The Firm was born from the union of different professional realities active since the ‘60s (Lana Law Firm and Lagostena Bassi Law Firm), which then merged into an associated law firm in 1998. More recently, with the inclusion of Francesco Rosi, the Lana Lagostena Bassi Rosi Law Firm was formed.
Starting from the ’60s, Mario Lana, expert in civil and international law, established one of the first international law firms operating in the Italian context in Rome, together with Senator Lelio Basso and Luciano Ventura.
During the 60’s and 70’s this prestigious Firm counselled various foreign governments (Poland, Hungary, former Czechoslovak Republic, China, Libya, Algeria, etc.) and it also dealt with the nationalization of oil in developing countries as well as a series of issues related to emerging countries and, more generally, the protection of human rights.
At the end of the 70’s, Mario Lana moved permanently to Rome, where he honoured the legacy of Senator Lelio Basso and continued his activity in the field of international law, protection of human rights and civil rights.
During the 80’s the Lana Law Firm, which in the meantime was enriched by other professionals such as professor Anton Giulio Lana, further developed its expertise in the fields of international law and civil rights.
In particular, as far as the first sector is concerned, the Firm provided counselling in the internationalization process of Italian companies in China, Algeria, Poland, etc., through the establishment of joint ventures with local companies, and it also assisted Italian companies in their relations with foreign ones.
As for the civil rights sector, the Firm dedicated many of its important battles to the protection of the weakest, such as – for instance – hemophiliacs who, as a result of the intake of infected blood and blood products, contracted very serious viruses such as HIV and HCV. Regarding these subjects, the Firm obtained fundamental judicial decisions which then constituted leading cases in the matter of compensation for damages deriving from the omission of pharmacovigilance.
Since the 1960s, the Firm dealt with the issues of civil liability and insurance. Vitaliano Lagostena and Tina Lagostena Bassi published the bimonthly journal “Diritto e pratica nel sinistro stradale e nella navigazione” for many years. In this regard, it’s important to mention the successful battle for the compensation of health damages.
In 1973 the Firm was transferred to Rome. Among the many social battles fought there, particular attention must be paid to the one concerning the creation of cultural associations, which, among many, led to the birth of the Teatro dell’Orologio and of the Politecnico. Moreover, with the Firm’s advice, the radio and television monopoly was overcome and many “free” and “commercial” radios and television stations were born.
However, the main portion of the Firm’s professional activity was dedicated to the protection of the weakest, particularly women and children. Among the most prestigious achievements of the Firm, fundamental for the democratic development of our country, to which Tina Lagostena Bassi strongly contributed, there are certainly divorce, the reform of family law, the legislation on gender equality, the termination of pregnancy and the law against violence and sexual abuse. Lastly, the Firm fought important battles in the courtrooms for the protection of “collective interests”, with the consequent right of the associations to be civil parties in trials alongside the injured parties.
In September 2019, Francesco Rosi joined the Firm. He is an expert in administrative law and European Union law, particularly in the following areas: health law, procurement of services and public works, environmental law, land planning, trade, antitrust and cuncurrency, administrative procedures in the financial field and consumer protection. Mr. Rosi is also an expert in national and international arbitration, conciliation and mediation procedures; he teaches training courses in various regional administrations, he is a consultant for several Local Administrations, Public Entities and Public Administrations including the Ministry of the Environment (Segreteria tecnica direzione generale della difesa del suolo, Direzione generale della conservazione della natura – Technical Secretariat of the Directorate General for Soil Protection, Directorate General for Nature Conservation), the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Forestry Policies and the Ministry of Infrastructure.
Today, the Firm is one of the main professional realities in the field of civil rights protection, both at national and international level. More specifically, the Firm deals with matters relating to family, the protection of minors and personality rights.
Over the years, the Firm has acquired significant experience in the field of health law, dealing – for the first time in Italy – with the delicate issue of the responsibility of the Public Administration in the dissemination of harmful medications: specifically, the Firm has assisted hemophiliacs, thalassemics and occasional transfused individuals in the tragic affair of “infected blood”.
Moreover, the Firm takes care – both on a professional level and in terms of study and training – of the international protection of human rights before national and international courts (European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg and the Court of Justice of the European Union in Luxembourg). Lastly, the Firm assists its clients abroad, making use of a vast network of correspondents in many countries of the world: in particular, it curates the internationalization of Italian companies and the interests of foreign companies, both public and private ones, in our country.