Global law firm Greenberg Traurig, LLP, one of the largest in the United States, announced that effective July 1, 2019, it will combine with its longstanding ally Santa Maria Studio Legale, a truly elite Italian boutique, and simultaneously add stars in the real estate and finance fields from Freshfields in Milan. The result will be Greenberg Traurig’s 40th office worldwide and its fifth in Europe, located in Milan, Italy.

“After almost 15 years of closely working together, we are pleased to welcome Professor Alberto Santa Maria, one of Europe’s leading authorities in competition and corporate law, along with Luigi Santa Maria, Mario Santa Maria, and all their partners, associates, and staff, into the GT family,” said Richard A. Rosenbaum, Executive Chairman of Greenberg Traurig. Rosenbaum has been responsible for the execution of the plan which has resulted in offices in Amsterdam, Berlin, London, Warsaw, and now Milan, in addition to Tel Aviv. Collectively, these offices employ more than 300 lawyers and are known for their exceptionally high quality, particularly in real estate, M&A, private equity and funds, finance, restructuring, tax, capital markets, media and entertainment, and other areas.

“This is a unique opportunity given our close relationship with Studio Santa Maria and its highly regarded place in the Italian market. We are a global firm, with one of the largest U.S. footprints and now over 300 lawyers across Europe, as well as a compelling strategic penetration of both Latin America and Asia. For more than 50 years, we have guarded our unified, collaborative, and non-bureaucratic culture as we have grown, maintaining our core values of excellence and sincere respect and trust of the individuals on the ground in all our locations. This unique combination has resulted in a broad and deep platform while retaining the feeling of empowerment and ability to change, which is so crucial to delivering results for our clients and satisfaction for our professionals worldwide,” Rosenbaum continued.

“Our unique approach has quickly provided us the opportunity to also simultaneously welcome the leading real estate and finance lawyers in the market for the last several decades, Marzio Longo and Corrado Angelelli, from the Freshfields firm. They will enhance our ability to take advantage of the real estate, finance, and distressed asset opportunities we believe will drive value to our private equity, real estate, banking, and other clients from our earliest days in Milan.”

Luigi Santa Maria, along with Mario Santa Maria, will become shareholders and will serve as co-managing shareholders of Greenberg Traurig’s Milan office, which will be known as Greenberg Traurig Santa Maria in Italy. Longo and Angelelli will join from Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer, where they both practiced for decades. Longo was head of that firm’s Real Estate Practice in Italy and Angelelli was a leading finance partner in the firm’s global transactions group.

Santa Maria Studio Legale has been a leading independent law firm in Italy for over 50 years, operating internationally with a sophisticated team assisting clients in matters involving European Union law, international contracts and litigation, M&A, corporate law, and finance. In 2005, Greenberg Traurig and Santa Maria established an alliance relationship that included an Italian Desk at Greenberg Traurig’s New York City office.

“We are extremely proud of what we have been able to achieve for clients together and will now have the capability to do so as one ever-expanding platform,” Luigi Santa Maria said. “Beyond our legal experience, we look forward to bringing to our clients the technological know-how, including the use of artificial intelligence, crucial in the context of the epic change our profession is undergoing. Lawyers who make the difference and are supported by latest-generation technology, can achieve more for clients. We are also very excited to welcome Marzio Longo and Corrado Angelelli to Greenberg Traurig Santa Maria.”

Longo, with over 25 years of experience, has in-depth knowledge of all aspects of real estate consultancy, and has dealt with M&A transactions, development projects, co-investment structures such as joint ventures, and financing. He assists high-profile national and international players in the real estate market, such as private equity companies, sovereign funds and pension funds, investment funds, and companies involved in real estate development.

“Both Greenberg Traurig and the team at Santa Maria Studio Legale have always had an excellent reputation that go beyond legal expertise. Specifically, I look forward to having clients work with the award-winning real estate team not only here in Italy, but also worldwide. And I am confident that my experience will prove to be of value to clients across markets,” Longo said.

Angelelli is among the most experienced lawyers in Italy in the field of structured finance, having assisted many clients in securitization transactions concerning a wide range of asset classes. In addition, he has gained experience in restructuring, real estate financing and refinancing, has a strong expertise in NPLs and has aided clients with the legal aspects of the purchase and sale of loan and asset portfolios.

“Given that I assist foreign banks and investors, Italian companies, and financial institutions, the move to Greenberg Traurig Milan was an easy decision to make,” Angelelli said. “This is a highly sophisticated team that works well together across platforms, markets, and sectors. I look forward to expanding my reach and adding to the team’s already robust global capabilities.”

Robert J. Ivanhoe, co-chair of Greenberg Traurig’s Global Real Estate Practice, added, “It has been my pleasure getting to know Marzio and Corrado, they are top quality individuals who will fit well with both our dear friends at Santa Maria and with GT globally, and we can’t wait to explore the many opportunities before us.”

SOURCE Greenberg Traurig, LLP