Italian independent Legance has increased its headcount by almost 40% since its high-profile split from elite practice Gianni Origoni Grippo & Partners in December.

The growth means Legance now has 120 lawyers, up from 85 at the time of its launch, including Gianni's former managing partner, Giovanni Nardulli, who heads the new firm.

The firm now has 25 partners and hopes to expand to between 180 and 200 lawyers over time. It was originally formed by a group of 17 partners from Gianni who left because of strategic differences over hiring policy and billable hour targets.

Nardulli said: "Having lawyers with market clout is very important. Italian clients attach more importance to the lawyers than the brand."

Early statistics from Mergermarket for the first half of 2008 show that despite being new to the market, Legance is punching above its weight. It ranks ahead of Gianni by both deal value and volume, with roles on deals including Air France's potential acquisition of Alitalia for E1.5bn (£1.18bn) and the $5.2bn (£2.6bn) financing of the acquisition of Drs Technologies by Finmeccanica.

The deals put Legance alongside national leaders Chiomenti and Bonelli Erede Pappalardo by deal value and second only to Chiomenti
by volume.

In contrast to other Italian firms, Legance has taken a more modern approach to management. It has brought in professional management from a banking conglomerate to run all non-legal aspects of the firm, leaving Nardulli spending only 10% of his time on management.

Gianni has also been rebuilding since the split and has taken on 45 new lawyers over the last six months. It expects to be back to 300 lawyers within the next year and is in the process of restructuring the firm by appointing new practice heads with greater power.