PLMJ's Italian Desk has once again been shortlisted for the TopLegal awards, which are now in their ninth edition. TopLegal is a leading publication in the Italian legal market and, for the second year in a row, it is giving awards to the Italian Desks of foreign law firms.

PLMJ is the only Portuguese law firm to have been shortlisted in this category, which recognises the representative offices in Italy that make the greatest contribution to supporting Italian business people in international operations. The awards recognise the performance, capacity to win business and the deals advised on by these offices.

Under the leadership of PLMJ partner Serena Cabrita Neto, who is an Italian national, the PLMJ Italian Desk is made up of a team of lawyers who are fluent in Italian and have deep knowledge of the Italian market and culture. They also have experience accumulated over many years of advising individual and corporate clients from Italy or with Italian capital. The lawyers of the Italian Desk are perfectly placed to provide legal support to Italian clients that want to invest in Portugal or in Portuguese-speaking countries, as well as the other countries covered by PLMJ International Legal Network. These lawyers also advise Portuguese companies expanding to Italy and, in all their work, offer a multidisciplinary service.

For Serena Cabrita Neto, the PLMJ partner who heads the Italian Desk, "we were very pleased to be shortlisted for this award for the second year in a row. It demonstrates the efforts made by the Italian Desk team in providing consistently high quality services. It proves the quality and skills of our lawyers and the worth of the strategic decision to create this Desk made two and a half years ago by PLMJ as part of its expansion to international markets. We are particularly pleased because we have achieved this nomination after the Desk has only been present in the market for a relatively short period of time."

The other firms shortlisted alongside PLMJ are Garrigues, Schoenherr, Skadden Arps Slate Meagher & Flom, Squire Patton Boggs and Taylor Wessing.

The jury is made up of recognised specialists from the worlds of business, finance and government, and it is chaired by a representative of TopLegal's Research Centre. The awards will be given out on 23 November at a ceremony in Milan.

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