IL BOLLETTINO IS BACK THE ITALIAN-AMERICAN LAWYERS ASSOCIATION OF LOS ANGELES (IALA) The Overnight Making of a Multinational President’s Messagio By Sassan J. Masserat Welcome to the Italian Italy currently ranks as managed from American Lawyers Association! the eighth economy in the one (home) world, by GDP1. In spite country.” By Founded in 1977, we are a of prevalent pessimism, definition, Eataly group of lawyers practicing law in a variety of ways and in a there is plenty to celebrate is the new kid on variety of fields. and be proud of. the block: it Historically, most people operates in a associate Italian global dozen countries, brands with the widely is centrally known “popular” brands such as Luxottica, Ferrero, Fiat/Ferrari, Barilla, Geox. Popular misconception notwithstanding, IALA Past President Salvo awarded the there are plenty MetNews 2018 Person of the Year of Italian managed out of companies which boast Our membership requirements Italy, and it transatlantic operations are that you have to be a lawyer, therefore qualifies of course, or associated with one (AnsaldoBreda, Beretta, as a multinational. – but they really boil down to Danieli, Eni, Generali, The striking these: You have to either be an Iveco, Pirelli, Telecom, phenomenon is Italian, know an Italian or like UniCredit, etc.) Italian food. Any one of those that Eataly has and you are in! We are a diverse joined the A multinational and welcoming group. multinational club corporation is defined as To be continued Page 5 in the span of a “[a]n enterprise operating decade – in in several countries but business parlance, May 1, 2019 THE ITALIAN-AMERICAN LAWYERS ASSOCIATION OF LOS ANGELES an incredibly short period, the world, the gargantuan is an exquisite particularly relative to the Century City (Los presentation of cuisine and longevity of the club’s Angeles, California) artistic gusto that should older members. Eataly’s location is not likely to be yet another reason for proliferation of stores disappoint: spanning over Italians to stand proud. across the globe is nothing three floors within the Bravissimi! but extraordinary: over 20 newly remodeled crown- locations in almost every jewel of the Westfield continent –each location Group empire (which per se a conglomerate of a carries a price tag of over dozen stores and concepts, one billion dollars), the offering hundreds of affluence of the area, brands. Not bad for a combined with the privately held company growing rate of tourism, Sassan J. Masserat, Masserat Law Group that is proving to be promise to bring unstoppable. In fact, extraordinary results to Disclaimer: the views Eataly is opening more the group. Needless to expressed herein are those locations across the globe say, it helps to have the of author, a lawyer and and plans to go public in backing of iconic figures management consultant the near future. such as Mr. Batali and the dealing on a daily basis Bastianich family, but it is with legal, business and Eataly’s New York the pure genius of Eataly’s governance issues location is reported to founder, Mr. Oscar involving foreign (mostly have earned $80,000,000 Farinetti, which created Italian) businesses and during its first year of this remarkably simple yet entrepreneurs, and who is operation. While an innovative and impressive admittedly affected by impressive figure that is concept. Italophilia. no doubt due to New York’s reputation as one of Aside from financial the most-visited cities in milestones, the end-result ITALIAN ELECTION & THE GLOBAL RISE OF POPULISM By Federica Dell’Orto Hadar The Italian March 4, 2018’s party is the other big winner The Italian elections were election saw the Five Star of this election, reaching its announced as a significant Movement party gain the historical maximum, test for the whole European majority of the votes both in overcoming Berlusconi’s Union, to verify the spread of the House and in the Senate. Forza Italia and becoming the right-wing populism and the The party had a great success first party within the center- growing anxiety amongst its all over Italy, but obtained an right coalition. The Lega population regarding the especially overwhelming obtained most of its votes migratory flows. result in the South. The Lega from the North of Italy. The ITALIAN-AMERICAN LAWYERS ASSOCIATION OF LOS ANGELES Macron, defeated populist frustration with the previous insurrections in their center-left government. respective countries, Europe seemed to enjoy a truce from Since 2013, more than 600 the forces that threatened its thousand migrants have made unity and its values. the insidious journey from Libya across the This truce, however, was Mediterranean to reach Italy. short. The parties that have The huge number of arrivals had the greatest consensus in has shocked many Italians and the Italian elections all share has created a fertile ground for Ms. Dell’Orto Hadar and other IALA Board members at the IALA 