Clifford Chance (CC) has reaffirmed its commitment to its Rome office, amid mounting speculation that the firm could pull out of the Italian capital.

The office's managing partner, Guiseppe de Palma, conceded headcount in Rome had reduced in recent years but said there were no plans for either redundancies or an office closure.

CC's lawyer headcount in Rome has reduced by 35% over the past two years, falling from 40 to 26. Numbers have also dropped across the firm'scombined Rome and Milan presence, reducing from 175 lawyers on 31 January, 2007 to 145 lawyers on 31 January, 2009 – a decline of around 17%.

De Palma said: "We reshaped the business for recession ahead of anyone else, looking at quality issues and headcount. We reduced headcount only through attrition and managing people in a more active way – and we are now stable in Rome."

The process began18 months ago with de Palma saying the office has been cutting costs by replacing senior lawyers with junior fee earners.

He added: "Milan is driven by banks and financialinstitutions. Rome has a few large corporations and of course the Italian Government. We are interested in the work that the Government can generate as well as these corporate clients. We look at these opportunities and we do not think we can have a credible Italian practice without an office in Rome."

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