C. Ferdinando Emanuele

Ferdinando Emanuele is a partner resident in the Rome office.

Mr. Emanuele's practice focuses on national and international litigation and arbitration, specifically with regard to civil, commercial and financial law.

Mr. Emanuele is recognized as one of the leading lawyers in dispute resolution in Italy by Chambers Global, Chambers Europe and The Legal 500 EMEA. He was also recognized for his international arbitration experience by The Legal 500 Latin America. In 2009, he was named the “Best Italian Litigation Lawyer of the Year” by TopLegal.

Mr. Emanuele has defended many Italian and foreign companies in complex litigation and arbitration proceedings. 

In particular, he represented ABN AMRO in civil and administrative proceedings, the successful conclusion of which enabled the bank to gain control of Banca Antonveneta - marking the first acquisition of an Italian bank by a foreign bank.  He has also represented several foreign sovereign states before Italian courts, most notably Banco Nacional de Comercio Exterior - Bancomext (a Mexican financial institution) in various proceedings against entities controlled by the government of the Republic of Cuba, as well as the Republic of Argentina in cases brought by holders of Argentine bonds to obtain reimbursement of invested capital and payment of interest. These culminated in a landmark decision by the Supreme Court of Italy (Corte di Cassazione), which held that Italian courts lack jurisdiction to adjudicate challenges to Argentina’s payment moratorium and debt restructuring program. 

Mr. Emanuele is considered to be one of the few leading Italian experts in multi-plaintiff and class actions litigations.

Mr. Emanuele has also acted as presiding arbitrator, party-appointed arbitrator and sole arbitrator appointed by the ICC, the Milan Chamber of National and International Arbitration, the Rome Bar Council and the President of the Rome Tribunal.

He joined the Brussels office in 1998. He worked in the Brussels office through 1999 and was based in the London office from 2001 through 2002. He became a partner in 2007. He graduated with honors from the LUISS University of Rome in 1991 and worked as a research assistant of private international law through 1999. In 1992, he attended the University of Texas Academy of American and International Law. 

In 2002, Mr. Emanuele obtained an LL.M. from the University of Michigan Law School. In 2009, he attended the “ICC Institute Masterclass for Arbitrators.”

Mr. Emanuele has authored a book entitled Definizione e funzionamento del concetto di ordine pubblico nel diritto internazionale privato (Definition and Functioning of Public Policy under Private International Law) and a number of law review articles on arbitration, as well as on international law.

Mr. Emanuele has lectured at numerous conferences and taught courses on litigation and arbitration. In particular, he was a speaker at various seminars designed for judges organized by the Superior Council of Judiciary, including on class action.

Mr. Emanuele has been a member of the Rome Bar since 1994. He served as a member of the Rome Bar Council (Consiglio dell’Ordine degli Avvocati) from 2004 to 2006. He is a member of several committees of the National Bar Association (Consiglio Nazionale Forense).

Mr. Emanuele is a founder of ISSA-Istituto Superiore di Studi per l’Arbitrato and ArbIt, the Italian Forum for International Arbitration and ADR. He is a member of the London Court of International Arbitration (LCIA) and a board member of the Italian Arbitration Association (AIA).

Mr. Emanuele is a native Italian speaker, fluent in English and proficient in Spanish.