2018 Installation Gala a certain degree of the populist rhetoric of many “Euroscepticism”. politicians. Italians voted to choose the Berlusconi has defined the new government in a climate The Lega and its leader presence of illegal migrants of rage for economic Matteo Salvini obtained as a "social ticking bomb" stagnation and with the right- about 17 percent of the votes, and promised mass wing parties gaining more surpassing the other major deportations. In this climate, and more points in the coalition party: Berlusconi’s the electoral campaign saw country. Forza Italia. Matteo Salvini violent clashes between right- who was certainly not wing supporters and anti- Much of the electoral apologetic for the language fascist protesters. propaganda of the Italian used towards migrants while politicians was focused on demanding their expulsion, The growth of populism has refugees and migrants: reiterated his position on the its deepest root in the almost 120 thousand have matter many times during his increase of social inequalities arrived in Italy in 2017 alone. political campaign and after and in the growth of Five Stars Movement, Lega, the vote. economical and identity Casa Pound and Forza Nuova have always expressed their insecurities. intention to stop the migratory flows. These are problems that have been exacerbated in recent The result of the vote, which times by the surge in showed the overwhelming migration, which was itself victory of the Five Stars somehow also caused by Movement and the Lega, globalization and by the testifies - as widely foreseen Ms. Dell’Orto Hadar at IALA monthly dinner explosion of multiple military by foreign press - the strength conflicts in Africa and the of populist movements on the Merged together, the votes Middle East. The continent and their ability to obtained by the Five Stars aforementioned problems find "mainstream" consensus. Movement, Lega and Fratelli have been dealt with After the German chancellor d’Italia, paint a scary picture differently in the United Angela Merkel and French in Italy and outline a deep States, in the United president, Emmanuel Kingdom and continental The ITALIAN-AMERICAN LAWYERS ASSOCIATION OF LOS ANGELES Europe, countries that have which to vent ire and all - to some degrees- resentments of all sorts. experienced similar concerns and political turmoil. There is a tendency to Unfortunately, these issues propose, as a solution to the have not been fully solved in economic and social neither the United States, nor problems, a policy of closure. This explains the fact that in the United Kingdom, nor populist movements are all IALA Board Members at the Nicolas Effect in continental Europe. The dinner on February 20, 2019 EU, in particular, has not put opposed to open borders, in place sufficient actions of participation in international The successes of the Lega social policy and has thus organizations such as the EU had created the right political failed to deliver on its or NATO, or the existence of framework and a favorable original promises. supranational realities such as climate for the descent into the euro. the political battlefield of The result has been the Berlusconi, who managed to spreading like a wildfire, in After the Second World War use the populist rhetoric to large sections of the and after the experience of gain incredible consensus. population, of feelings of the anti-fascist resistance, the Similarly to those years, a social anger, acute Italian political system did climate of political resentment and disruptive not really have many uncertainty, economical rancor. opportunities for a spread of difficulties and years of populism. uncontrolled migration have awakened nowadays in the Only in the nineties, after the Italian people old feelings of end of the cold war and populist nationalism. The especially after the idea of a European Union Tangentopoli scandal, a that does not properly political climate of agitation represents the interests of its and populism started making member states and does not its way into the Italian provide adequate responses Full House at the IALA-LACBA Senior politics. This movement was to the needs of said states, Lawyers Joint Event on March 27, 2019 much more widespread than was a crucial factor in the rise in other European countries. Feelings of social rancor of populist movements. The Especially in the north of appear to be particularly idea that no sovereign Italy, secessionist movements strong in that sector of the authority has been able to and parties like the Lega population that sees its intervene and protect national started receiving popular standard of living in sharp interests, is a concept that has support. become so rooted in people’s decline, or at great risk of a sharp decline. mind, that turning to parties To those with social rancor, like the Five Stars Movement the populists offer a or the Lega is only a natural scapegoat, an easily reaction.