Clyde & Co enters Italian market with the joining of litigation and insurance expert Leonardo Giani as Partner

Clyde & Co enters Italian market with the joining of litigation and insurance expert Leonardo Giani as Partner

Leonardo Giani joins the UK insurance giant in Milan to launch its first office in Italy – one of Europe's biggest insurance markets

Clyde & Co, a UK insurance giant, has announced its Italian debut by opening an office in Milan. The company has hired Leonardo Giani as a partner from the litigation and insurance team at Simmons & Simmons to launch the new office.

Clyde & Co's opening of an office in Milan marks the seventh European office of the company outside of the UK.

The move is part of the company's ongoing expansion efforts over the past two years, which have also included opening offices in the US, Canada, and Chile, and announcing plans to launch in Bangkok.

According to Carolena Gordon, senior partner at Clyde, opening an office in Italy has been a long-term ambition for the firm.

"Not only will the new office support the growth of our global insurance group and provide clients with the benefit of our services in this important jurisdiction, but it will also provide a platform for growth in our other core sectors and for the expansion of our European commercial disputes offering," Gordon said.

Clyde & Co's core practices include insurance, transport, construction, energy, and trade and commodities. The firm has announced that the launch of the Milan office will take place in the coming months.

The partner leading the launch of Clyde and Co's Milan office is Giani who has joined the firm after five years stint as a partner at Simmons. He had also previously worked in the Milan offices of international firms such as Baker McKenzie and Norton Rose Fulbright.

Giani brings a wealth of experience to Clyde & Co, having handled both contentious and non-contentious matters.

He has assisted financial institutions in high-profile and complex cross-border and domestic disputes, either in court or in arbitration. His areas of focus include directors' and officers' insurance, general liability and professional indemnity, public officials' liability, environmental claims, product liability, and recall.

"Italy has one of the largest insurance markets in Europe and is home to a number of our most important clients," said Henning Schaloske, chair of Clydes' European Board.

"Leonardo has an excellent reputation both in the Italian market and with our clients in the rest of Europe, including in the UK. His expertise will provide a strong foundation for our Milan office to grow in support of the insurance market and our other practice areas too," Schaloske added.