The Duomo di Milano in Milan, Italy The Duomo di Milano in Milan, Italy

Squire Patton Boggs has opened its first base in Italy with the hire of a four partner team from another U.S. firm.

Squire has picked up a quartet of partners from Curtis, Mallet-Prevost & Mosle's Milan base, including office head Galileo Pozzoli.

Arbitration specialist Pozzoli joins Squire as leader of its new base in Milan and will also sit on the firm's executive committee, a person with knowledge of the move told Legal Week, Law.com's U.K. publication.

Pozzoli had been with Curtis Mallet for 17 years and became a partner in 2008. He was appointed its Milan managing partner in 2010 and specialises in energy law, with a focus on handing international arbitration cases in the oil and gas sectors.

Pozzoli will serve as managing partner of the new Milan office and work closely with energy partner Peter Stewart, who recently joined the firm in London from Clyde & Co, to coordinate the firm's Africa business development efforts and practice.

Also moving with Pozzoli to Squire are corporate partner Daniela Sabelli, Italy and U.K. dual qualified corporate finance and M&A partner Ian Tully and corporate and tax partner Fabrizio Vismara.

Squire chair and global CEO Mark Ruehlmann said in a statement: "Our goal is to provide clients with premium counsel wherever they do business. Launching an office in the third largest Eurozone economy is another important milestone in our global expansion."

"We already work for a number of Italian companies and other entities doing business in the market. This team will take our practice to even greater heights," he added.

According to Curtis' website, its Milan base now consists of four partners, seven counsel, five associates and one consultant.

Curtis' chairman George Kahale said in a statement: "We have already moved on from the departing partners and expect 2020 to be our best year ever in Italy."

He added that Guillermo Ulke, a member of the firm's strategic planning committee, now heads the firm's Milan and Rome offices.

The Milan hires are the second group Squire has picked up from Curtis Mallet in less than a year.

Last March, it hired two partners along with a counsel and six associates in a boost to its international arbitration practice based in New York.

The Milan base is the 15th office in Europe for Squire and its 45th globally as the firm continues to expand internationally following a busy period.

Earlier in January it hired the bulk of Winston & Strawn's Dubai office, picking up three partners and four associates as part of the raid.

Meanwhile the firm launched a new global commodities and shipping group in Singapore with the hire of two Reed Smith partners at the end of last year, and has since hired a HFW partner duo to the office.

It also boosted its London base with several partners during 2019.