Orrick Herrington & Sutcliffe has secured its Italian law debut after hiring a seven-partner team from the local legal arm of Ernst & Young (E&Y) as the San Francisco firm steps up its European expansion drive.

The partners, part of a 23-lawyer Milan-based team, started at Orricks on Wednesday (2 April) and are led by partner Alessandro de Nicola, who will become the local managing partner for the US firm.