London-based Linklaters boasts a network of 30 offices in 20 countries across the world. The multinational law firm, founded in 1838, attributes its longevity to the close attention given to clients and the strict work ethic demanded from its 3,000-plus lawyers.
Andrea Arosio, the managing partner of Linklaters’s office in Milan, is a specialist in banking, finance, and mergers and acquisitions. He has provided legal advice to several investors, lenders, and borrowers in Italy, assisting them in domestic and cross-border transactions.
“I think there are several things that allowed us to do well in this year. The first one was that we are a global firm in the truest sense of the world. We are very well interconnected on a worldwide basis and we are very well integrated,” Arosio said.
While the COVID-19 pandemic posed serious challenges to countless companies, it allowed Linklaters to capitalize on the varied skills and expertise of its lawyers around the world to keep businesses going and to find ways to surmount blockages.
“I think that was really a plus for us because a lot of the problems that companies faced were cross-border issues,” Arosio stressed.
When travel was very restricted, or even impossible at times, at the height of the pandemic, the offices of Linklaters worked together as one global firm, assisting their multinational clients with business in multiple locations in the U.S., Europe, and Asia, particularly Japan.
“Some clients might be located in one jurisdiction but are looking to grow their business globally come to us. That’s something we are especially good at because we not only talk the local language, but also speak the international language,” Arosio said.
“We know what they expect from the business. We know what they expect from lawyers. So, we know what kind of advice to give to them. At the same time, we are well informed locally and therefore, know how to speak to local authorities, companies, and businessmen,” he added.
