US firm Greenberg Traurig’s Italian business has hired a five-strong group of banking and finance lawyers from Molinari Agostinelli law firm to expand its coverage in Milan.

The incoming team includes three partners and is led by Riccardo Agostinelli, alongside Marco Leonardi and Daniele Migliarucci. They are joined by senior associates Alessandro Pallavicini and Cristina Cupolo. They bring expertise across the banking and finance sector, including leveraged, acquisition, corporate, real estate and sports finance, as well as special situations and debt restructuring.

Richard Rosenbaum, Greenberg Traurig’s executive chairman, said: “This is a unique opportunity to welcome someone with Riccardo’s combination of top-tier reputation and decades of experience in both the finance and restructuring sectors.”

He added the team's hire "strengthens our position as leading legal advisors on the Italian and European markets, thanks to the close synergy with the banking and finance, real estate, restructuring and insolvency, financial litigation and M&A practices.”

Agostinelli arrives at Greenberg Traurig Santa Maria after just over three years at Molinari Agostinelli, where he was a name partner having previously also been a name partner at Gattai Minoli Agostinelli & Partners (now PedersoliGattai) for more than seven years. Prior to that, he spent five years as a partner at Latham & Watkins in Milan and just under a decade at Ashurst, where he helped set up the firm’s Milan office and spent just over six years as managing partner.

He said: “Choosing Greenberg Traurig was a natural next step in my career. I am certain that my clients will benefit from the worldwide expertise available across this platform and that my experience will be able to contribute value to existing firm relationships in a growing global marketplace. I look forward to collaborating with my new colleagues.”

Leonardi, meantime, is a long-time colleague of Agostinelli, having first worked with him at Ashurst where he started his career, before following Agostinelli to Latham & Watkins, where he became a counsel, and then Gattai and Molinari Agostinelli, where he was a partner. Migliarucci has been with the team since starting his career at Latham & Watkins.

Luigi Santa Maria, Greenberg Traurig’s Milan co-managing shareholder, said: “Greenberg Traurig is consistently recognised as a leading advisor for complex transactions and projects worldwide. Adding Riccardo and his team is a strategic move to further grow these capabilities and support the expansion of our already strong team in Milan and across Europe, adding value for clients who demand a commitment to excellence and top-tier experience across markets and sectors.”

Other international firms to strengthen their Italian benches in recent months include Bird & Bird, which added a seven-strong finance team in Milan from Hogan Lovells in July. Orrick also hired a seven-lawyer M&A and private equity team from Shearman & Sterling in Milan back in May.