prac-tice areas: each practice area was sub-divided into two fur-ther areas, with the Corporate Criminal category divided into three subdivisions. Yet another of the novelties of the 2014 To-pLegal Awards was a recogni-tion for the best Italian Desk of the Year to take account of the increasing number of transac-tions completed by law firms without a direct presence in Italy. Lastly, and as a result of some strong showings by final-ists in each category, it was felt necessary to dedicate honour-able mentions to those can-didates which only narrowly missed out on victory.

On the night, the awards ceremony was divided into two parts. In the first, prizes were awarded for the individual and deal categories, concluding with the TopLegal Award for Excelence, this year received by Alberto Santa Maria, found-er of Santa Maria. The second part of the evening turned its attention to the various prac-tice area categories.

Four years after it was first introduced, the award for Best Female Lawyer of the Year went to Giulietta Ber-gamaschi, from employment boutique Lexellent, who won thanks to her ability to com-bine a strong record of client work with a dedication to im-plementing equal opportu-nities for women within her

firm. Meanwhile, Bruno Gattai of Gattai Minoli Agostinelli & Partners was named Law-yer of the Year in recognition of his outstanding achieve-ment in the Italian legal mar-ket. Against some very stiff competition, Gattai tipped the balance thanks to his techni-cal legal skills and his weight and leadership in challenging market conditions.

In other prominent wins, the Law firm of the Year was awarded to Bonelli Erede Pappalardo; Francesca Brilli of Ashurst won the Emerging Lawyer of the Year (under 35); the Best Place to Work went to Withers; while Andrea Aro-rio of Linklaters was crowned Managing Partner of the Year. Linklaters also took the prize for best law firm in the Bank-ing & Finance category. A dou-ble victory was also achieved by Bonelli Erede Pappalardo, a joint winner in the category Employment/Industrial Rela-tions Law Firm of the Year with Chiomenti (which also won the award for best Tax Litiga-tion Firm of the Year), and by Toffoletto de Luca Tamajo, honoured in the category best Firm of the Year for Innovation and Employment litigation. TL

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4. Francesca Brilli of Ashurst, the Rising Star of the Year

5. Linklaters’ Andrea Arosio, Managing Partner of the Year

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The unexpected triumphsInternational law firms among some of the year’s surprise winners

THE RESULTS OF THE TopLegal Awards gave

several interesting indica-tions about the direction taken by the legal market dur-ing 2014. Along with one or two surprises as well. Orrick Herrington & Sutcliffe con-firmed itself as a go-to firm for Debt capital markets and there were few surprises that traditional heavyweight Cur-tis Mallet-Prevost Colt & Mosle secured the crown as Law Firm of the Year for Dis-pute resolution/Abitrations. Scrolling through the names of the winners, however, some results appeared less obvious.

The expansion of regulated business, rather than reward-ing the niche boutiques, this year favoured an internation-al law firm. In the public law category relating to procure-ment, concessions and public services, Clifford Chance beat the competition to win the award for its handling of the initial public offering of Rai Way, a leading operator of television and radio broad-casting infrastructure. Cor-porate finance specialists Le-gance, which last year went home with the award for its work in public law, this year diversified further to win the

prize for the category Com-petition & EU Law.

Finally, in a year that saw a spate of foreign takeovers of Italian companies such as Al-italia, Ansaldo Energia, Gen-tium, Indesit and Telecom Italia, as well as the reverse merger involving Fiat, the Corporate Law Firm of the Year award went to an inter-national legal house, Shear-man & Sterling. Shearman clinched the title thanks to its work on behalf of insurer Allianz in the complex acqui-sition of Milano Assicurazi-oni from Italian counterpart UnipolSai. TL 

Italy special report

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Clifford Chance celebrates its award for Public Law (Contracts, concessions and public services) Law Firm of the Year

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TOPLEGAL AWARDS 2014

The winnersAll the night’s successes, category by category

A TOTAL OF THIRTY-three prizes were awarded

at the eighth edition of TopLe-gal Awards on 27 November 2014. Both winners and final-ists mirrored the major trends of the legal market in Italy over the last twelve months. Against the backdrop of eco-nomic conditions that contin-ue to prove difficult for busi-ness lawyers, candidates were judged not only on the basis of their technical legal support but also for their responsive-ness to the changes underway in the legal sector which re-quired strategic advice for cli-ents to re-launch and expand. In some instances, it was con-sidered appropriate to draw at-tention to some of the distin-guished finalists who deserved a mention of honour.

