The law firm Pavia & Harcourt LLP was founded in 1951 and is a reference point for individuals and companies thanks to the great internationalization of its offices. The studio is located in Milan, New York and Paris. George went to work until the end. Now over ninety years old, he has continued to serve on various boards. He was happy to have passed the reins to Giovanni Spinelli in the workshop for many years: “Spinelli represents the continuity of a long history that has its roots in the last century and the previous one,” George told me, who even had a lawyer of the caliber of Sonia Sotomayor, now a justice on the U.S. Supreme Court! Since its inception, the firm has provided legal assistance to designers, haute couture houses and luxury goods manufacturers, including companies in the fields of apparel, accessories, jewelry and watches, optics, cosmetics and perfumery, interior design, porcelain, ceramics and glass. George M. Pavia, founder and senior partner of the law firm Pavia & Harcourt, died at the age of 92 at his home in New York City. One of the first Italian lawyers in the United States, George Pavia was born into a family of lawyers in Genoa in 1928. His father Enrico had served in World War I sixteen years, as a boy of 99. The Jewish family has roots in Casale Monferrato in Piedmont, fled Italy because of the fascist racial laws of 1938 and fled with his family to England before settling in the United States, where the young lawyer began practicing law a few years later. George M.
Pavia, one of New York`s most prominent lawyers, founder and senior partner of the historic firm that bears his name, has died at the age of 92. Pavia died last Wednesday at her home in Manhattan. George Pavia, the first American lawyer in many decades, died in New York at the age of 92. There is always a void when a member of our community dies, and in George`s case, the void is great. Apart from his dedication to his studies, George was always at the forefront of various Italian affairs in America; In addition to business, he enjoyed fulfilling philanthropic missions. He attended the birth and has always supported the IEG, Gruppo Esponenti Italiani, where he served on the board until a few years ago; He helped found the American Italian Cancer Foundation, where he again served as a board member, and supported countless other activities related to bilateral relations. For this reason too, he received the title of Commander of the Order of Merit of the Italian Republic. His personal story has not been easy, a story that takes us far back in time.
In New York, Enrico works with Citibank. His sons George and Bruno studied law. He founded Pavia Harcourt and his young sons also started their profession. After the war, Enrico returned to Italy and reopened the practice in Genoa: “My father asked himself: why do I have to be one of the last lawyers in New York when I can be one of the first in Italy?” George told me a few years ago, “My brother came back with him while I was in New York. In a short time, the new studio Pavia Ansaldo opened offices in Milan and Rome and became one of the most important Italian studios. The company has always served as a bridge for Italian and European companies that decide to expand in the United States, starting with Fiat and Ferrari to expand into the banking, fashion and luxury sectors. His clients include Valentino, Ferragamo, Dolce & Gabbana, Roberto Cavalli, Unicredit (for 60 years), Ubibanca. One of the firm`s strengths was its specialization in individual services, for example in international civil and corporate law, trusts and estates, labour, immigration and arbitration wars. Accompany the client at every stage of its American growth, from the creation of the company to the search for key local partners. George Pavia studied in Italy, England and the United States. He is a graduate of Columbia College (B.A. 1948) and Columbia Law School (J.D.
1951). He attended the University of Genoa in 1954-55, was admitted to the New York Bar in 1951, and served as an officer in the International Law Division, the Office of the Attorney General of the United States Army Uniti.In America founded the law firm Pavia Harcourt. During the war, his brother Bruno and father Enrico returned to Italy, where they founded Studio Pavia Ansaldo, which opened offices in Milan and Rome and quickly became one of the most important in the country. His experience includes corporate acquisitions and restructurings, financings, joint ventures, acquisitions and real estate development, consulting and business planning. Many of his clients attribute their success in the U.S. to his ingenuity and ability to manage multiple relationships in the U.S. We owe a lot to George personally and professionally,” says Giovanni Spinelli, who succeeded him as managing partner at the head of the firm since 2015. His sharp wit, his particular dialectical style, his creativity in solving the most complex problems, his ability to manage relationships are just some of the qualities that have made George a legend in the Italian and American legal and commercial world.” George remains in New York and continues to work, expanding his studio, which worked with the Italian studio for decades until his father`s death, the break and final separation between the two firms took place years later as part of the Parmalat scandal. He continued to work, even in his nineties, he worked on the boards of directors.
And for more than 70 years, lawyer Pavia has represented leading Italian companies and entrepreneurs in the United States.