Crisis Management

When we deal with these kinds of cases, we adopt a multi-disciplinary approach. We believe that collaboration between different practice groups is of essence to catch all the nuances of a specific case and grant the best assistance possible to our clients. This approach allows us to provide them qualified and quick help, tailored to their specific needs and interests.

Over the years, we have acquired extensive expertise in handling cases with the potential to draw intense public scrutiny and in managing dawn raids by different public authorities (including criminal, antitrust, and data protection bodies). We work with clients to adapt and craft the language and wording of our briefs to account for media sensitivity. We are frequently involved in complex hearings and have broad experience in defending our clients in ways that safeguard their reputations, promote their positions, and downsize potential risks.

When dealing with these cases, we help our clients anticipate, prevent, and respond to crises by conducting internal investigations, assessing risk, managing internal and external communication (including with the press), and securing the confidentiality of sensitive information in court proceedings — all with the utmost speed and efficiency.

In order to support the client in every phase of a media-sensitive case, we cooperate with both domestic and international firms and crisis-management firms. Thanks to our past experience, we have built strong relationships with public authorities and entities.
Our crisis management team includes professionals in the following areas:

• White collar crimes and government investigations
• Dawn raids and investigations by regulators
• Environmental claims
• Privacy and cybersecurity
• IP and trade secret claims
• Consumer protection laws
• Product liability
• Class actions
• Commercial disputes
• A wide range of reputational claims
• Labor law disputes
• Diversity claims
• Protection of minors
• Audit reviews and internal investigations
• Corporate and governance-related issues

Over the years, our professionals have worked for example on:

• Assistance to an American multinational in a series of highly sensitive and high-profile cases with significant media exposure (involving revenge porn and hate speech);
• Representation of a social media platform in the context of a Data Protection Authority investigation concerning age verification;
• Assistance to various companies in the context of investigations by the Italian Competition Authority that resulted in bet-your-company proceedings;
• Representation of an American multinational in a high-profile copyright infringement proceeding.
• Representation of sellers, directors, and shareholders in corporate governance and M&A disputes.
• Assistance to an American press agency during dawn raid proceedings conducted in Italy;
• In connection with the new class action reform passed by the Italian Parliament in 2019, advice to companies in order to allow them to organize their internal business structures so as to be able to respond quickly to allegations;
• Assistance to a prominent foreign manufacturer in a cross-border multiparty case concerning product liability in the automotive sector;
• Assistance to several clients in reputational claims brought for defamation and unlawful processing of personal data, among other things;
• Representation of several companies in the context of civil actions for damages brought by various civil parties (victims and/or their heirs) in criminal proceedings concerning the use of dangerous products that caused death and serious illness due to exposure of employees and their families;
• Representation of several companies in claims brought by consumers and business partners for alleged product liability that gave rise to suits for injury seeking payment of damages;
• Defense of several foreign and Italian multinational companies in highly sensitive cases connected to criminal proceedings for culpable injury and homicide of employees stemming from violations of health and safety regulations and security measures;
• Representation of a prominent newspaper in copyright litigation against a national media monitoring company.