Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer has hired a senior administrative law expert in Rome from the highly-rated media boutique Clarich Libertini Macaluso & Valli.

Marcello Clarich, name partner of the five-partner boutique, is seen by the London-based giant as a key lateral hire for its international environment planning and regulatory (EPR) practice.

Clarich's administrative law expertise is expected to be a major asset due to Freshfields' focus on acting for privatised Italian companies.

Freshfields Rome-based partner Fabrizio Arossa told Legal Week: "There is a demand from our clients for administrative law in Italy.

"The office focuses on Italian regulated industries such as electricity and gas, so there is a need for this practice."

Despite a relatively low national profile Freshfields has built a 130-lawyer practice in the country after first opening an Italian office in Milan in 1997.

The firm has also represented a number of major clients in Italy, including national energy giant Enel.

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