Herbert Smith Freehills establishes private equity and ECM practice in Italy with lateral team hire

Leading international law firm Herbert Smith Freehills has hired partner Augusto Santoro, together with a four-strong senior team, to establish a private equity and ECM practice in Italy. Augusto will be leading the broader corporate/M&A practice in the firm's Milan office. He joins from Simmons & Simmons where he was a partner in the corporate and commercial group and head of its ECM practice. 

Augusto specialises in M&A and corporate law as well as on private equity and ECM. His practice is broad and includes advising clients on a wide range of corporate transactions from M&A deals and divestitures to corporate governance and public company representation. He has in-depth experience across a number of industries and sectors including pharma and healthcare, TMT, financial services and luxury-fashion.

Alongside Augusto, Bernadetta Troisi, a seasoned corporate, private equity and ECM practitioner with over 20 years' experience, also joins Herbert Smith Freehills from Simmons & Simmons. She joins the firm as an of counsel.

Augusto and Bernadetta will join along with a team comprising senior associates Michela Merella and Guglielmo Ferrari, and associate Cesare Saputo. 

The hire of Augusto and team adds depth and breadth to the firm's Corporate/M&A practice in Milan, marking a further step towards building a full-service corporate offering for the Italian market. 

Laura Orlando, Managing Partner of the firm's Milan office, commented: 

"Augusto is a well-known and highly respected M&A practitioner in the Italian market. With a solid track record and broad experience across M&A, private equity and ECM transactions in a variety of sectors, Augusto and team perfectly complement our existing corporate offering, and will work alongside our partner Francesca Morra who is a market leader in the energy and infra space. We warmly welcome Augusto and team to the firm."

Francesca Morra, partner, Herbert Smith Freehills, added:

"I look forward to working together with Augusto and the team to drive forward the growth of our corporate platform in Italy and to leverage their strengths and sector expertise in advising our clients across the spectrum of corporate transactions."  

Augusto Santoro said: 

"I am thrilled to be joining HSF and its fast-growing Milan office, establishing a new private equity and ECM practice. I look forward to working with the Italian and international partners to further boost our offering in Italy in the corporate space."