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ABU DHABI | BEIJING | BRUSSELS | FRANKFURT | HONG KONG | LONDON | MILAN | NEW YORK | PALO ALTOPARIS | ROME | SAN FRANCISCO | SÃO PAULO | SHANGHAI | SINGAPORE | TOKYO | TORONTO | WASHINGTON, DC

shearman.com

We are honored to be recognizedas the “Italian M&A Team of the Year” by TopLegal Awards 2014.Shearman & Sterling’s Italian team advised on many of the largest, most complex and most innovative transactions completed in the Italian market in recent years, including various market firsts. With over 30 years of experience working with the most important Italian companies, Shearman & Sterling has established a strong position in the Italian market. The firm’s Italian practice is focused on all areas of corporate law, providing assistance in capital markets, M&A, finance and restructuring transactions, as well as assisting on the Italian aspects of the firm’s international arbitration and antitrust matters. Nearly all members of the Italian team are internationally trained and dual qualified and constitute one of the very few true international law teams based in Italy.

INDIVIDUAL AWARDS

Lawyer of the Year

Bruno Gattai (Gattai Minoli Agostinelli)After salvaging the entire Italian practice of defunct US firm Dewey & LeBoeuf by re-launching the troubled Grimaldi brand on the verge of extinction in 2012, Gattai launched a new firm that soon positioned itself alongside the leading Italian independents. In the last year, Gattai dem-onstrated strong leadership, attracting major lateral hires, and advised on some of the major domestic and cross-border transactions.

Honourable mentionsLuca Arnaboldi (Carnelutti)Completed several important deals for industrial clients which allowed Carnelutti to return to the fore of the mar-ket. Among these was the ac-quisition of the French prop-erty portfolio of listed property company Risanamento by Eng-lish fund Chesterfield.

Michael Immordino (White & Case)Single-handedly re-launched White & Case in Italy after the firm withdraw from the market in 2008, Immordino has brought the new practice abreast of the global network by creating a first-tier capital markets practice in Italy.

Paolo Sersale (Clifford Chance)Advised on significant cor-porate transactions, includ-ing Telefónica’s investment in Telco-Telecom Italia, and con-tributed to raising the profile of a pivotal practice considered challenging for international firms operating in Italy.

Managing / Senior Partner of the Year

Andrea Arosio (Linklaters)Entrusted with expanding Lin-klaters’ presence in Italy, Arosio led an ambitious recruitment drive aimed at hiring promising young lawyers and has consoli-dated the firm’s core services while launching a number of strategic support practices.

Honourable mentionsStefano Simontacchi (Bonelli Erede Pappalardo)Responsible for developing and managing a bold three-year strategic plan aimed at an internal restructuring of the practice and greater institu-tionalisation of the firm.

Franco Toffoletto (Toffoletto De Luca Tamajo)Responsible for coordinating a merger that strengthened the na-tional presence of the firm and im-plementing innovative technology in favour of an internal organiza-tion and work culture considered cutting-edge for the legal sector.

Female Lawyer of the Year

Juliet Bergamaschi (Lexellent)Combined high-level professional activity with a commitment to anti-discrimination policies in the workplace. Bergamaschi imple-mented flexible hours to improve the work-life balance and achieve a ratio among associates of two to six in favour of female lawyers.

Rising Star of the Year (Under 35)

Francesca Brilli (Ashurst)A project finance specialist, she has distinguished herself over the year for the range and quality of clients and deals. Brilli also worked pro bono for the World Bank.

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1. Bruno Gattai, Lawyer of the Year

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TopLegal Award for Excellence

Alberto Santa Maria (Santa Maria)Active at the firm he founded over forty years ago, Santa Maria has been a prominent figure in the in-ternational and European law are-na, acting as international arbitra-tor and lawyer before the legal in-stitutions of the European Union.

LAW FIRM AWARDS

Law Firm of the Year

Bonelli Erede PappalardoIn addition to advising a number of large institutional clients like Ali-talia, Prada and Rai Way on impor-tant strategic deals, the firm has implemented a radical change in its firm-wide management and in-ternal organization considered un-precedented in the Italian market.

Honourable mentionsLeganceThe corporate finance specialist has increasingly diversified in areas such as public law, compe-tition, employment and TMT. It also advised on headline inter-national transactions involving Italian industrial clients.

