White & Case lures Morano ace

White & Case has snared the name partner of Italian independent Morano e Associati and a team of 20 lawyers for its Milan practice.

As revealed by The Lawyer (2 August), Alberto Morano, a private equity and acquisition finance specialist, has been in talks for some months.

Morano will become a partner, while four lawyers from his 20-person team joining the US firm will be awarded local partner status.

Morano’s arrival is a boost for White & Case Italy following the departure of executive partner Alessandro Varrenti, who, with two local partners, quit in June. He led his five-partner firm Varrenti e Associati into a merger with White & Case three years ago.

White & Case Italian interim executive partner John Riggs, who jetted into Rome last year to troubleshoot the Italian practice, oversaw the Morano deal.