Pierfrancesco Fasano

Pierfrancesco is an Italian qualified partner based in Milan, leading our growing team in Italy. He specialises in domestic and cross-border litigation, negotiation, and consulting work. Pierfrancesco supports clients in various sectors, particularly those undergoing changes or disruptions due to digital advancements and new rules and regulations.

More about Pierfrancesco

With over 25 years of experience practicing in the information technology, banking, fashion, design, and digital industries, Pierfrancesco focuses on transactions, litigation, negotiation, and mediation. He also possesses extensive experience in labour and employment, particularly involving directors and officers, financial advisors, agents, distributors, and intellectual property, including trade secrets, passing off, domain names, trademarks, geographical indications, patents, designs, and art. His expertise extends to advertising and both outward and inward foreign direct investments, particularly in Italy and India. As a seasoned lawyer, he has been appointed as an Arbitrator and International qualified Mediator by Italian and European institutions in commercial disputes. He also serves as a Senior Expert for the European Commission’s comparative studies and contributes to legal guides published by other international institutions. Pierfrancesco frequently advises on cost-benefit analysis and strategy for complex, multidisciplinary cases and projects at the intersection of intellectual property, digital technology, labour, finance, domestic, and European Union laws. His clients include individuals, start-ups, and global businesses. Pierfrancesco is particularly drawn to work that spans Italian, European and international domains. He has spent several years advising investment projects in emerging jurisdictions and in Italy, ensuring compliance with European Union law and European Court of Justice cases.

Recent work

• Counselled an Italian fashion designer on negotiating director employment agreement, including related ancillary stock option documents, with a European leading Group managed by an international investment fund.
• Advised a minority shareholder of an information technology company on shares value dispute that was successfully settled through a fast, cost-effective mediation proceeding, thus avoiding an expensive arbitration.
• Provided guidance to a leading European distributor on the acquisition of wine and spirits trademarks and related trade secrets, successfully resolving the impasse on the value of the assets with the assistance of an expert’s opinion.
• Arbitrated an intellectual property dispute between a Japanese licensor and an Italian licensee concerning the use of a trademark as domain name.
• Litigated worldwide on behalf of a sportswear manufacturer to combat fake websites, through the use of alternative dispute resolution and judicial methods.
• Litigated on behalf of an Italian drone training qualified company as a franchisee against the franchisor on matters related to fees and misleading use of images.