Global law firm Dentons has announced the hire of partner Gianpaolo Garofalo to establish the Italian Desk in London, and lead the Structured Finance group within the Banking and Finance practice in Italy.

Mr.Garofalo joins from Italian law firm Bonelli Erede, where he worked for the past two years in the London office.”

Prior to that, he worked at Allen & Overy in Rome.  He has more than 15 years’ experience in banking and finance, with a particular focus on structured finance. He assists national and international clients in securitization, factoring and repackaging transactions. He has solid experience in derivatives, liability management for both private and public entities, and on the issuance of debt instruments and innovative financial instruments. He also advises international financial institutions on regulatory issues, including the Capital Requirements Regulation (CRR) and Markets in Financial Instruments Directive II (MiFID II).

Federico Sutti, Italy Managing Partner, stated: “With the hire of Gianpaolo, we have almost completed the growth plan envisaged in our 2016/2018 business plan that included covering the structured finance sector, which is strategic for the Firm and the opening of our Italian Desk in London”.

Alessandro Fosco Fagotto, Head of the Banking and Finance practice in Italy, added: “Structured Finance is a fundamental element in providing clients with legal assistance in finance, including the NPL sector which is a hot topic in Italy. We are delighted to welcome a lawyer of his caliber to our team. Furthermore, the opening of our Italian Desk in London will give us a direct presence in one of the key markets for finance.”

“Despite the uncertainty connected with Brexit, London will continue to be an important hub for structured finance work in Italy. The opening of the Italian Desk shows Dentons’ clear determination to grow in Italy,” said Gianpaolo Garofalo. “Joining Dentons is an excellent opportunity to develop my career in a dynamic, innovative and fast growing law firm, and I look forward to the challenge of leading the Structured Finance team in Milan and the Italian Desk here in London.”

Over the past year, Dentons has made significant investments in the Structured Finance practice in Europe, including the recruitment of partners Dr. Arne Klüwer, Matthias Eggert and Mortimer Bertlet in Germany in 2017, Julien Bacus in Paris in March 2018, and Michael Huertas in Frankfurt in April 2018.