2026
"I like working with HSFK in many respects. First of all, they are amazingly responsive and hands-on, as well as providing top quality work and real added value. They are very strategic and pragmatic in their advice. When we have complex/contentious issues, we use Laura Orlando and Sara Balice who are the best possible team one could have on their side. I have been using Laura Orlando for 15 years and she is my go to lawyer for any IP issue. She's brilliant, creative, very well-prepared and a lovely human-being."
"I very much value the way they manage trademark portfolios. They hired Annamaria Algieri from DLA Piper a couple of years ago especially for this role and she has been an amazing addition to the firm's already terrific team."
"Another feature of HSFK that I find pretty unique in Italy is that they have the genuine ability to coordinate cross-border matters from Italy. They have a cross-border team based in Milan, with English law qualified solicitors, and we have used them to coordinate a major cross-border project concerning IP-heavy contractual agreements subject to English law."
Laura Orlando
"Laura is pretty unique as she combines amazing commercial and contentious skills. This means she can preempt issues and is always spot-on on strategy. She turns complex things into simple ones and gives me input that I can get management to easily understand. She also is great at coordinating the team. She coordinates the enforcement aspects with Sara Balice who also is an amazing litigator, but she also coordinates the trademark portfolio prosecution work of the team led by Annamaria Algieri. Last year we needed support on a complex matter concerning IP-heavy cross-border agreements and Laura literally overnight put together a team with English law qualified solicitors based in Milan and with Italian language capabilities. Overall, Laura has built a terrific IP firm in Milan which I think is by far the best in the market."
"Laura Orlando is the perfect life sciences litigator. She is the complete package: a skilled and experienced tactician; a thoughtful and intelligent lawyer; and a warm and thoroughly human client adviser. She is not a one-woman show - she leads a large team including many outstanding lawyers. I found Sara Balice particularly impressive, but the whole team is incredibly good and responsive. They are a huge team, which also includes UK-qualified solicitors based in Milan and patent specialists with scientific background. This has helped us immensely as we find a 'one stop-shop'. The breadth and size of the team is also particularly reassuring for us, as the scale of our projects requires well structured and responsive teams - there are no other IP departments of firms operating in Italy which equal the breadth and depth of the HSFK IP practice. They definitely deserve a top ranking."
"Laura Orlando is the best possible life sciences litigator. She is the complete package: a skilled and experienced tactician; a thoughtful and intelligent lawyer; and a warm and thoroughly human client adviser. Her expertise in all three areas of patents, SPCs and regulatory law enables her to advise comprehensively on enforcement and defence strategies in this sector."
2025
"They are extremely creative and clever. They understand the business needs and act as genuine commercial partners.
"They are extremely responsive and great at cross-border work. Lovely people."
"Impressive knowledge of the sector and the regulatory aspects."
"Outstanding quality of work, creativity, responsiveness, and commercial acumen."
"Great communication with our management and business."
"Transparency on costs."
"Lovely individuals. Pleasure to work with."
"They have all that we need: technical excellence, commercial acumen, a business-like pragmatic approach, and the ability to think creatively and out of the box," notes a client. The client also values the firm's "transparency and proportionality on costs".
"They are amazing. [They have] a very large team of excellent associates. There is no other IP team based in Italy that has such depth and breadth, combined with the outstanding quality of their services. They have a unique ability to advise on cross-border European work."