Lombardi Molinari SegniThe firm expanded its corporate offering and national reach after launching a Rome office following the arrival of a spin-off team from Labruna Mazziotti Segni. On the deal front, the team advised on the restructuring of troubled electric-ity generating company Sorgenia.

Best Place to Work

WithersPromoted progressive profession-al development and career oppor-tunities while supporting flexible and remote working. The firm especially nurtured its female tal-ent, achieving among the highest male-to-female ratios among law-yers of any Italy-based law firm.

Innovation Law Firm of the Year

Toffoletto De Luca TamajoIn its drive to improve effi-ciency and internal organiza-tion, the firm introduced a

COO (Chief Operating Of-ficer) and quality manager. It invested in technology and developed a system of training and assessment for both train-ees and lawyers.

Italy special report

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2. Alberto Santa Maria, winner of the TopLegal

award for Excellence

3. Withers, winner of the Best Place to Work award

4. Franco Toffoletto receives the award on behalf of

Toffoletto De Luca Tamajo, Innovation Law Firm

of the Year2

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Studio dell’anno NORD

studiodeandre.it

Genova Via Assarotti, 15/10 - 16122 T +39 010 882002 F +39 010 876826/887086 studiodeandrege@studiodeandre.it

Milano Via Bernardino Telesio, 2 - 20145 T +39 02 43980804 F +39 02 43980825 studiodeandremi@studiodeandre.it

Roma Lungotevere Marzio, 1 - 00186 T +39 06 6897199 F +39 06 6892376 studiodeandrerm@studiodeandre.it

Sarzana (SP) Via Socrate Benacci, 1 - 19038 T +39 0187 278002 F +39 0187 692801 studiodeandresp@studiodeandre.it

Studio Legale De André, founded in the Forties, ensures its clients a full range of consulting and litigation services, in the main areas of Corporate and Commercial Law, Con-tract Law, Intellectual Property, Civil Law and Labour Law.

The Firm represents and assists companies and individual clients, on both a national and international level, in offices based in Genoa, Milan, Rome and Sarzana (La Spezia).

Studio Legale De André has consolidated links with other important Law Firms in Italy and abroad, and can provide its services in Italian, English, French, German and Dutch.

Studio dell’anno NORD

studiodeandre.it

Genova Via Assarotti, 15/10 - 16122 T +39 010 882002 F +39 010 876826/887086 studiodeandrege@studiodeandre.it

Milano Via Bernardino Telesio, 2 - 20145 T +39 02 43980804 F +39 02 43980825 studiodeandremi@studiodeandre.it

Roma Lungotevere Marzio, 1 - 00186 T +39 06 6897199 F +39 06 6892376 studiodeandrerm@studiodeandre.it

Sarzana (SP) Via Socrate Benacci, 1 - 19038 T +39 0187 278002 F +39 0187 692801 studiodeandresp@studiodeandre.it

Studio Legale De André, founded in the Forties, ensures its clients a full range of consulting and litigation services, in the main areas of Corporate and Commercial Law, Con-tract Law, Intellectual Property, Civil Law and Labour Law.

The Firm represents and assists companies and individual clients, on both a national and international level, in offices based in Genoa, Milan, Rome and Sarzana (La Spezia).

Studio Legale De André has consolidated links with other important Law Firms in Italy and abroad, and can provide its services in Italian, English, French, German and Dutch.

Law Firm of the Year: Northern Italy

De AndrèIn a difficult regional market, the firm completed several im-portant strategic deals relating to restructurings and corporate acquisitions. The team also se-cured an important decision at the Italian Council of State.

Honourable mentionsPontiDefended several defendants in criminal proceedings for tax avoidance in relation to a lever-aged buyout aimed at restructur-ing chemical company Roots fol-lowing an investment by the Arab concern Taghleef Industries.

Law Firm of the Year: Central Italy

Bovesi Cartwright PescatoriThe firm carved out a niche for itself in the region. The team advised an SME on credit nego-tiations with Chinese banks and secured the IPO of Mobelleria Brambilla, a company specializ-ing in precision components for the automotive industry.

Honourable mentionsLexjus SinactaIn addition to the merger of multi-utility company Hera with Udine-based counterpart Amga, the team advised on the public listing of Bologna airport.

Law Firm of the Year: Southern Italy

LoconteThe firm was judged to be able to rival competitors in more mature business centres in terms of inter-nal culture. It advised private eq-uity fund Vertis on its acquisition of fashion label Silvian Heach and the Armaturo Group on its plan to acquire Shell’s Italian assets.

