The dynamic and creative Milan has many faces. It is a city of art, with historical buildings, monuments, modern-architectural buildings, churches, and abbeys. It is eclectic, simply energetic. Milan is the home of the world-renowned football clubs AC Milan and Inter. Above all, it is universally recognised as the economic capital of Italy.
Back in 2014, Alessandro Osnato co-founded B4Lex Avvocati Associati together with Raffaele Rispoli, Giuseppe Raffaelli, and Federico Annoni. The four met when working together at an international Law Firm. The preparations and planning began back then. Finally, after a good deal of thought, B4Lex was founded.
Three of the partners are from Milan. Alessandro tells us, “I am the only one from outside.“ He continues, “I came here for my studies, and I came to stay. Honestly, the longer you stay, the more you love it,“ he explains. Consequently, it was an easy decision to place the firm in the heart of the city.
Alessandro‘s decision to become a lawyer was influenced by family tradition. “I can say now, after several years of experience, that I am entirely content with my choice. I simply could not imagine myself in any different job,“ he shares.
Now let’s take a closer look at the firm: at the moment, there are 16 professionals working in Milan: four partners, eight lawyers, as well as four trainee lawyers. In addition, a new office will open in Bolzano next September. One important element of the firm‘s spirit is the importance of the human touch, emphasizing the personal mindset of the company. Alessandro emphasises, “Especially in Italy, it is expected by the client to have close personal contact with the lawyer.”
B4Lex covers a wide range of legal areas. Alessandro, for instance, has been focusing on Employment Law since the very beginning of his career.
He outlines one current issue in this area for us: “in Italy, in employment law, a small revolution took place in the past two years. In 2015‚ the so-called ‘Job Act‘, a major labour market reform, entered into force, making several significant changes. For example, forced reinstatement will be possible only if a worker has been dismissed for discriminatory or retaliatory reasons. Certainly, this is a huge change for Italy.”
In their previous law firm, the partners had also been part of an international network, working with international companies and international clients. Alessandro remarks, “when we decided to establish our firm we always planned to join a network for lawyers focusing on SMEs. Eurojuris is what we were looking for.”
B4Lex will also take part in the Eurojuris International 25th Anniversary Congress in Brussels. Our new member expects to meet with his colleagues and underlines, “personal contact is always better! It is easier to communicate, and to build collaborations.“ Without any doubt, the sports activities will be a great opportunity to get acquainted. Alessandro himself plays water polo, while his partners prefer football. We guess AC Milan and Inter Milano take top priority.
