Herbert Smith Freehills LLP

Intellectual property

Laura is the Managing Partner of Herbert Smith Freehills' Milan office and leads the firm's global Intellectual Property practice as well as its EMEA Life Sciences practice.

A recognised thought leader in intellectual property law, Laura is appreciated by clients and peers for her innovative and strategic expertise, particularly in the life sciences sector. She excels in handling high-profile, multi-jurisdictional patent cases, including those under the SPC Regulation and before the Unified Patent Court (UPC). Her advice is crucial to major pharmaceutical companies in managing patent expirations and securing market leadership through effective patent lifecycle management, obtaining marketing authorisations and navigating data exclusivity provisions.

Laura's ability to deliver proactive, innovative legal solutions extends across a wide range of industries, including food, chemicals, consumer goods, telecommunications, media and technology (TMT), electronics, fashion and industrial design.

Throughout her career, Laura has received numerous accolades and is consistently ranked in the top tier of prestigious legal directories, is regularly listed among the top 50 lawyers in Italy and as one of the 50 most inspiring female legal professionals in Italy.

Accolades "Lawyer of the Year” at the Legalcommunity IP & TMT Awards 2023 and 2024 Ranked amongst Italy's 50 Lawyers of the Year 2018 – 2023 by Legalcommunity Recognised as one of Italy's 50 most inspiring female professionals at the Inspiralaw Awards (2022, 2023, 2024) by Legalcommunity Winner of the International Client Choice Award for Life Sciences (2022-2023) and Intellectual Property: Patents (2018, 2021) "Lawyer of the Year - Thought Leadership" and "Lawyer of the Year - Life Sciences" in 2022, "Life Sciences Lawyer of the Year" 2018 and 2020, "IP Lawyer of the Year“ 2019 at the Legalcommunity IP Awards "Life Sciences Lawyer of the Year (Pharmaceuticals)" 2021, "Life Sciences Lawyer of the Year (Biomedical)" 2018 and 2020, "Food Lawyer of the Year" 2019 at the TopLegal Industry Awards

Italian and English

Laura serves as Executive Secretary of the Life Sciences Committee of the American Chamber of Commerce in Italy and is a dedicated mentor and legal angel to numerous innovative start-ups. A passionate advocate for diversity and inclusion, Laura's involvement with 'The Charge of the 101'ers', a non-profit initiative supporting female-led startups, underscores her commitment to fostering leadership and growth among women in business and law.

Laura graduated with honours from the University of Pavia and the Rijksuniversiteit Groningen and holds a doctorate in Contentious Law from the University of Bologna.

She is admitted to the Italian Supreme Court (Corte di Cassazione).