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5. De Andrè, Law Firm of the Year, Northern Italy

6. Bovesi Cartwright Pescatore, Law Firm of the

Year, Central Italy

7. Stefano Loconte (centre) receives the award for

Law Firm of the Year, Southern Italy

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Italian Desk of the Year

Skadden Arps Slate Meagher & Flom Advised some of the major Ital-ian companies (Generali, Gen-tium, Maire Tecnimont) on joint-venture, M&A and debt capital markets deals such as the Italian Ministry of Finance’s corporate bond issuance.

DEAL AWARDS

SME Deal of the Year

Spinazzi Azzarita TroiCompleted an innovative earn-out deal on behalf of an Italian motorcycle helmet manufactur-er by German investors.

Honourable mentionsBonelli Erede PappalardoAdvised on a capital increase for Isagro, a multinational Ital-ian manufacturer of agrochem-icals, through the issuance of a new category of shares on the STAR segment of the electron-ic share market (MTA), part of the Italian stock exchange.

Restructuring Deal of the Year

DLA PiperThe firm advised Etihad Air-ways on the sensitive and com-plex takeover of ailing national carrier Alitalia which involved an extensive restructuring and an innovative acquisition of the functional parts of Alitalia’s air-line business by the bidder.

Honourable mentionsE&Y LawThe team worked on the €800 million debt restructuring on behalf of the City Council of Parma. The restructuring also involved the corporate recov-ery of publicly-owned compa-nies and public works.

Lombardi Molinari SegniMandated by over 20 creditor banks to restructure the €1.8 bil-lion debt of energy company Sor-genia. In an unusual agreement for the Italian market, the salvage involved a lenders-led solution by which the banks gained complete control of the company.

Italy special report

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8. Lorenzo Corte accepts the award on behalf of Skadden,

Italian Desk of the Year

9. Spinazzi Azzarita Troi, winner of the SME

Deal of the Year

10. Nino Lombardo of DLA Piper, winner of the Restructuring

Deal of the Year award 10

PRACTICE AREA AWARDS

Banking and Finance

LinklatersThanks to its deep bench of ex-pertise, the firm secured some of the most complex and innovative financing deals, including the €1.5 billion financing for construction group Salini in its takeover of rival Impregilo. The team also advised the banks on the €525 million fi-nancing for the €400 million issu-ance of securities by Salini.

Banking & Finance: Debt Capital Markets

Orrick Herrington & SutcliffeA leading player in numerous “mini-bond” issuances involving non-listed SMEs, the firm also advised banks on the first Italian mini-bond fund.

Honourable mentionsClifford ChanceAdvised the banks on the issuance of the first hybrid Tier 1 bond by an Italian bank (Unicredit) under Basel III regulations.

Dispute Resolution:Arbitrations

Curtis Mallet-Prevost Colt & MosleAdvised the Republic of Uganda on three investment arbitrations concerning tax agreements with private investors for a total value of $940 million. Among the first arbitrations against the Repub-lic of Uganda, the case created a precedent in the oil & gas sector.

11. Linklaters (foreground), Banking & Finance Law Firm of the Year

12. Orrick, with Patrick Messina (centre) and Madeleine Horrocks (right), pick up the award for Banking & Finance Debt Capital Markets

13. Curtis Mallet-Prevost Colt & Mosle (with the managing partner Galileo Pozzoli, second from the right), the Arbitration Law Firm of the Year

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Honourable mentionsLombardi Molinari SegniThe firm successfully defended Banca Popolare Emilia Romag-na against 100 of the bank’s shareholders who challenged a shareholders’ resolution on voting procedures for the ap-pointment of company offices.

Corporate: Equity Capital Markets

White & CaseDistinguished itself for the number and significance of mandates, both for financial institutions and corporates in public listings (including World Duty Free) and for capi-tal increases (including Banca Popolare di Milano and Maire Technimont).

Honourable mentionsGianni Origoni Grippo CappelliCompleted two major equity cap-ital markets deals involving the Italian State: the privatization of publicly-owned shipbuilder Fin-cantieri (worth approximately €1 billion) and the Italian Post Of-fice (estimated at €6 billion euro).

Corporate / M&A

Shearman & SterlingIn a transaction that required a complex agreement between the parties and in which crea-tive legal advice was consid-ered a decisive factor, the firm advised insurer Allianz on the acquisition of the assets of Milano Assicurazioni from ri-val UnipolSai for €1.7 billion.

