Manchester law firm maintains European growth momentum with expansion in Milan

Law firm DWF has unveiled plans to expand into Italy.

The Manchester-headquartered company will launch an office in Milan on Wednesday (November 1) with a team from independent Italian firm Pavia e Ansaldo.

The opening will see four partners and 12 lawyers join DWF, with corporate finance specialist Michele Cicchetti appointed to lead DWF Italy in the role of managing partner.

Michele will work alongside founding partners Tancredi Marino and Luca Cuomo, who specialise in tax and M&A/private equity respectively.

Real estate lawyer Daniele Zanni is the fourth partner to join the firm’s Italian operation.

DWF said the Milan team has particular expertise in the delivery of complex corporate, finance, tax and litigation advice on matters arising from both domestic and international M&A and private equity activity.

The managing partner and chief exec of DWF, Andrew Leaitherland, said: “Our growth agenda is driven by how we can best deliver more value for clients, so the decision to expand into a new jurisdiction is very much based on whether our clients will benefit from the greater reach and new service line capability in that particular region.

“We have seen really positive results from our German and French practices in a relatively short amount of time, and we’re confident that our new Milan office will strengthen our offering in continental Europe, particularly across the private equity, energy and financial services sectors, and allow us to continue the momentum we’ve built so far.”

Michele Cicchetti commented: “DWF’s platform offers a really exciting opportunity for growth, and our areas of work and our client bases are truly complementary.

“Along with our closer UK and European neighbours in DWF’s German and French offices, we envisage working very closely with colleagues internationally, tapping into the expertise that’s offered across the whole DWF group.”

Tax lawyer and DWF Italy founding partner Tancredi Marino said: “With its broad range of activity and offices, DWF offers an excellent platform for our clients and advisory practice, and there are also many areas of work in common with the new international colleagues.”

Fellow founding partner Luca Cuomo said of the launch: “We have been given a unique opportunity to build a premier international practice in Milan and we look forward to doing that in close cooperation with our other European and worldwide offices.”

With a head office in Manchester’s Spinningfields area, DWF current has more than two dozen offices across Europe, the US, Middle East and Asia.