People

Alessandro Amato Associate

Rome

Alessandro's activity focuses on European and competition law, European and Italian, with a particular focus with respect to FDI screening procedures and in State aid matters. He also focus on administrative law related matters, assisting Italian and foreign clients in the areas of public procurement, energy and environment, urban planning and construction and infrastructure, both in and out of court.

Prior to joining Orrick, he worked for an important Italian firm. He also worked as a Blue Book Trainee at the European Commission, DG Competition.

Alessandro graduated with a master’s degree in law at "Roma Tre" University in Rome. He has also earned an LL.M. in Competition and Innovation Law from LUISS School of Law in 2021.

He is qualified as a lawyer in 2020 and has been a member of the Rome Bar Association since 2021.

Daniela Andreatta Special Counsel

Milan

Daniela practice covers cross-border corporate transactions and the so called “special situations”, which include investments in distressed assets (non-performing loans, debt and/or equity in listed/unlisted distressed companies), buy-outs from insolvency proceedings and bankruptcy-related litigation. In recent years, she has assisted banks, Italian and foreign investors and debtors in complex deals of corporate restructurings relating to the financial indebtedness and concordato proceedings.

Prior to joining Orrick, Daniela was a member of Studio Legale Tributario in Milan, a law firm Associated with Ernst & Young International.

Giulio Asquini Of Counsel

Milan; Rome

Giulio has developed strong experience in all types of acquisition financings and leveraged buyouts transactions both in the syndicated and in the take-and-hold space, including senior debt, unitranche financings, high yield debt and mezzanine capital, structured as loan facilities as well as bonds issuances.

Giulio has also gained significant experience in refinancings, corporate financings (including revolving and capex facilities) and real estate finance transactions.

Prior to joining Orrick, Giulio was an associate in a leading Italian law firm, where he also gained experience on M&A and private equity deals, assisting Italian and foreign companies and private equity investment vehicles in acquisition and investment transactions.

Marina Balzano Partner

Milan; Rome

She has acquired extensive experience in assisting major Italian and international banking groups (e.g. Intesa Sanpaolo, Banco BPM, Crédit Agricole and Deutsche Bank) in all types of financings with a solid experience in leveraged finance and acquisition finance, corporate and real estate finance.

She assists either issuers and investors as private debt funds in bonds and unitranche financings.

Chiara Bettinzoli Associate

Milan

Chiara assists the team in advising companies and individuals in investigations in relation to white-collar crimes (such as anti-money laundering, financial crimes, corporate crimes, bankruptcy crimes, tax crimes, environmental crimes, occupational health and safety crimes).

Chiara participates in carrying out internal investigations aimed at strengthening the internal control systems of leading national and international companies.

Chiara also collaborates on an ongoing basis in advising major companies and corporate groups in managing potential compliance risks, in particular in relation to the Organisational, Management and Control Models adopted pursuant to Legislative Decree no. 231/2001.

Chiara has been appointed as member of Supervisory Body (Organismi di Vigilanza) of Italian companies.
Since November 2024, Chiara is a PhD student at Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore of Milan (PhD in business, labour, institutions and criminal justice).

Since 2023, Chiara has been teaching assistant in Business and Corporate Criminal Law at Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore of Milan.

Chiara graduated with honours from Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore of Milan following a study period spent at the University of California - Berkeley.

Chiara is fluent in English, French and Spanish

Francesco Brandi Managing Associate

Milan

Francesco deals with labor law and industrial relations, assisting Italian and foreign clients, both in judicial and out-of-court matters, related to every aspect of the management of employment relationship, agency relationship and self-employment relationship in all its forms.

