Ropes & Gray just added some European flair to its lineup, with the launch of a new office in Milan. It’s the second office in the past year that the law firm opened in continental Europe, following an office opening in Paris. Ropes, with main offices in Boston and New York, already had locations in London and Dublin.
Will Shields, a Ropes partner in Boston who worked on the Milan expansion, said the firm was drawn to expand in Italy to help serve its private-equity clients, many of whom are quite active in Europe. Italy, Ropes said, was the fastest growing market for private equity last year. To open the Milan office, Ropes recruited a three-person team of private-equity specialists, led by Aldo Piccarreta, away from Latham & Watkins.
Shields said he has spent more than a year getting to know Piccareta.
“We came across this team that we just think the world of,” Shields said. “The business rationale has everything to do with following our clients to the markets where they are most active. … We always want to be where our clients are and where they’re doing their most interesting and complex deals.”
Shields is planning to return to Milan soon, and will celebrate the deal with a meal next month. “We are planning a big pasta dinner to celebrate,” he said before his trip, “pasta and red wine.”
This is an installment of our weekly Bold Types column about the movers and shakers on Boston’s business scene.
Jon Chesto can be reached at jon.chesto@globe.com. Follow him @jonchesto.
