First step in MENA expansion a success

Abu Dhabi, 20 November, 2011: In the presence of His Excellency Giorgio Starace, Italian Ambassador to the UAE, Gianni, Origoni, Grippo & Partners (GOGP) recently held a Gala Dinner at the Emirates Palace Hotel in Abu Dhabi to mark the official launch of its office in Abu Dhabi.

A leading international law firm headquartered in Rome with offices in Italy, Brussels, London and New York, GOGP recently opened an Abu Dhabi office in line with its plans to penetrate the MENA region. Comprised of a team of top qualified lawyers, the full-service firm specializes in mergers and acquisitions, investment banking, oil and gas, private equity, arbitration and infrastructure.

The Abu Dhabi office represents a further step towards GOGP's internationalization process and will serve as a hub for the European clientele operating in the region.  The Arabian Gulf forms a powerful base in the Middle East from which the firm intends to offer seamless local and international legal services to its global and regional clients.

Francesco Gianni, Founding Partner of GOGP, commented, "The United Arab Emirates is, and will continue to be, the gateway into the region for people coming from Europe and abroad. It has also shown astounding resilience to worldwide economic turmoil. This makes Abu Dhabi an apt choice in our strategic plans to penetrate the MENA market and to establish strong ties that will allow us to expand further into the region."

Riccardo Sensi, Abu Dhabi Resident Partner, commented, "We already have impressive business prospects and a robust clientele in the UAE and we are excited to bring our broad expertise to the region."

GOGP's strength and broad expertise continues to draw accolades for the company with expertise in banking and finance, capital markets, energy and infrastructure, litigation and arbitration, insolvency and reorganisations, antitrust and regulatory, administrative law, environmental, real estate, labour, intellectual property and tax.

Domenico Tulli, Partner at GOGP and MENA Region Coordinator, commented, "GOGP's strength stems from years of experience and enterprises that have steadily established a winning team built on a solid foundation of excellence. We look forward to delivering 'award-winning' services to our clients in the UAE."

The Abu Dhabi office aims to assist Italian companies who require support for operations in the Gulf as well as major players from the Middle East and North Africa who are seeking investment opportunities in Italy. In addition, GOGP aims to continue to grow and further strengthen its local UAE practice.

Renato Giallombardo, Partner at GOGP and MENA Region Coordinator, commented, "When we first visited Abu Dhabi three years ago to research the setting up of an office in the region, we immediately realized that it had immense potential for Italian entities to export their know-how to, and that Italy had a great deal of opportunities that Emirati investors would be interested in. We were also struck by the fact that we already intrinsically share a deep cultural base with the Emirati people. Thus, while our initial intent was to bridge a cultural and commercial divide between our two great countries; our purpose now is to maximize our shared cultural values so to strengthen business and trade between our two countries." 

The Abu Dhabi office will make GOGP the first Italian law firm to have an established presence in the UAE.

Established in 1988, GOGP now comprises of 350 lawyers, including some of the leading experts in the main practice areas of commercial law. As Italy's leading corporate and M&A practice, GOGP is the client choice for all major and most challenging transactions in this field. Awarded "Italy's Law Firm of the Year" by International Financial Law Review (IFLR) in 2011, this represents the fourth time in seven years that the firm has been bestowed this honour.

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About Gianni, Origoni, Grippo & Partners (GOGP):
Gianni, Origoni, Grippo & Partners is an award-winning business law firm providing legal advice in all areas of commercial law. Established in 1988, the firm to date comprises 350 highly specialized lawyers based in Rome, Milan, Bologna, Padua, Turin, Brussels, London and New York. It is one of the largest Italian law firms and is widely recognised as a key player in international and domestic practice. In each of these practices, the main international legal directories rank the firm as one of the top Italian law firms.  Over the years, in recognition of the firm's success in multiple jurisdictions, the firm scooped numerous prestigious awards. It is worth mentioning the IFLR Awards 2010 which crowned GOGP "Italy Law Firm of the Year".

For more information, please contact:
Sarah Mheidly
Cicero & Bernay Public Relations                              
Tel: +971 4 334 2966
Fax: +971 4 334 2977
Email: sarah@cbpr.ae

© Press Release 2011