LMS Studio Legale

The firm: LMS is an independent Italian law firm recognised as a top quality boutique for prime domestic and international clients. It combines a multidisciplinary approach with great attention to quality and promptness of the legal service offered. LMS’ lawyers work in interdisciplinary teams offering the client a full-scale assistance in delicate matters. The firm’s practice focuses on M&A and corporate finance transactions, debt restructuring and litigation. Some professionals specialise in competition and EU law, banking and finance, real estate, construction and tax law. LMS offers its clients a high-level technical expertise and deep understanding of the business issues, along with strong motivation and client-oriented approach.

LMS relies on established relationships with leading international firms in Europe, North America, Asia and South America, which allow the firm to provide to its clients a global assistance on the most sophisticated cross-border transactions.

Areas of practice
M&A and corporate: M&A and corporate law are the main area of expertise of the majority of LMS’ lawyers. Since the foundation, LMS stood out for its client-oriented approach, the high quality and efficiency of its services. The team has successfully assisted both Italian and foreign clients, industrial and financial investors in M&A transactions in the automotive, manufacturing, retail trade, food, fashion, finance, telecommunications, information technology and energy sectors. It has long-term experience in leveraged buy-out and management buy-out transactions, as well as in industrial mergers, joint ventures, commercial partnerships and minority investments. LMS assists large corporations in relation to compliance and regulatory matters and has the required expertise for handling the most sophisticated corporate finance transactions as well as ordinary matters of corporate and commercial law.

Restructuring and insolvency: LMS has a significant experience in debt restructurings and insolvency proceedings, at a national, EU and international
level. The firm’s approach is to combine the understanding and knowledge of business of its M&A and corporate lawyers with the specialised skills of its bankruptcy experts and litigators. In restructuring, LMS has assisted from time to time distressed companies, shareholders, trustees and administrators (in particular, those from other jurisdictions), banks, bondholders and new investors. This broad range of experiences allows LMS to be able to handle such situations with a full-scale vision. LMS has developed an innovative
expertise in the application of the EC Regulation on the cross-border insolvency procedures.

Litigation and arbitration: the firm has significant experience in all areas of civil, commercial and corporate litigation, both in court and in administered and/or ad hoc arbitrations. LMS assists clients in litigations before the EC Court of Justice and Court of First Instance. LMS provides assistance in different kinds of disputes, including those concerning industrial accidents, extraordinary corporate transactions, liability actions against directors and statutory auditors, disputes concerning contracts or real estate, banking, insurance and finance matters. LMS assists clients both in court and in the management of pre-litigation phase, helping them to adopt effective solutions to reduce risks before a litigation starts.

Banking and finance: LMS’ banking and finance professionals have a significant expertise assisting clients (both borrowers and lenders) in financings related to M&A and leveraged buy-out transactions according to both domestic and international standards, as well as in analysing the issues related to any kind of financing transactions, including tender offers financings, acquisitions of non-performing loans, securitisations (including synthetic ones), complex debt restructurings.

Real estate: LMS’ lawyers have gained considerable experience in the area
of real estate transactions and construction law. LMS handles the entire property ‘life-cycle’, from the initial building and acquisition, to the development and management, leasing, joint-venturing and financing, to the final exit, through an interdisciplinary approach.

Antitrust, regulatory and EU law: LMS advises clients operating in different sectors in antitrust proceedings before the European Commission and the Italian competition authority. Its area of expertise focuses on merger control, cartels, abuse of dominance and analysis of vertical and horizontal restrictions of competition and representation of clients before the competent competition authorities. With extensive experience, lawyers are able to provide assistance and advice in antitrust litigations both before ordinary courts and in domestic and international arbitrations.

Tax: LMS provides tax advice in relation to various domestic and international transactions. LMS team is able to offer specialised assistance in the different phases of investment transactions, from the tax planning, through the due diligence and drafting of contractual documents, to the closing. LMS’ professionals have developed a significant experience in transfer pricing and assist leading multinational corporations during the course of tax audits, in negotiating tax settlements, in litigations and complex Mutual Administrative and arbitration Procedures (MAP) as well as in the preparation and negotiation of bilateral Advanced Price Agreements.

Criminal Law: The Criminal Law Department is composed by lawyers specialized in criminal law with a high level of competence both in dealing with matters relating to substantive criminal law and to criminal procedure issues, including comparative law. The Team has significant experience in assisting defendants, victims of crime and civil offenders in criminal proceedings for corporate and bankruptcy offences, tax offences, environmental and occupational health and safety offences, banking and financial offences, crimes against Public Administration, crimes against property and fraud, cybercrime, privacy offences, and medical liability offences. Our criminal law experts also assist companies involved in criminal proceedings arising from the commission of those crimes provided for by Legislative Decree no. 231/2001. As part of its judicial activity, the Department of Criminal Law also offers full assistance to defendants and foreign companies, with a multi-disciplinary approach involving lawyers experienced in International and European Law and in criminal law of other European and non-European countries. LMS lawyers also face with cross-border criminal cases involving different jurisdictions concerning judicial cooperation and collection of evidence abroad at European and international level. With a view to risk prevention, the Firm has also developed a solid background in assisting companies and investors in the assessment of potential criminal risks related to certain operations or practices and in management of any critical issues, developing a reliable expertise also in carrying out Corporate Investigations.

Other areas: LMS has the expertise to assist clients in any of the main areas of corporate and business law. LMS’ lawyers and specialised consultants assist clients in labour law matters involved in M&A transactions, structuring and negotiation of contracts with the management, preparation of incentive schemes, layoff and company procedures. LMS has gained a significant
expertise in directors’ liability and the relevant insurance coverage (D&O policies) and assists companies and managers both in the coverage phase and in the pre-litigation or litigation phases.