Profile

Valerio Scimemi is an Italian-qualified attorney with over 25 years of cross-border transaction experience spanning Italian civil and commercial law, corporate M&A, banking and financial law, international arbitration, IP and ECHR litigation.

He currently serves as Registered Foreign Lawyer (Italy) at Oldham, Li & Nie, bringing to the firm direct coverage in Italian and European corporate law, cross-border transaction structuring between Europe and Asia, Russia/CIS advisory, and European Court of Human Rights litigation – areas where OLN’s international clients increasingly require integrated counsel.

Before joining OLN, Valerio founded Scimemi Law Firm (est. 2003, Milan and Palermo) and built a multi-jurisdiction advisory practice with a permanent operational presence across Italy, Hong Kong, Mainland China and Russia. He maintains 300+ active court files across Italian tribunals, courts of appeal and the Supreme Court of Cassation, and manages approximately 500 hearings per year.

His profile combines deep legal expertise with an atypical financial skill set: an Executive Master in Administration, Finance & Control (AFC) from SDA Bocconi, with hands-on IFRS financial analysis capability. He holds the Top Talent Scheme in Hong Kong and a PRC work permit authorising him to work and serve as company director in Mainland China.

Practice Areas

• Cross-Border M&A and Corporate Restructuring
• International Joint Ventures and Shareholder Agreements
• Multi-jurisdiction Transaction Structuring (holding architectures, IP licensing, royalty structures)
• International Commercial Arbitration and Mediation
• Banking and Financial Law (credit recovery, bank litigation, financial facilities)
• Intellectual Property (trademark strategy, brand protection, IP licensing)
• ECHR Litigation (Strasbourg Court proceedings)
• Sanction-Sensitive Advisory (Russia/CIS)

Sector Expertise

• Spirits, Wine & F&B
• Luxury, Fashion & Consumer Goods
• Energy & Infrastructure
• Real Estate & Hospitality
• Industrial & Manufacturing
• Technology & Digital
• Banking & Financial Institutions
• Aviation & Airport Management
• Shipping & Transport

International Footprint 

• Permanent operational presence in Italy, Hong Kong, Mainland China and Russia.
• Cross-border transaction experience spanning the UAE, South America, South Korea and multiple European jurisdictions.
• Active since 2011 on transactions involving Greater China.
• PRC work permit holder with ability to serve as director of Chinese subsidiaries of European companies. 

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Admissions and Memberships

Education

University of Palermo (Italy)

Law Degree (Laurea in Giurisprudenza), 110/110

Il Sole 24 Ore Business School, Milan

Master in International Contracts 

SDA Bocconi, Milan

Executive Master in Administration, Finance and Control (AFC)

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Notable Cases

All matters conducted under strict confidentiality. Details available upon request in the context of a specific engagement. 

• Cross-border acquisition in the spirits sector involving brand transfer, Antitrust advisory, regulatory approvals and post-acquisition commercial restructuring across multiple European jurisdictions
• International distribution agreement structuring for a major spirits brand across South America, Asia and Eastern Europe, including sanction-sensitive territories 
• JV structuring in the energy sector between European and Asian partners, involving multi-layer holding architecture and government concession frameworks 
• Corporate restructuring and merger of industrial entities in the F&B sector, including bank waiver negotiations under Italian extraordinary corporate transaction law 
• Ongoing general counsel to one of Italy’s largest vehicle rental companies: M&A advisory, regulatory compliance, cross-border litigation, real estate and commercial contracts 
• Cross-border investigative mandate involving corporate patrimony analysis across multiple jurisdictions, with coordination of local counsel and forensic accountants 
• Trademark coexistence negotiation and IP strategy for a premium Italian wine and spirits group, involving parallel proceedings in multiple EU trademark offices 
• Share acquisition structuring for an international power generation company across Southeast Asian and European jurisdictions 

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Languages

Italian, English, Russian

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