He is joined from LGA by partner Andrea Gattamorta who specialises in dispute resolution. There will be a total of 18 fee earners in the office - a mixture of associates and trainees - with some joining from the other Italian offices. The Bologna office opens a year after Fieldfisher launched in Italy. The firm also has a presence in Milan, Rome, Venice and Turin.  With over 210 lawyers and accountants, including 28 partners, the Italian offices offer capabilities in banking, corporate, company secretarial, compliance & commercial, employment, data protection law and tax litigation, compliance, VAT, transfer pricing and planning.

'Record-breaking year'

Fieldfisher managing partner Michael Chissick said: ‘We've had a record breaking year at the firm and it is wonderful to be starting the new financial year with more good news.  Since we've merged, our Italian partners have been fantastic at cross-selling and developing relationships across the network – particularly in our energy and natural resources sector.  We are committed to our European positioning and we are still looking to grow further –  in addition to our growing Italian offices we also aim to have a Spanish presence within the year.’

'Strong industrial and commercial history'

Giusi Lamicela, executive partner of Fieldfisher in Italy, added: ‘Since our merger, we've had substantial success in promoting our European offering to our clients and working with our colleagues across the network.  We choose Bologna as our next office because of its strong industrial and commercial history.  We are delighted that Gianvincenzo and Andrea have joined and we warmly welcome them and the rest of the team.  We are determined to become a leading influence in the legal market in Italy.  It is through making strategic partnerships – like with our new partners that this will happen – and we are looking to grow further in the future.’