A packed auditorium of Business students spent an evening learning about mergers and acquisitions as a business strategy, from Telecom Italia VP Fabio Incutti. This talk was the second of the spring series lectures that the business administration program has hosted. The room was filled with students from various business backgrounds who were eager to hear about the role of business lawyers with an emphasis on legal and litigation issues. Incutti brings years of experience to the topic, as VP of Legal Affairs of Italy’s leading telecommunications company.
During the first part of the lecture Mr. Fabio Incutti discussed international mergers and acquisitions and corporate lawyer’s role within them. He defined the term M & A, which includes the buying and selling of companies. Companies do this in order to create value for stakeholders, to gain access to raw materials or to wipe out competition. There are several steps of M&A. The first is the initial stage, which is the preliminary evaluation of the target market and structuring the deal.The next step is of due diligence, which includes investigating the target’s assets, liabilities, balance sheet and past contracts. Then, comes the negotiation stage, in which international lawyers must advise on the governing law to close the deal. In order to complete these steps lawfully, a corporation must include both financial and legal actors in the action.
Mr. Fabio Incutti wrapped up the lecture by pulling it all together by discussing the role of business lawyers within the international merger and acquisition realm. This includes advising management of the project, structuring the transactions in legal and financial terms, negotiating and documenting the deal and managing post-closing issues.
Right in line with true Italian culture, the lecture ended with a light aperitivo. Students gathered to ask Mr.Incutti any further questions that they had! It is safe to say that the talk was not only informative but engaging. If you’ve missed this intriguing second round, be sure to keep an eye out on My91³Ô¹Ï to find the date and time of the next Business Program event!