Litigation & Mediation

Any dispute, whether with a client, a supplier or a partner is always difficult and creates a disruptive diversion for the business away from its core objective of creating value. Dispute resolution must be central to the services offered by any law firm, the resolution of disputes is an extraordinary, but important, activity for clients and their businesses. Lawyers who assist clients in business transactions help create value; lawyers who help clients with dispute resolution are engaged in the protection of value already created. It is for this reason that we are frequently asked to evaluate the risk that the outcome of a potential or actual dispute may have on the value of the business concerned.

For over twenty years, we have been actively involved in dispute resolution assisting clients not only with litigation before national and international courts but also with arbitration and mediation. The result of our work is characterised in three distinct aspects. We are international:  the lawyers forming part of our litigation & mediation team are qualified in four jurisdictions and in many cases are nationals of those jurisdictions-.The bringing together of this professional and cultural mix gives us a significant advantage in managing complex international disputes. We are careful: especially in defining the correct strategy to resolve the dispute, without losing sight of the business needs of our clients and their objectives. Our risk assessments are realistic and clear. We are available: we understand that the best strategy requires a meaningful and clear-shared vision between the lawyer and his client. The fact-finding processes that we undertake with our clients often prove to be the basis for the successful resolution of the dispute.

Relevant Cases

  • Defending an Italian bank in a litigation concerning the release of a mortgage.
  • Representing an Italian group of the automotive sector against a French subsidiary of a Bank, in a litigation concerning a first demand guarantee.
  • Acting for an Italian service company against a French joint venture partner for breach of good faith provisions in the joint venture agreement to deliver outsourced UK government department support services.
  • Advised in connection with Italian letters rogatory to obtain evidence in an American bankruptcy procedure.
  • Advised an African bank in connection with the  enforcement of bank guarantees against an Italian bank.
  • Advised a French group in a legal action for employee embezzlement and unfair competition.
  • Advised a French tour operator in legal proceedings challenging the renovation works of a tourist village.
  • Representation of the directors of a subsidiary of an Italian group in judicial liability proceedings.
  • Representation of an Italian group working in the field of construction in a dispute relating to the benefit of discussion on a first-demand bank guarantee.
  • Representation of an aerospace group in a dispute concerning industrial defects.
  • Representation of a producer of refrigerators in a dispute against a Russian commercial partner for the redefinition of contractual terms and conditions.
  • Representation of an group working in the automotive industry in a dispute relating to a product.
  • Representation of an group working in the industrial sector in a dispute following the acquisition of a French company.
  • Defending a Slovakian insurance group in relation to a railway accident involving various proceedings in Italy, Austria and Slovakia.
  • Defending an Italian oil & gas infrastructure company in litigation before the Italian and French courts.
  • Defending the Italian subsidiary of a French construction group in litigation for defects in workmanship in Italy.
  • Assisting an Italian receiver in court proceedings in the Principality of Monaco.
  • Defending the French subsidiary of a Swiss industrial group in court proceedings in Italy.
  • Defending a multinational group specializing in household appliances before a French Court in litigation for sudden termination of commercial relations.
  • Advising an Italian client in relation to mediation between contracting parties from different EU jurisdictions.
  • Assisting an Italian interior design company in a mediation procedure in France.
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