The interest in and passion for the field of art expressed by many Partners of the Firm and, in particular, by Vittorio Grimaldi, have led us to establish a team endowed with intersecting  skills fit to give a specialized and continued attention to the field of Art.

The Firm can count on its extensive and well-established expertise in providing legal and tax support – at a national and international level – to artists, museums, galleries, foundations and auction houses, collectors, as well as private collectors.

Organizing events dedicated to exhibitions and in-depth legal and tax discussions, with major partners from the finance and art sectors, have enabled us to include a number of professionals and develop an important client network in Italy and abroad, while dealing with diverse, complex and fascinating topics.

All those who are interested in receiving the most important sector-related news, can sign up to the Firm’s newsletter, by sending an e-mail to art@grimaldilex.com.

The Banking and Finance department is composed of professionals with a solid experience in the field of acquisition finance, real estate finance and NPL transactions, in addition their strong knowledge of other banking and finance instruments, and banking and finance regulations. The following characteristics have enabled us to become, in a short period of time, one of the leading law firms in Italy:

• A combined team of lawyers with high standards of expertise and professionality, operating across Milan, London and Rome and providing services, in both jurisdictions, aimed at creating, coordinating and implementing complex cross-border finance transactions;
• Outstanding knowledge of banking and finance on which the M&A department is able to rely when working in transactions involving financial institutions; and
• The innovative nature of the transactions on which we are working (such as the first project bond transactions in Italy, whether private and public and complex NPL purchase and sale transactions).

The firm assists creditors (mostly banks and credit funds), debtors and third-party investors in the restructuring of Italian companies in a state of crisis, in the context of bankruptcy and pre-bankturuptcy proceedings, such as in the case of recovery plans.  

The firm provides national and international clients with the possibility of carrying out an economic capital assessment of companies and/or business units. In particular:

• Corporate performance projects
• Assessment of the economic capital of companies and/or business branches
• Advice in the context of listings on regulated markets
• Impairment Test on Assets

The Capital Markets Team of the Firm provides a full range of services to clients (players of the public and private sector, financial institutions, investors and bond issuers) in connection with debt issuance transactions (plain vanilla and structured bonds, high-yield debt offerings, and private placements) and listing of companies on national and international regulated markets.

Trusts and trustees are increasingly subject to Italian court proceedings, with regards to issues related to civil law, as well as criminal and tax law.

Grimaldi Studio Legale has been one of the first law firms in Italy to have a specialized team composed of civil, criminal and tax lawyers able to provide legal assistance in a wide range of controversies regarding trusts. 

The Firm provides national and international clients with a unique solution in the field of professional services: the possibility of being assisted in a specialized, integrated and coordinated manner in all aspects of business crisis, both in Italy and abroad. Namely, the Firm specializes in:

• Advice in the context of procedures relating to business crisis and turnaround
• Drafting of recovery and negotiation plans with banks and creditors
• Banking and/or financial agreements
• Tax and social security transactions
• Certification of recovery plans and tax and social security transactions
• Taking on the role of Chief Restructuring Officer
• Taking on the role of Indipendent Directors

Grimaldi Studio Legale serves companies on matters related to corporate governance and directors’ liability. In particular, the Firm provides assistance and advice in the assessment and creation of top-level governance structures apt to prevent potential risks arising from the management of companies. The Firm has a specific expertise with regards to:

• Organisation Models under Legislative Decree 231/01;
• Anti-bribery; 
• Anti-Money Laundering;
• Personal Data Protection;
• Health and Safety in the Workplace.

The firm serves national and international clients on extraordinary transactions such as mergers, demergers, acquisition of shares or assets, and Companies’ group reorganizations.

With reference to private equity, we have an undisputed leadership in the Italian market, as we have always provided assistance to important Italian and foreign funds at all stages of their business, ranging from their creation to the fund raising stage, from the acquisition of interests in target companies to their divestiture, also by means of listings on organized markets or competitive auction procedures.

Our assistance covers all aspects of the above transactions, including legal and tax structuring, drafting and negotiation of contractual documents (such as letters of intent, letters of procedures, investment agreements, acquisition agreements, shareholders’ agreements, financial documents), and  assistance relevant to activities preceding and subsequent to the closing phase, assistance in possible mergers of vehicle companies with target companies in the context of LBOs transactions.

Grimaldi Studio Legale has a long-standing experience in the assistance of major banking groups in setting up procedures aimed at collecting a high number of non-performing consumer receivables.

A group of professionals are specifically committed to carrying out activities related to debt collection procedures, whether in their initial phase or during the Court proceedings, also by means of a network of external collaborators located across the national territory.  

Furthermore, the Firm provides assistance also by contributing to the evaluation of legal issues arising from relationships relying upon receivables which have generated non-performing positions.

