The Freshfields 2012 Award Goes to a Bocconi Alumnus
He recently graduated with a degree in Law (last October), and he is now attending a Master of Science in Law and Finance at Oxford. On Wednesday 18 April, he was also named winner of the Freshfields 2012 award, a prize that has been organized by the legal firm of the same name since 1989. Villy De Luca is the 23-year-old Rome native and Bocconi alumnus, who, along with 10 other applicants, 4 of whom are fellow Bocconians, played the role of a lawyer with a case to solve within two hours to be presented to an international panel.
It was a typical case: the sale of an Italian company, through transfer of its share package between a French company (the seller) and a Greek company (the purchaser). A relevant example: the Greek company had signed a binding preliminary purchase agreement but the adverse conditions of the market resulted in the bank being willing to finance a bankrupty operation and therefore the Greek company no longer had the resources to honor the contract.
"Participating students," says Villy de Luca, "had to first of all identify the law applicable to the dispute and then identify the legal remedies that the French company could appeal to in order to safeguard their position."
The case was very complex and required extended knowledge of commercial, civil and banking law. "But," says Villy, "with the preparation I received during my Law program at Bocconi, I felt sure of my tools and I was sure I would do well."
The winners
And Villy did so well that he defeated his opponents, leaving behind Giacomo Reali in second place, Elisa Cimador and Marco Gardino tied for third (all pictured).
"The experience was very exciting," says Villy. "It's not every day that I present a case in a meeting room in one of the largest firms in Italy (and located in the beautiful Piazza del Popolo), in front of such a distinguished commission."
Villy is not new to university news. As a student last April he participated in another important international competition, the Moot. The team at the time advanced to the quarter finals and he won the individual award as one of the best oralists of the entire competition.
What else should be expected from the young 23-year-old? Villy knows what he wants. "About the future, I can only say that I'm determined to become a specialized lawyer in international commercial law, while at the same time pursuing an academic career. One day, though, my dream is to be able to serve institutions, following the Bocconi tradition."
The Freshfields award provides a prize of €3,000 to the first place winner and a paid six-month internship at one of the two branches in Rome or Milan. The second place winner receives a prize of €2,000 and a three-month internship and the third-place winner receives €1,500 and a three-month internship.