Jean-Paule Castagno Partner

Milan

Jean-Paule has more than 20 years of proven experience in white collar and corporate investigation, managing all phases of crisis management, such as internal investigations – including those of a cross-border nature –, the court defence in the context of criminal proceedings and the sanction proceedings before the Supervisory Authorities, in the interests of both individuals and legal entities (according to the D. Legislative Decree no. 231/2001). Jean-Paule advises clients in high-profile and complex cases with specific reference to anti-money laundering, financial crimes, false accounting, bankruptcy offenses, tax crimes, corruption and bribery in both the public and private sector, environmental crimes, occupational health and safety offenses, intellectual property crimes, data protection and privacy crimes/cybercrime, and import/export sanctions.

Thanks to her broad experience in conducting internal investigation and assisting individuals and legal entities in criminal and sanctions proceedings, she has been involved in advising Italian and foreign companies to address potential compliance risks, in performing due diligence focused on risk management and compliance risk in the context of extraordinary transactions and IPOs as well as in preparing and updating compliance programs (adopted under Law No. 231/2001) and in leading relative training to the board and to the employees.

She has also been appointed as member and chairwoman of the surveillance committees (Organismo di Vigilanza) of many Italian and foreign companies.

Luigi Colombo Senior Counsel

Milan

He has assisted some of the most important Italian groups in a judicial and extra-judicial advisory capacity, including general corporate and corporate governance.

Prior to joining Orrick, Luigi was a partner at Studio Legale Tributario in Milan, a law firm associated with Ernst & Young International.

Maria Costa Managing Associate

Milan

Maria advises financial institutions, funds and corporates on syndicated lending, leveraged and acquisition finance, also in the context of private placement transactions.

Before joining Orrick, Maria was an associate in a leading Italian law firm, where she was also involved in M&A and real estate transactions, and she gained some experience in assisting Italian and foreign companies and private equity funds both in the corporate and in the financial aspects of acquisition and investment transactions.

Elena Cozzupoli Associate

Milan

Keen about tech, Elena works with start-ups and scale-ups from incorporation to M&A exit, through financing rounds and other growth opportunities. She also works alongside with Italian and international venture capital firms in their investments across a variety of tech industries.

In addition to tech, Elena has a broader focus on corporate law matters and M&A transactions, having assisted clients in the context of domestic and cross-border strategic deals and in their corporate needs.

Filippo Cristaldi Special Counsel

Milan

Filippo Cristaldi has extensive experience in M&A transactions, both at national and transnational level, mainly in favour of private equity funds and industrial companies. 

Filippo Cristaldi also advises on corporate law and has extensive experience in the field of international contracts.
Before joining Orrick, Filippo Cristaldi has provided consultancy at the Vita Samory, Fabbrini e Associati and, previously, at the Rucellai e Raffaelli, Italian law firms based in Milan.

Mariangela Di Giandomenico Partner

Rome

As expert in Italian Administrative and Public Law, she has focused her career on advising private and public Italian and foreign companies, corporations and public administrations on public law regulatory and litigation matters, providing particular assistance in M&A transactions.

Mariangela has extensive experience working in all the areas of administrative law, especially in public contracts, urban planning and real estate, electronic communications, energy, aerospace and defense, life sciences, transportation and infrastructure, regulated services and also in litigation before Administrative Judge, Constitutional and European Court.

With an extensive background litigating before administrative law judges, Mariangela is a recognized leader in shaping public law policy in Italy. She has collaborated with the Italian Chamber of Deputies, the president of the Commission for Administrative Reform, overseeing the drafting of bills, parliamentary reports and regulatory proposals.

During her career, she has worked in both international and Italian law firms, as well as in boutiques specialized in administrative law.

She is a member of the Scientific Committee of the Italiadecide Association and oversee the Observatory on Public Contracts of the Association. She teaches at Master’s degree courses in administrative law as well as courses in public institutions

She is also an author of numerous publications in the field, rapporteur at conferences and public seminars and a researcher for private and public associations.

She is authorized to practice in the higher courts.

In 2021 Mariangela has been included by Top Legal among the best lawyers specialized in public procurement and concessions. In 2022 she was named infrastructure and PPP lawyer of the year by Legalcommunity.