News & Events | News

Thursday 1st December 2005

Leading European corporate firm, SJ Berwin LLP today announced its opening in Italy. Italian buy-out and acquisition finance specialist Alberto Morano will head up the offices based in Milan and Turin.

The firm has just won the European private equity industry award, EVCA Real Deals Law Firm of the Year 2005 and the new Italian office will further its European strategy.

The Italian offices will open for business on Monday 5th December 2005. Alberto Morano will become a partner of SJ Berwin LLP and he will be joined by partners Massimo Chiaia, Arturo Meglio and Fabio Cigna. The team brings expertise in the fields of private equity, M&A, acquisition finance, real estate, corporate and labour law and will expand to include EU & competition law shortly.

Prior to joining SJ Berwin, Alberto was in-house counsel at Citibank; in 1990 he founded Studio Legale Morano e Associati and subsequently joined White & Case LLP.

Senior Partner, David Harrel comments: “SJ Berwin has a highly focused European expansion strategy. A presence in Italy has always been a vital part of that strategy. I am delighted that Alberto and his team have decided to join SJ Berwin which will give us a foothold in the important Italian market.”

Alberto adds: “The expertise that we have as a team provides a clear strategic fit with SJ Berwin and I am looking forward to working with such highly-regarded corporate finance teams across Europe. I act for a broad range of international and institutional clients which complements SJ Berwin’s client base and their focus on cross-border transactions.”

Head of European Corporate Finance and Private Equity, Jonathan Blake says: “An Italian office will be a major part of our European Law Firm Strategy. The office will focus on private equity buyouts and M&A in the Italian marketplace. Alberto and his colleagues are well known in the Italian market and work with very high quality clients . They are, therefore, a perfect fit with the firm’s existing European Private Equity and M&A practice. We are delighted to welcome them to the firm, and look forward to introducing them to many of our clients. “

The offices in Milan and Turin follow the launch of offices in Paris, Madrid, Munich, Berlin and Frankfurt and brings the number of partners to 143 across the combined European business. SJ Berwin already offers a range of services to its clients in Continental Europe including EU & Competition and real estate, as well as M&A, tax and private equity.

• SJ Berwin’s pan-European private equity team has won the EVCA/Real Deals award for Law Firm of the Year for the second successive year, in recognition of its private equity work over the last twelve months. The award recognised the Firm’s contribution to European private equity, and its work on buy-outs, venture capital and fund formation.
• SJ Berwin LLP was named ‘UK Firm of the Year’ at the 2005 Legal Week Awards on 30th November. The awards recognised SJ Berwin’s five years of international expansion and its involvement in a series of high quality deals.
• Founded in 1982, SJ Berwin is a leading City corporate and commercial law firm with offices in London, Berlin, Brussels, Frankfurt, Madrid, Milan, Munich, Paris and Turin.