Dentons has opened a second office in Italy, launching in Rome following a two-year strategic plan to build a full-service firm in the country.
The office will be led by Italy managing partner Federico Sutti, who was taken on with another seven lawyers from DLA Piper when Dentons launched its first office in Milan earlier this year.
The initial team in Rome will include former Gianni Origoni Grippo Cappelli & Partners senior associate Michele Carpagnano, who joins as antitrust partner, and former Latham & Watkins counsel Luca Pocobelli, who joins as corporate partner, alongside a team of associates.
The remaining Milan-based partners, such as Stefano Speroni, Matteo Falcione and Sutti, will split their time between the two offices.
“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,” said Dentons global chairman Joe Andrew.
Ashurst was the latest firm to close its Italian operations following a strategic review earlier this year. The firm lost a nine-strong team to DLA Piper in the city in 2015.
A statement by Dentons said it will continue to grow its team over the coming year. The firm 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.
Dentons is not the only firm to expand into Italy. Last month, Fieldfisher opened its doors in the market through a merger with local player Studio Associato Servizi Professionali Integrati (SASPI).