Milan and Rome, Italy – International law firm Hogan Lovells has made a major addition to its team in Italy with the hire of a 23-lawyer mergers and acquisitions (M&A) and finance group from Orrick. Led by former managing partner for Europe, Patrizio Messina, this team brings a wealth of experience and expertise in structured finance, debt capital markets, and M&A matters. The group will join Hogan Lovells in Milan and Rome, along with trainees and business services staff, making up a total of more than 30 individuals.
Hogan Lovells CEO, Miguel Zaldivar, describes the move as a strategic growth strategy for the firm’s Italy practice. He mentioned that Italy, as the third largest economy in the European Union, is experiencing substantial growth, especially in highly-regulated sectors such as renewables, pharmaceuticals, financial institutions, and technology and telecommunications. The addition of this team strengthens Hogan Lovells’ debt capital markets and securitization practice in Italy, which is a key market for their clients.
Patrizio Messina, who is dual qualified in England and Wales as well as Italy, brings over 20 years of leadership experience from Orrick. He is highly regarded as one of Italy’s top securitization and structured finance lawyers, consistently ranked for his expertise in debt capital markets transactions. Messina has also played a key role in drafting legislation related to securitization and minibonds in Italy. His previous work includes collaborating with the M&A team on significant Italian bank rescue and relaunch transactions.
At Hogan Lovells, Messina will take up the position of managing partner for Italy, succeeding Luca Picone, who has led the firm’s Italian practice for seven years. Picone will continue to work closely with Messina and newly-appointed deputy managing partner Vittorio Moresco, who heads the firm’s Italy employment practice.
Orrick will experience a significant loss, with more than one third of its entire team in Italy joining Hogan Lovells. According to Pirical, Orrick had 67 lawyers in Italy, with over 30 of them in the corporate/M&A team. This recent move by the team from Orrick brings Hogan Lovells’ Italy lawyer count to over 160 across offices in Rome and Milan, including 26 partners. The firm’s Italy practice has been steadily growing in recent years, with a constant average double-digit growth in revenues year-on-year, reaching nearly €50m in 2023.
This hiring spree by Hogan Lovells follows their previous expansions in Paris, Berlin, and the United States. In January, the firm added a five-lawyer disputes team from White & Case in Paris, while in Berlin, they strengthened their infrastructure and energy offering with the addition of an M&A team from Dentons. Additionally, Hogan Lovells acquired over 30 partners from Stroock & Stroock & Lavan in the United States. These strategic moves reflect the firm’s commitment to expanding its global presence and strengthening its expertise across various markets and practice areas.