Francesca Petronio
Image of Francesca Petronio

Francesca Petronio

Partner

Email

francesca.petronio@aoshearman.com

Phone

+39 02 2904 9401

Offices

Milan

V-CARD
Francesca has over 25 years’ experience of representing clients in litigation and arbitration cases, with a focus on complex commercial, restructuring, energy and corporate M&A disputes.

She has wide expertise in white-collar crime matters, including internal investigations, administrative and criminal liability and compliance matters under Italian Legislative Decree 231/2001. She also regularly assists clients on a range of issues in connection with compliance programmes, legal risks and data protection law.  

Expertise

Industries

Published Work

  • Co-author (2023) “Anti-corruption Measures in Italy” in the Elgar Concise Encyclopedia on Corruption Law, Edward Elgar Publishing
  • Co-author (2022) “Delegation of powers and consequences for non-executive directors' liability under Italian law”, Lexology
  • Petronio, F (2022) “Data protection considerations in internal investigations (recent developments)”in IBANET, International Bar Association
  • Co-author (2022) “A Brief Overview of the Recent History of Italian International Anticorruption Laws” in The Foreign Corrupt Practices Act: Compliance, Investigations and Enforcement, U.S.: Wolters Kluwer Legal & Regulatory
  • Co-author (2018) “The Secretary of the Board of Directors” Italy: Giuffrè Editore in collaboration with AIGI
  • Petronio, F (2018) “New Law on Whistleblowing in Italy” in Ethic Intelligence. 

Speaking Engagements

  • Speaker, IBA Anti-Corruption Committee Asia Conference, Singapore, November 2024
  • Speaker, EMEA Business Integrity Training, WPP, London, September 2024
  • Speaker, IBA Anti-Corruption Conference in Paris, 06/2018
  • Speaker, OECD – 2nd Annual International Conference on “National anti-corruption guidelines: establishing dialogue between the public and private sectors”, Paris, 11/09/2017
  • Speaker, “Double Jeopardy and Managing Risks in Cross-Border Investigations and Prosecutions”, IBA Anti-Corruption Conference, Paris, 13/06/2017

Leadership Positions And Professional Affiliations

  • Co-founder of Arbitrando, an Italian association to promote the use of arbitration.
  • Member of the whistleblowing working group created by AITRA (Italian Association for Transparency and Anti-Corruption)
  • Member of the Steering Committee of AODV231, The Association of Members of the Supervisory Bodies pursuant to Legislative Decree 231/2001 (Associazione dei Componenti degli Organismi di Vigilanza ex D.Lgs. 231/2001)

 

Recognition

“Francesca really listens to what we need and want and works hard to find workable solutions that are legally sound. She is highly responsive and delegates appropriately.”
Chambers & Partners 2025 Global and Europe (Dispute Resolution: Italy)
“Francesca Petronio always shows great acumen and ability to solve complex legal issues with skill and competence.”
Chambers & Partners 2025 Global and Europe (Dispute Resolution: Italy)

Awards

  • Litigation Lawyer of the Year, Legalcommunity Litigation Awards 2024
  • Corporate Investigations Lawyer of the Year, Legalcommunity Corporate Awards 2024
  • Real Estate Lawyer of the Year, Legalcommunity Litigation Awards 2023
  • Finalist in the category “Most important Court Case of the Year” for her assistance to Royal Dutch Shell in the OPL Criminal Case in Italy, Global Investigation Reviews Award, 2022
     

Qualifications

Admissions

Admitted as Avvocato (Lawyer), Italy, 1997
 
Qualified to plead before the Italian Supreme Court, 2010

Academic

JD, University of Parma, 1994

Languages

Italian, English
Disclaimer
A&O Shearman was formed on May 1, 2024 by the combination of Shearman & Sterling LLP and Allen & Overy LLP and their respective affiliates (the legacy firms). Any matters referred to above may include matters undertaken by one or more of the legacy firms rather than A&O Shearman.