Roberto Casati is a partner based in the Milan office.
Mr. Casati’s practice focuses on securities, corporate, banking, EU and international business law. He has extensive experience in Italian and cross-border public and private mergers and acquisitions as well as joint ventures. He is also quite active in international arbitrations, both as counsel and arbitrator. He has written and lectured extensively on EU and Italian law in the US, Europe, and the Far East.
Mr. Casati has handled several of the largest Italian M&A and joint venture deals. He recently assisted Bavaria Yachtbau in the acquisition of Cantiere Del Pardo, the manufacturer of the Grand Soleil and Dufour sail yachts; Mediobanca in the purchase of an equity interest in Ferretti (the world's largest luxury yacht maker) and the current owners of Ferretti in the sale of the group to SHIG-Weichai Group; the PE firms Alpha and Investindustrial in the sale to LIXIL Corporation (controlled by JS Group Corporation) of Permasteelisa, one of the world's leading building contractors; AEM in its €9 billion merger with ASM Brescia, creating A2A, Italy’s largest local utility and second-largest electricity company; Petronas in its €1.1 billion acquisition of FL Selenia; and the controlling shareholders in the sale of a minority interest in Technogym. He assisted ABN AMRO in its €8.2 billion tender offer for all outstanding shares of leading Italian-listed banking group Banca Antonveneta and HypoVereinsbank in the merger with UniCredito Italiano. He also assisted AEM (later A2A) in its joint acquisition, together with Electricité de France (EDF), of a controlling stake in Edison, the second largest energy company in Italy, and A2A in its negotiations with EDF in connection with the industrial and corporate reorganization of Edison. Additionally, he has assisted Edison in the majority of its divestitures (including the sale of Antibioticos, Ausimont, Edison Rete, Carapelli, Eridania, Cerestar, Cereol, and Provimi), Fiat in the sale of Fiat Avio to Carlyle and Finmeccanica, PAI Management in the acquisition of Saeco and Coin, Perfetti in the amalgamation with Van Melle, and Perfetti VanMelle in the acquisition of Chupa Chups.
Mr. Casati is recognized as a “star individual” in Corporate/M&A and a leading Private Equity lawyer by
Chambers Global,
Chambers Europe,
The Legal 500 EMEA,
PLC Which Lawyer? and
Who's Who Legal - The International Who's Who of Merger & Acquisition Lawyers. He is also distinguished as a leading lawyer in Banking and Corporate Governance by
Who’s Who Legal.
Mr. Casati joined the firm in May 2004 as a partner. He received a J.D. degree in 1978 from Columbia University School of Law, where he was a Stone Scholar, and an LL.M. from the University of Michigan Law School in 1974. Mr. Casati also received a J.D. degree in 1970 from the University of Milan. Prior to joining the firm, Mr. Casati was the Italian Senior Partner of Allen & Overy and one of three heads of Allen & Overy’s Global Corporate Practice. From 1981 until 1998, he was co-founder and partner of Brosio, Casati e Associati (including a predecessor firm).
Mr. Casati is a member of the Italy-US Council, a high-level bilateral organization. He additionally is a member of the Dean’s International Advisory Board of Columbia University School of Law and a member of the Advisory Board of the Blinken European Institute at Columbia University.
Mr. Casati is a member of the Bars in Italy and New York. He is a native Italian speaker and he is fluent in English and French.