Honourable mentionsBonelli Erede Pappalardo / ChiomentiBoth firms were involved as ad-visers on the complex public-pri-vate agreement between Alitalia (assisted by Bonelli Erede Pappa-lardo) and Etihad Airways (Chio-menti) which resulted in the ac-quisition of a 49% stake in Alitalia by Etihad for €560 million.

Corporate Crime: Companies

R&P LegalThe firm played a major role on the most significant case in-volving the criminal liability of internet providers known as the “Google-Vividown” case. Three

14. White & Case (from the left, Michael Immordino, Paola Leocani and Nicholas Lasagna) win the award for Corporate Equity Capital Markets Law Firm of the Year

Dispute Resolution:Commercial Litigation

Gianni Origoni Grippo CappelliThe team successfully defended a leading pharmaceutical com-pany against a minority share-holder who challenged the com-pany’s financial statement, and defended two other pharmaceu-tical companies over compensa-tion relating to the disposal of waste, obtaining an important precedent in the area of envi-ronmental damage.

Italy special report

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executives from Google were acquitted of unlawful data pro-cessing after a video showing an autistic boy being bullied by his classmates was uploaded to the Google Video platform.

Corporate Crime: Environment

Pulitanò ZanchettiAssisted steel pipe manufacturer Dalmine, a defendant in criminal proceedings arising from alleged exposure of workers to asbestos in the 1960s and 1980s at the compa-ny’s plants in Bergamo. The Court of Appeal of Brescia acquitted Dalmine in all of the cases bar one.

Honourable mentionsBanaDefended a construction compa-ny involved in criminal proceed-ings concerning the reclamation of a site in Milan in which the

client’s chairman, its executive director and a company counsel where accused of water poison-ing, failure to reclaim the site and unauthorized waste manage-ment. In a preliminary hearing all the defendants were acquitted.

Corporate Crime: Finance

Dinoia Federico Pelanda Simbari UslenghiObtained a major success at the Supreme Court which acquitted Italian fashion designers Dolce and Gabbana, accused of tax evasion through failure to dis-close income, thereby overturn-ing an earlier judgment of the Court of Appeal of Milan.

Employment: Industrial Relations

Bonelli Erede Pappalardo and ChiomentiThe joint- winners handled the thorny labour law aspects of the acquisition of Alitalia

15. Mario Colombatto (left) and Piero Magri of R&P Legal, winners of the Corporate Crime / Companies Law Firm of the Year award

16. Corporate Crime / Finance Law Firm of the Year, Dinoia Federico Pelanda Simbari Uslenghi (with Massimo Dinoia, right)

17. Annalisa Reale of Chiomenti, co-winner of the Employment / Industrial Relations Law Firm of the Year, along with Bonelli Erede Pappalardo

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4Continues on page 19

Studio dell’anno PENALE Finanziario

(assisted by Bonelli Erede Pap-palardo) by Etihad Airways (assisted by Chiomenti). The transaction involved a com-plex reorganization, the crea-tion of a new company and negotiations with the unions over more than 5,000 workers.

Employment: Litigation

Toffoletto De Luca TamajoThe firm coordinated the de-fence team that advised auto-motive client Fiat and which se-cured a positive ruling on an ap-peal filed by the Italian labour unions Fiom and CGIL against the unfair dismissal of 19 work-ers at Fiat’s plant in Pomigliano.

Independent Authorities: Competition & EU Law

LeganceAdvised energy company Ital-gas at the Regional Administra-tive Court (TAR) in Lazio on its appeal against a Competition Authority decision relating to an alleged abuse of dominant position in the gas distribution market. The defence secured a reduction in the fine imposed on the client, from €4.7 million to €1.55 million.

Independent Authorities: Regulatory

Cleary Gottlieb Steen & HamiltonAssisted Telecom Italia on ob-taining the opening of an inves-

tigation by the European Com-mission against rates for whole-sale access services proposed in 2013 by the Italian national regulatory authority in charge of telecommunications (AG-COM). The investigation con-cluded with a recommendation by the Commission against the adoption of those rates.

Intellectual Property

JacobacciIn a complex case concern-ing alleged violations of moral rights, the firm won for its cli-ent R. Guggenheim Foundation, in litigation against the heirs of Peggy Guggenheim, obtaining a rejection of the claim by the heirs for the return of the Peggy Guggenheim collection (worth over €1 billion).