Our team of professionals are qualified to use standard data processing systems for the management of credit ratings.

The firm boasts extensive experience in employment law, industrial relations and related litigations, and in-depth knowledge of the legal and regulatory system governing labour matters.

The Firm provides on-going assistance in the management of human resources and relations with employees, as well as labour law controversies.

The Firms has successfully dealt with several legal labour disputes and has efficiently contributed to the reorganization of companies operating in the engineering, steel, chemical, pharmaceutical, petrochemical, publishing, finance and banking sectors.

The Energy Department of our Law Firm is known to be one of the most prestigious and renowned department both at a national and international level. Its strength resides in: (i) a proven ability to provide a multi-faceted legal assistance in extraordinary transactions, energy infrastructure projects, commercial contracts pertaining to this sector, trading, issues related to administrative and regulation law, litigation and national and international arbitration; (ii) renowned expertise in all energy-related domains (oil&gas, energy production deriving from fossil fuels and energy efficiency); (iii) the ability to provide assistance to clients in international transactions.

Special mention needs to be made to the Firm’s long standing experience in the financing of energy-production plants.

The lawyers of this Firm have reached a high level of expertise also with reference to infrastructures (shipping ports, airports, highways, electric networks, railways, intermodal freight terminals, hospitals, pipelines, and water supply networks).

Our assistance extends across regulatory matters, M&A transactions, project management, EU Regulation, fiscal, antitrust and litigation management issues.  

The Firm provides assistance in EU law matters with a specific focus on free movement of goods people, services and capital, EU funding, public procurements, energy, transport, infrastructures, telecommunications, etc. Such assistance is also rendered in civil proceedings pending before national and European institutions (EU Courts and national judges).

As a result of the skills and professionality acquired, Grimaldi Studio Legale has become the only Italian law firm acting as legal advisor for the European Commission and European Parliament, providing assessments and studies in different disciplinary sectors.

Furthermore, the Firm serves clients in competition law matters: control of concentrations between undertakings at a national, European and multi-jurisdictional level, proceedings aimed at ascertaining the existence of anti-competitive arrangements between undertakings, abuse of dominant positions, commercial malpractises, State aid and draft of antitrust compliance programs.

The Firm boasts a team of professionals having specific expertise in taxation and extraordinary transactions and is known as the most important integrated professional firm operating in the market, ready to bring the best national and international experience in the territory and, therefore, to collaborate with clients and professionals. More specifically, the Firm specializes in:

• Impairment Test on Assets
• Corporate performance projects 
• Financial statements and national and international accounting standards
• Financial, tax, accounting due diligence
• Drafting of party-appointed and court-appointed Expert’s technical appraisals and organization, management and control models pursuant to Legislative Decree no. 231/2001

Our insurance law practice includes lawyers with extensive experience in the field who advise insurance and reinsurance companies, both at a national and international level, across industries. In particular, they advise on structuring and review, also for regulatory purposes, of new products and the relevant underlying contractual arrangements, management of claims, regulatory issues, including assistance in case of inspections and objections to possible sanctions, examination of competition related matters, both in the internal market and at an European level, extraordinary transactions, relationships with intermediaries, insurers and reinsurers. The department – in close synergy with the Litigation, Arbitration and ADR Department – is particularly experienced in out-of-court and in-court disputes, as well as arbitrations, also in relation to subrogation and recovery actions. Our lawyers are located in our offices in Rome, Milan, Brussels and London.

The Firm assists clients in the management of trademarks, patents and intellectual and industrial property. The Firm has a long-standing experience in this field, ranging from the registration of intellectual property rights to the relevant transfer agreements and litigations.

The firm assists clients in national and international litigations before courts and arbitration panels, as well as alternative dispute resolutions.

This practice extends across all aspects of civil and commercial law, and has a particular focus on corporate law, commercial contracts, bankruptcy law, banking law, insurance, contentious trusts and tender procedures.

The team was involved in some of the most important litigation cases in Italy and abroad, including class actions.

In a rapidly changing socio-economic framework, the multifaceted non-profit world is naturally endowed with all the flexibility required to make up for the shortcomings generated by the crisis of the first two sectors (i.e. the “Public” and “Private” sectors). However, even the third sector (in the “pre-reform” sense) has suffered from a reduction of the economic resources available to pursue its institutional aims. Hence the need for specific integrated skills to meet the growing need for efficiency and effectiveness. In this sense, Grimaldi Alliance is able to rely on the presence and collaboration of experienced professionals, both civil and tax experts, who have been working closely together for many years and are able to offer integrated consultancy services aimed at solving specific problems typical of the non-profit world. The professional services offered are, among other things:

