About

Bottega Veneta is a luxury goods company best known for its fashion and leather products, and according to their general counsel Giacomo Leo possess a ‘best in class’ legal team protecting and supporting the business. Staffed with six outstanding lawyers, Leo states that there is a strong emphasis on delegation within the team, and that he attempts to ‘maximise the ability of my people as much as possible, leading and empowering them whilst remaining independent in the way they provide service’. Despite Bottega Veneta’s products being of high quality in the traditional Italian sense, the advice the legal team provide is of an international and multi-jurisdictional nature; the company and its products must comply with EU regulations, laws within the United States and the wider Americas region in addition to the Middle East and others, a remit Leo calls ‘very broad and intensive’ when supervising and coordinating all necessary work. The work of the team helps the business consolidate and expand its operations at home and abroad, most notably through advice in terms of the planning, acquisition and development of locations for the company’s shops on a worldwide basis. Such oversight has been crucial in the role the team has recently played in the company’s expansion, and Leo explains how the lawyers he develops are often requested to undertake positions in the wider Kering group, evincing the reputation the team has achieved within the company. Explaining how the perception of the team has changed within the business, Leo is confident that his team is ‘seen as business partner rather than just legal staff’, displayed by the trust with which they are held in through involvement at initial stages of projects rather than providing simple yes or no answers.