Honourable mentionsBird & BirdSuccessfully advised Outdry Technologies (Group Columbia

Sportswear) against shoe brand Geox in a counterfeiting case which saw the Court of Milan uphold Outdry’s patent.

Public Law: Contracts,Concessions, Public Services

Clifford ChanceAdvised on the public law as-pects of the complex privatiza-tion of Rai Way, a leading op-erator of television and radio broadcasting infrastructure.

Honourable mentionsAshurstAdvised a pool of banks on the complex environmental and public law aspects of the €260 million bridge loan for the pro-ject financing of the Pedemon-tana-Lombarda motorway.

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18. Jacobacci, with Massimo Sterpi (left) and Fabrizio Jacobacci, Intellectual

Property Law Firm of the Year

Public Law: Litigation

LipaniAdvised Accenture at the Coun-cil of State on its appeal against the Ministry of the Interior in relation to the government’s ac-celerated restricted procedure for an online police training programme. The judgment ob-tained set an important prec-edent for public procurement.

Honourable mentionsP & I GuccioneIn a landmark case, the firm successfully assisted motorway operator Autostrade Centro Padane before the Council of State which upheld the approval process for the construction of a third bridge over the Po River.

Tax: Litigation

ChiomentiDefended global medical de-vice company, St Jude Medical, in complex transnational dis-putes relating to transfer pric-ing and involving two separate mutual agreement procedures initiated with the Belgian and US authorities.

Tax: Transactional

MaistoIn a complex multinational transaction, the firm advised a leading pharmaceutical company in a disposal of its division valued at over €7 billion. The transac-

tion required the unbundling of the assets to be sold and a legal strategy to avoid double taxation.

TMT

Hogan LovellsThe team obtained a significant victory for Wikimedia founda-tion against a €20 million law-suit for defamation filed against the company by a former advis-er of Silvio Berlusconi. The case established that Wikimedia is a hosting not a content provider and therefore could not be li-

able for content drafted by indi-vidual users.

Honourable mentionsBaker & McKenzieAdvised mobile virtual network operator Poste Mobile on case relating to electronic commu-nications services which rede-fined the competition frame-work in the mobile industry. TL

19. Lawyers from Lipani show off their award for Public Law

Litigation Firm of the Year

20. Maisto, Tax Consulting Law Firm of the Year

Italy special report

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Category Winner

Individual Aw

ards

Lawyer of the Year Bruno Gattai (Gattai Minoli Agostinelli)

Managing / Senior Partner of the Year Andrea Arosio (Linklaters)

Female Lawyer of the Year Giulietta Bergamaschi (Lexellent)

Rising Star of the Year (Under 35) Francesca Brilli (Ashurst)

TopLegal Award for Excellence Alberto Santa Maria (Santa Maria)

Law Firm

Aw

ards

Law Firm of the Year Bonelli Erede Pappalardo

Law Firm of the Year: Northern Italy De Andrè

Law Firm of the Year: Central Italy Bovesi Cartwright Pescatore

Law Firm of the Year: Southern Italy Loconte

Best Place to Work Withers

Innovation Law Firm of the Year Toffoletto De Luca Tamajo

Italian Desk of the Year Skadden Arps Slate Meagher & Flom

Deal Aw

ards

Restructuring Deal of the Year DLA Piper

SME Deal of the Year Spinazzi Azzarita Troi

Practice Area A

wards

Banking & Finance: Debt Capital Markets Orrick Herrington & Sutcliffe

Banking and Finance Linklaters

Corporate Crime: Companies R&P Legal

Corporate Crime: Environment Pulitanò Zanchetti

Corporate Crime: Finance Dinoia Federico Pelanda Simbari Uslenghi

Corporate: Equity Capital Markets White & Case

Corporate: M&A Shearman & Sterling

Dispute Resolution: Arbitrations Curtis Mallet-Prevost Colt & Mosle

Dispute Resolution: Commercial Litigation Gianni Origoni Grippo Cappelli

Employment: Industrial Relations Bonelli Erede Pappalardo / Chiomenti

Employment: Litigation Toffoletto De Luca Tamajo

Independent Authorities: Competition & EU Law Legance

Independent Authorities: Regulatory Cleary Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton

Intellectual Property Jacobacci

Public Law: Contracts, Concessions, Public Services Clifford Chance

Public Law: Litigation Lipani

Tax: Litigation Chiomenti

Tax: Transactional Maisto

TMT Hogan Lovells

The Winners of the 8th TopLegal Awards

July 2015, Milan

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