NEW YORK, NY -- March 9, 2005 -- Greenberg Traurig, the 1350-lawyer firm whose 24-office platform presents the eighth largest number of lawyers and the most extensive coverage of metropolitan areas in the United States, has taken another step in its international expansion. In addition to its key European locations, today the firm is pleased to announce that it has formed a strategic alliance with Italian law firm Studio Santa Maria, a prominent 40-lawyer firm based in Milan with offices also in Rome, with significant international experience, including in the U.S. The firms will service clients that retain both firms as a unified team right from the start.
In order to maximize the synergies and the delivery of this unique level of breadth and depth of services to clients in the U.S., Italy and beyond, Luigi Santa Maria has joined the firm as Foreign Counsel, bringing his extensive skills and experience in multiple cultures and legal systems into play for both firms. Also joining the firm as associates are Mario Santa Maria, Christian Moretti and Serena Boscia Montalbano, all based in the firm's 270-lawyer New York office, where they will work closely with corporate shareholder Lorenzo Borgogni, who joined the firm last year from Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz, in operating the firm's "Italian Desk." Messrs. Borgogni, Santa Maria and Moretti all are graduates of Columbia Law School; Mrs. Boscia Montalbano is a graduate of the University of Texas at Austin Law School; and all are admitted to practice in Italy and New York. The "Italian Desk," which will be staffed initially with six dual-qualified US-based attorneys, makes available to Italian clients doing business in the United States as well as U.S. clients doing business in Italy a group of highly skilled and experienced attorneys, trained and admitted to practice in both legal systems, who will be able to tap into close to 1,400 lawyers.
The combination of Greenberg Traurig's strong U.S. position, as well as its quality, breadth, depth and business focus, with the preeminence and relationships of Studio Santa Maria in Italy, will offer the clients of both firms service, counsel and access that will be unmatched in these markets.
"This alliance furthers Greenberg Traurig's global strategy of avoiding mega-mergers and instead selectively joining with top-tier lawyers and firms that have synergy with our unique culture and worldwide brand," said Richard A. Rosenbaum, Greenberg Traurig's National Operating Shareholder responsible for European development and the Managing Shareholder of its New York office. "Highly sophisticated lawyers and clients around the world are looking for firms that offer a unique platform, having capabilities beyond a few major markets and practice areas and providing vast, diverse and effective resources in a business-focused, unbureaucratic way- Greenberg Traurig is that unique platform."
"Throughout the history of our law firm, we have developed a reputation for quality, integrity and delivering real business value to our clients, some of whom are among the most important players in Italy today," said Professor Alberto Santa Maria, the founder and managing partner of Studio Santa Maria. "In Greenberg Traurig, we have found a firm that is equally committed to those core values while at the same providing a fantastic platform of services and a collaborative culture which will no doubt result in very significant business opportunities for our clients and lawyers alike."
About Studio Santa Maria
Studio Santa Maria was established in 1970 by Professor Alberto Santa Maria, who teaches international law at the School of Law of the University of Milan and is widely regarded as one of Italys preeminent attorneys. The firm is based in Milan, with a secondary office in Rome. Staffed with over 40 attorneys, Studio Santa Maria offers one of the most sophisticated international practices among Italian-based law firms. The firm has consistently advised the Italian government and a wide range of blue-chip clients in relation to all aspects of EU law, including antitrust, state aid, trade law and dumping. The firm has recently won a landmark decision for Wind, Italys second largest telecommunications operator, when Italys antitrust authority fined market leader Telecom Italia 152 million for abuse of dominant position, the highest fine ever imposed in the regulators history. Studio Santa Maria maintains the same level of excellence and reputation in its corporate practice, which covers privatizations, friendly and hostile acquisitions, leveraged and management buyouts, corporate governance and corporate restructurings, as well as capital markets. The firm acts as a regular outside counsel to some of Italys largest banks and financial institutions. In 2004, the firm acted as issuers counsel in one of Italys largest securitization transactions. The firms tax department, headed by an internationally renowned tax expert, handles highly sophisticated and complex international and domestic tax matters for a wide range of clients. All of Studio Santa Marias attorneys are fluent in English and many have additional language skills. Most have graduated summa cum laude from Italian law schools and have received Masters of Laws or other advanced degrees from academic institutions outside of Italy, including the United States. For additional information, visit the firms Web site at www.santalex.com.