Italian employment boutique merges with Studio Legale Persiani

The enlarged firm will be known as hELP – the Employment Law Plant – Studio Legale Persiani and has eight partners and four associates.

Persiani founder Mattia Persiani will act as chair of the firm, with former DLA Piper partner Aldo Calza as managing partner. Calza led a team from DLA Piper and Toffoletto e Soci to set up hELP late last year (28 October 2011).

Three Persiani partners - Giovanni Beretta, Camilla Persiani and Valerio Maio - in addition to Persiani himself will join the venture. As well as employment law expertise the team bring experience in welfare and social security law.

hELP partner Sharon Reilly said the expansion was in line with the firm’ strategy to provide an international service to clients. Reilly said hELP had already formed a global referral network with other employment firms and was actively working on establishing branch offices in the UK, France, Belgium and Germany later this year.

“In the current climate we’ve surprised even ourselves,” Reilly said of the firm’s growth. “We had a good client base from the DLA spin-off but we’ve acquired some very nice international clients and this referral network is already giving results. We’ve been sending work and getting work.”

She added that Persiani’s reputation would add to the firm’s academic weight within Italy.