Bruno Castellini, the joint managing partner of Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer’s Italian arm, will be the latest senior departure from the Magic Circle firm as he gets set to join the local office of U.S. firm Jones Day.
Castellini will join the Milan office of Jones Day within the next few weeks, where he will take up a role as local head of M&A.He will work alongside former Gianni Origoni Grippo & Partners partner Stefano Crosio, who headed up the Italian leader’s New York team between 2004 and 2006 before switching to Jones Day.The departure of Castellini, who stepped down from Freshfields’ partnership at the end of October, will leave Rome managing partner Raffaele Lener as sole head of the London giant’s Italian practice. It is currently unclear whether Castellini will be replaced in the management role.Castellini, an M&A and capital markets specialist, joined Freshfields as a partner in 2001 from Chiomenti Studio Legale, where he headed up the capital markets department.His move continues a run of senior departures from Freshfields’ Italian practice over the last year, with national finance chief Stefano Sennhauser switching to the local arm of Magic Circle rival Allen & Overy in October.In March, corporate partner Cesare Vecchio �- who helped launch Freshfields’ Milan office -� quit the firm to join Willkie Farr & Gallagher, while Milan-based finance partner Franco Campomori confirmed a move to Orrick Herrington & Sutcliffe two months later.
