EDITORS’ CHOICE - ADMINISTRATIVE LAW FIRM OF THE YEAR IN ITALY Riccardo Villata / Andreina Degli Esposti Founding and Equity Partners
Villata, Degli Esposti e Associati
Tel: +39 025492951 r.villata@vilde.it / a.degliesposti@vilde.it www.vilde.it
Villata, Degli Esposti e Associati (VILDE) is one of the leading public law firms in Italy, providing specialist advice to both public and private clients in all practice areas relating to administrative law. The firm combines a profound knowledge of the administrative legal system and case law with extensive judicial and extrajudicial expertise, enabling it to become a key consultancy in the current legal framework. VILDE is recognised for its personalised and empathetic approach with respect to clients’ needs, an aspect that is conducive to an indepth analysis of the thematic areas the law firm is involved in, in order to identify the best possible solutions. The firm advises a large number of both national and international commercial, financial and industrial clients in all areas of public law.
In particular, the firm specialises in: litigation (before Administrative Courts, the Italian Court of Audit and Civil and Criminal Courts); public utilities and works (the firm’s partners are widely recognised as the leading Italian experts in this field); energy; oil and gas; infrastructure; environment (having had significant experience in both the remediation and waste sectors, along with environmental criminal law); tender procedures; real estate (the firm has been involved in an increasing number of complex deals regarding the acquisition of hotels, resort facilities, offices and residential buildings complexes); privatisation and public enterprises; building regulations; town planning; M&A; independent authorities and regulations of industrial sites; project financing. Over the last few years, the firm has become increasingly involved in public and administrative matters in the context of corporate transactions, resulting in the constant interaction with a growing number of foreign law firms and clients who directly address the firm. In fact, VILDE has seen
a sharp increase in international assignments: more than 30% of the activity of the firm currently consists of international projects and deals. The firm’s presence in Bologna and throughout the Emilia-Romagna region has been further strengthened by Andreina Degli Esposti, who has endeavoured to secure working relationships with many of the region’s influential law firms and companies. Moreover, the law firm has established a “Best Friend” relationship (regarding the offices in Rome and Bologna) with Avv. Giorgio Tarabini’s Law Firm, a primary legal structure in Sondrio and in the Valtellina district. With the promotion of Laura Sommaruga from Salary Partner to Equity Fellow Partner (“Socio Gestore”) in 2017, the firm went on to boost the ranks of its junior and senior associates. For several years, Chambers Europe and Legal 500 have consistently ranked VILDE and its equity partners among the most prominent Italian firms and lawyers in the field of public law.
EMPLOYMENT DISCRIMINATION LAW FIRM OF THE YEAR IN ITALY Giulietta Bergamaschi Managing Partner
Lexellent, Studio Legale
Tel: +39 02 87 25 171 giuliettabergamaschi@ lexellent.it www.lexellent.it Lexellent is the brainchild of four partners, Benvenuto, Scherini, Bergamaschi and Piras, with wellestablished reputations in the employment field, who over the years together have gained and shared their experience in a broad variety of environments and issues – pooling expertise, which we are proud to be able to place at the disposal of both longterm and new clients. While the law is equal for all, a solid track record most definitely is not.
The defense of intangible assets is an area of major interest for businesses and requires a multi-disciplinary approach. For this reason, Lexellent’s experts in Intellectual Property, Penal Law and Employment Law work hand-in-hand for the drafting of non-competition agreements, the Stability Pact of the European Union and confidentiality agreements – as well as for actions of unfair competition (as per Article 2598 of the Italian Civil Code), assisting clients with the economic and regulatory evaluation affixed to clauses, and the management of any possible litigation… even in emergency situations.
Giulietta Bergamaschi delivers certainty, beyond any unreasonable doubt, providing consultancy services to both domestic and multinational clients. She works shoulder-to-shoulder with company directors and HR managers, and is chiefly involved in negotiating agreements with unions, rendering strategic opinions on risk evaluation in contentious trade union matters and preparing business and management strategy. She is also an expert on discrimination in the workplace.
Ethics is particularly important to the firm. For this reason, discrimination in the workplace is a subject that is faced daily in great depth. It is an important argument, rarely examined from a labor law point of view, which Lexellent brings to the forefront through analysis and a legal, sociological and economic approach.
A specialized employment and labor law boutique, with professionals that have operated in the sector for more than 40 years, work, by nature, alongside their clients on all aspects connected to the management of the workforce, from hiring to firing, agents to administrators, and freelance consultants.
Lexellent, which is an active partner of the charities Parks and Sodalitas, was awarded the special prize for Equal Opportunities at LegalCommunity’s 2015 Labour Awards – being the first Italian boutique law firm to have had, years ago, the foresight to focus on an issue so
In addition, from an international point of view, Lexellent is a founder and member of the network Ellint (www.ellint.net).
Lexellent provides a broad range of legal services for domestic and multinational corporations, in Italy and abroad.
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Global Awards 2019
current and so relevant to the main practice of the firm: the study and the implementation of positive practices which favor inclusion in the workplace. In fact, Lexellent supports their clients with the realization of policies which can enhance diversity and strengthen the gender culture in the absence of specific laws. Themes such as discrimination in the workplace, projects of inclusion for LGBT individuals, the promotion of Smart Working and activities relative to the promotion of a work–life balance is in our DNA.
Employment-related litigation is handled throughout Italy from Lexellent’s offices in Milan and Rome.