A pair of recent lateral hires by Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer have helped the Magic Circle firm swoop in for a lead role on the bankruptcy of Alitalia SpA. The ailing Italian airline sought Chapter 15 protection Monday in the Southern District of New York.

Freshfields bankruptcy partners Madlyn Primoff and Scott Talmadge are advising Alitalia in its U.S. restructuring, which comes a little more than a month after the company filed for bankruptcy in Italy. The U.S. bankruptcy proceeding seeks to safeguard Alitalia's assets in this country as it prepares to sell itself abroad.

Neither Primoff nor Talmadge responded to requests for comment about their work on behalf of Alitalia. Both lawyers joined Freshfields in April with colleague Mark Liscio, having previously worked together at Kaye Scholer. Earlier this year, Kaye Scholer agreed to merge with Arnold & Porter and form Arnold & Porter Kaye Scholer.