Finalists: Charles Russell Speechlys; Baker McKenzie (highly commended); McDermott Will & Emery.

Withers clinched the private client team of the year title for helping an Italian businessman-turned-politician create a US-style blind trust.

When Luigi Brugnaro became Mayor of Venice in 2015, he faced the challenge of proving his decisions in office were not motivated by his commercial activities. That prompted him to approach Withers to find a solution that would avoid any conflicts of interest between his mayoral role and his many business interests (including one of Italy's leading employment agencies and a Venetian basketball team).

The firm suggested a blind trust, a structure often used by US politicians. Yet because trusts are not recognised in Italy, Withers had to devise an alternative model that closely follows international standards but is also compliant with Italian law. This resulted last year in the creation of a holding company to manage the mayor's assets, with Withers chairman and New York-based partner Ivan Sacks acting as trustee (Withers' Milan team also restructured Brugnaro's businesses before they were placed in the trust in order to simplify management control).

The project highlights Withers' global trust planning expertise, as well as its intimate knowledge of local laws and wealth management practices, by providing a custom solution that successfully delivered on the transparency goals of its client.

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