Dentons has followed through on its expansion plans with the hire of two new partners in Europe.

Matteo Vizzardi joins as a partner in Milan, where he will lead the white-collar crime team in Italy and be part of the firm's litigation and dispute resolution practice. Tjibbe Douma joins as head of Dentons Boekel's patents practice in Amsterdam and will be a partner in the firm's intellectual property and technology and life sciences practices.

Matteo Vizzardi

Vizzardi previously worked at the Italian law firm Luca Santa Maria e Associati. He focuses on corporate criminal law and has significant experience in company criminal liability and cybercrime. He also advises on tax, corporate, financial, bankruptcy and environmental offenses. 

Sara Biglieri, head of the litigation and arbitration practice in Italy and of the European litigation group, said in a firm statement that Dentons' clients are increasingly looking for assistance in criminal matters, compliance support, corporate investigations and managing risk.

"Matteo's experience is an ideal fit with the department's development plans," she said.

Vizzardi said he was attracted to the firm, as he said it has distinguished itself in a very short time as one of the most interesting and prestigious firms in the Italian legal market.

In November, Dentons indicated that it plans to expand its offering in Italy after a successful first three years in the country. At the time, it said it wanted to add a local insolvency capability and also make additional hires in litigation and arbitration. The firm, which launched in Italy in October 2015, earned more than €32m from its Milan and Rome offices in 2018 – an increase of almost 50% on the corresponding 2017 figure of €22m.

Italy managing partner Federico Sutti said the hire of Vizzardi will enable the firm to offer a full-scope white-collar service offering to its clients. "After a period of rapid growth and investment, we will now focus on consolidation and integration through 2019, while remaining open to bringing on top-quality M&A talent," he said.

Tjibbe Douma.

Douma joins from Dutch law firm De Brauw Blackstone, where he worked for 10 years, focusing on technology-related matters, patents and trade secrets. He has extensive experience in both US and European litigation, including high-end multi-jurisdictional patent disputes. He has represented clients before the European Patent Office and in IP-related litigation and arbitration. He also advises on IP strategy, structures and contracts.

Experienced also in life sciences and healthcare, he has advised international pharmaceutical companies and clients in the food and beverages, telecommunications and chemical sectors.

Netherlands managing partner Wendela Raas called Douma a "rising star" in IP law and, in particular, patent litigation. "Tjibbe will complement our strong existing capabilities in data protection, cybersecurity and intellectual property," Raas said in a statement.

Dentons Boekel chief managing officer Marien Glerum stated that the recruitment of Douma is an integral part of the firm's ongoing strategy to improve its market position in key practice areas, including intellectual property, technology and life sciences.

In the past two years, the firm has recruited and promoted 10 new partners in Amsterdam, he said.

Douma said in a statement that he looks forward to working with colleagues in Dentons' Europe offices and in the firm's global IP and technology group, to develop a top patents team in the Netherlands.

"Everything now is technology," he said.

Photo credit: Diego M. Radzinschi/ALM