Open to opportunities

CARLO SERRANO'

@carloserrano

Message

I am a corporate lawyer specializing in M&A, private equity and international contracts.

Italy

Message

What I'm looking for

I seek transactional roles in M&A or private equity where I can lead cross-border deals, advise on complex structuring and compliance, and combine practice with research-driven legal analysis in a collaborative, high-performance team.

I am an Italian-admitted corporate lawyer (admitted to the Italian Bar June 2024) specialized in M&A, private equity and international contracts, with practical experience in international law firms, private equity funds and cross-border transactions.

I have supported extraordinary transactions at McDermott Will & Emery and, as Corporate Legal Counsel at Qualitas Private Equity Fund, I handled acquisition processes, legal structuring, due diligence, drafting and negotiating SPAs, shareholders' agreements, investment agreements and security packages.

I combine courtroom-quality legal research and academic activity—as Assistant Professor at Bocconi and Research Fellow at the European Law Institute and the Institute of Advanced Legal Studies—with publications on private equity and contract law; I speak fluent English and French and am proficient with legal databases and Microsoft Excel.

Experience

Work history, roles, and key accomplishments

Current

Research Fellow

Current

Institute of Advanced Legal Studies

Jan 2025 - Present (7 months)

Research fellow contributing to comparative legal research and collaborative academic projects within the Institute, supporting publication and policy-oriented activities. Engaged in interdisciplinary research and knowledge dissemination.

Legal Research Comparative Law Research Collaboration Publications Policy Analysis

Current

Corporate Legal Counsel

Current

Qualitas Private Equity Fund

Jan 2025 - Present (7 months)

Counsel to a private equity fund with over €12 billion AUM, leading deal structuring, due diligence, negotiation and closing of SPAs, shareholders' agreements and security packages. Ensured corporate governance and led restructurings, mergers and intra-group reorganizations for portfolio SPVs.

Shareholders' Agreement Private Equity Deal Structuring Due Diligence SPA Negotiation Shareholders' Agreements Corporate Governance M&A Contract Drafting

Current

Research Fellow

Current

European Law Institute

Jan 2023 - Present (2 years 7 months)

Member of consultative committees on projects including enterprise foundations, algorithmic contracts and corporate criminal liability, contributing to model rules and policy guidance. Conducted comparative legal research and drafted project contributions.

Legal Research Policy Development Comparative Law Model Rules Drafting Consultation

Current

Assistant Professor

Current

Bocconi University

Jan 2022 - Present (3 years 7 months)

Assistant for courses in European and International Contracts and Private Law, conducting research, teaching activities and examinations while supporting academic projects. Contributed to course delivery and academic publications for university research initiatives.

Teaching Legal Research Civil Law Examination Administration

Associate - Corporate

McDermott, Will & Emery

Jan 2021 - Jan 2024 (3 years)

Executed cross-border M&A and private equity transactions across healthcare, energy, defense and automotive sectors, advising on FDI/Governmental 'Golden Power' matters and antitrust implications. Drafted and negotiated complex commercial and industry-specific contracts for multinational clients.

M&A Private Equity Venture Capital FDI Golden Power Contract Drafting

Legal Intern

Italian Embassy in Kuwait

Jan 2021 - Present (4 years 7 months)

Prepared reports and analyses on economic relations of Italian companies in Kuwait and supervised economic flows of Italian businesses across Gulf countries. Supported diplomatic-economic reporting and stakeholder briefings.

Trade Relations Research

Education

Degrees, certifications, and relevant coursework

Ca' Foscari University of Venice

PhD, Law

2023 -

Activities and societies: First-place scholarship winner.

Enrolled in a PhD programme with thesis 'The Efficiency of Contract Law through Unfair Legal Practices: The Efficient Breach' and awarded a first-place scholarship.

Bocconi University

Integrated Master of Arts in Law, Law

2016 - 2022

Grade: 107/110

Activities and societies: International course with English instruction; exam highlights: European Contract Law (30 cum laude/30), Civil Law (30/30), Advanced Commercial Law (30/30), Negotiation and DM (30/30).

Integrated Master of Arts in Law with thesis 'Economic Analysis of International Contract Law: Extracting Nash equilibrium from Cross-border Transactions', completed in 2022.

Université Paris II Panthéon-Assas

Executive Program, Corporate Law

2023 -

Activities and societies: Focused on corporate structures and M&A transactions; program delivered in Singapore.

Executive Program on corporate structures and M&A transactions completed in 2023.

The Chinese University of Hong Kong

Exchange Program, International Law

2019 -

Mid-term exchange program in International Law undertaken in 2019.

City, University of London

LL.M, International Law

2021 -

Activities and societies: Course marks included Further Issues in Commercial Law (30/30), Advanced Company Law (30/30), The Law relating to Public Companies (30/30).

LL.M in International Law completed in 2021 with coursework including Further Issues in Commercial Law, Advanced Company Law and The Law relating to Public Companies.