Lovells has lost the head of its Italian business restructuring and insolvency team to local leader Gianni Origoni Grippo & Partners.

Silvio Tersilla is set to join Gianni's Rome office next month and will work in the firm's 30-lawyer restructuring team, which is headed by partners Antonio Auricchio and Gabriella Covino.

Tersilla joined Lovells as a corporate associate in 2002 and has specialised in insolvency since 2004. The firm gave him the brief to launch an Italian insolvency team on his promotion to the partnership in 2007.

The team, which now has around five dedicated lawyers, will be led by Lovells' Italian corporate finance head Antonio Di Pasquale.

Tersilla will bring the partner count to 54 at Gianni, which is still rebuilding its ranks following the 85-lawyer walkout in late 2007 which created independent firm Legance – as well as the four-partner defection in 2006 which saw the creation of Labruna Mazziotti Segni.

The Italian leader has recently made a number of senior hires including Allen & Overy's Italian environment and regulatory head Antonella Capria and Italian litigation head Alberto Nanni.

Gianni managing partner Tomaso Cenci said: "[Tersilla's] arrival will further enhance the firm's restructuring team whose activity is at present one of the most in demand from the market. Our goal is to constantly reinforce the quality of our services – an aim we are pursuing also through important lateral hires."

Lovells most recently added to its Italian ranks with the hire of Norton Rose's Italian head of litigation Cristina Pagni in October last year. The top 10 UK firm last year reached 100 lawyers in the country after a 30% growth drive during 2007.