• analysis of and adjustments to the Third Sector Reform;
• legal and tax, whether ordinary and extraordinary, advice, both at the time of incorporation of the organisation as well as during its life;
• draft of covenants and collaboration agreements with both public bodies and private structures;
• draft and review of by-laws, regulations, codes of ethics, minutes and resolutions;
• optimisation of the tax impact of transactions between the donor/subsidiary and the non-profit organisation;
• opinions;
• assistance in accounting management and related tax compliance;
• assistance in drafting mandatory annual documents (financial statements, fundraising and 5 per thousand – i.e. a share of income tax that taxpayers may allocate to non-profit organisations -, annual tax returns);
• draft of social budgets and impact assessments;
• management in extraordinary operations (mergers, spin-offs, reorganisations, etc.);
• management of all relations with the relevant authorities (Ministry of Labour and Social Policies, Revenue Agency, Prefecture, Territorial Authorities, etc.).

The Firm assists the most important organizations representing the non-profit sector and the so-called Fourth Sector, be they associations, foundations, committees, social enterprises, ETS (i.e. third sector bodies, including social promotion associations and voluntary organisations), ordinary non-profit entities, trade unions, trade associations, Scientific Companies, Benefit Societies, entities operating in the cultural, social-health, scientific research and other sectors that are part of this wide-ranging sector.

The Firm provides advice and possible judicial assistance in the field of family law and protection of related assets. In particular, assistance is offered to entrepreneurs and their family in identifying the most efficient manner to maintain, manage, protect and possibly reorganize their assets, as well as to plan the generation handover of the family business.

The Firm, with its multi-disciplinary approach, assists its Clients in the identification of new ownership and governance structures through the establishment of foundations, trusts, family holdings, and the relevant organization arrangements, draft of family pacts, as well as advice in the context of issues relating to wills and successions in general.

The Firm has the skills to professionally assist international clients in the establishment of trusts, supporting them during the process needed to identify the needs, purposes and best regulation of such instrument, serving the client in the selection of a "trustee", i.e. the "guardian of the trust" and related fiscal and succession matters.

Another practice area deals with issues related to rights of Person, Minors and Incapacitated Persons, and relevant procedures, as well as civil liability and compensation for damage arising from a civil unlawful action, whether contractual and non-contractual.

The combined skills of the administrative, financial and banking law departments as well as their expertise in several industrial sectors, have enabled the firm to advise clients on project finance matters, and projects related to public works, infrastructures, transport, public procurements, environment, urban development and planning, public services and utilities, and energy.

Grimaldi Studio Legale has developed a specific experience in the public sector by assisting public administrations, companies, agents, joint enterprises, private operators in different sectors, such as public procurements, environment, urban development and planning, public services, energy, project finance, telecommunication, infrastructure, public finance and transport.

The Firm assists clients in Court proceedings and out-of-court settlements (European Courts, Italian Judges, independent authorities, such as the national anti-corruption authority (“ANAC”), the regulatory authority for electricity, gas and water (“AEEGSI”), the telecommunication authority (“AGCOM”) and the antitrust authority (“AGCM”).

The Firm is committed to serving all legal needs related to real estate transactions, ranging from the acquisition and disposal of real estate assets, portfolios and vehicle companies, real estate development, financing, leasing and funds. 

Furthermore, our Firm avails itself of a significant experience in foreclosure, debt restructuring of real estate companies and issues related to non-performing real estate receivables in the creation of trusts by means of which real estate assets are purchased, as well as civil and tax litigation for real estate matters.

The Firm assists buyers and sellers, as well as institutional lenders and investors vis-à-vis real estate development projects and the financing of shopping centres, residential areas, hotels, health-care institutions and industrial plants.

The Firm draws on a comprehensive and in-depth experience in tax law, namely:

• National and international tax planning;
• Advice on corporate tax matters;
• Private equity and venture capital;
• National and international M&A transactions, with a focus on leveraged buy-outs;
• Structured finance transactions, such as securitisations, bonds and structured finance products;
• Extraordinary transactions;
• Stock option plans;
• Tax litigation;
• Real estate transactions;
• tax diligence.

Many national and international publications dedicated to evaluating the situation of Italian law firms have acknowledged that Grimaldi Studio Legale is one of the leading law firms in Tax Law.

Grimaldi Studio Legale provides assistance in the field of telecommunications, with a specific focus on: TLC networks and services, allocation of frequencies, interconnections, number portability, authorisations for the construction and maintenance of  infrastructures, right to operate in public areas under licenses, installation and placement of fibre optic networks in public and State-owned areas, and public procurements.

Furthermore, the Firm provides assistance with regards to the concession of media rights and authorization procedures aimed at acquiring digital and satellite transmission networks.

The professionals of the Law Firm have accrued a significant experience also in the transport sector (maritime, air, road, rail transport). Such assistance covers regulatory matters, M&A transactions, project finance, public procurements, EU regulations, tax aspects, antitrust and litigation management.