Two European members of Legal Netlink Alliance are taking cross-border cooperation a step further. BALÁZS & KOVÁTSITS Legal Partnership, based in Budapest, and Studio Spreafico & Partners, based in Saronno, near Milan, have announced a strategic partnership designed to provide coordinated legal support to Italian businesses operating in Hungary and Hungarian businesses active in Northern Italy.

The partnership builds on several years of professional exchanges and joint initiatives within LNA. Its ambition is to move beyond individual referrals and case-by-case cooperation towards a more structured, accessible legal service for businesses working across the two jurisdictions.

From network cooperation to a strategic partnership

Cross-border cooperation has long been part of everyday professional life within Legal Netlink Alliance. Member firms regularly refer clients to trusted colleagues in other jurisdictions, work together on international transactions and disputes, and coordinate legal services for businesses operating in multiple countries.

Knowledge sharing is equally important. Whether a lawyer needs clarification on a particular national regulation, assistance with a legal procedure or a reliable local perspective on a client's business challenge, the network provides direct access to colleagues across jurisdictions, often with responses arriving within hours.

The new partnership between BALÁZS & KOVÁTSITS and Studio Spreafico & Partners takes this established model of cooperation further, creating a dedicated bilateral relationship focused on the practical needs of Italian and Hungarian businesses.

The relationship itself goes back several years.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, the two firms joined another LNA member, Barcelona-based Maluquer Abogados, represented by Alessandro Pieralli, to organise a webinar for businesses in Northern Italy. The initiative explored business opportunities in Hungary and Catalonia, together with relevant legal and regulatory considerations for companies interested in operating across these markets.

What began as a knowledge-sharing initiative gradually developed into closer professional cooperation, as opportunities emerged to support Italian businesses in Hungary and Hungarian businesses with interests in Northern Italy.

Today, that relationship is becoming a formal strategic partnership.

Strong economic ties create opportunities for legal cooperation

The commercial relationship between Italy and Hungary provides a substantial foundation for the initiative.

According to Hungary's Investment Promotion Agency (HIPA), Italy is the country's 10th-largest foreign investor, with more than 520 Italian-owned companies employing over 18,000 people in Hungary. Italian investment spans manufacturing, food production, construction materials and other sectors, with established names including Ferrero, Mapei and Kometa.

Italy is also one of Hungary's most important trading partners. Bilateral trade reached approximately €12.5 billion in 2025, according to HIPA, reflecting the considerable volume of commercial relationships linking businesses in the two countries.

The business relationship is also continuing to generate new ventures. Research by ITL Group, which maintains a database of Italian companies in Hungary, identified 117 newly established Italian companies in 2025, compared with 97 in 2024.

For businesses, this level of activity creates recurring legal needs: from establishing commercial operations and managing contractual relationships to recovering outstanding debts, navigating regulatory requirements and handling more complex transactions or disputes.

Northern Italy, and particularly the Milan metropolitan area and surrounding Lombardy region, is a natural counterpart for such cooperation, given its concentration of industrial companies, international businesses and commercial activity.

A bilateral legal help desk for businesses

At the centre of the partnership is the development of a practical, coordinated legal support service, functioning as a bilateral help desk.

Italian companies operating in Hungary will be able to access local Hungarian legal expertise through BALÁZS & KOVÁTSITS, supported by their established relationship with Studio Spreafico & Partners. Conversely, Hungarian companies operating or seeking to do business in Northern Italy will benefit from coordinated assistance through the Italian firm.

The proposed cooperation will cover a broad range of business legal needs, including routine commercial matters such as debt collection and recovery, contractual questions and local regulatory requirements, as well as more complex legal challenges.

One area of potential cooperation is public procurement, where Italian companies entering or operating in the Hungarian market may need guidance on national legislation, evolving regulatory requirements and procurement procedures.

Rather than approaching each cross-border issue as an isolated referral, the two firms intend to establish a more systematic channel for coordinating advice and responding to clients' needs across both jurisdictions.

Further details of the partnership's services and practical arrangements are expected to be announced by the firms.

The Saronno meeting: putting the partnership into motion

On 26 September 2026, representatives of the two firms met in Saronno to discuss the foundations of their collaboration.

The meeting brought together Roberto Spreafico and Marta Spreafico from Studio Spreafico & Partners, and Dr. Tamás Balázs and Éva Sándor from BALÁZS & KOVÁTSITS Legal Partnership.

Their discussions focused on developing a collaborative approach to serving Italian and Hungarian clients in a changing legal and business environment.

Announcing the initiative, BALÁZS & KOVÁTSITS described it as a new strategic partnership within Legal Netlink Alliance, intended to bridge the gap between Hungary and Italy and provide coordinated international legal solutions.

Roberto Spreafico also welcomed the beginning of the partnership, thanking his colleague Tamás Balázs and signalling that further details would follow.

An example of what LNA cooperation can become

The initiative has already attracted positive reactions within Legal Netlink Alliance.

Michael J. Allen, a member of the LNA US Board, welcomed the announcement:

“It is wonderful to see these strategic collaborative efforts within Legal Netlink Alliance. Well done, BALÁZS & KOVÁTSITS Legal Partnership and Studio Spreafico & Partners!”

Dr.Tamás Balázs likewise emphasised that fostering bilateral collaboration between member firms is one of LNA's most important objectives.

For LNA, the partnership illustrates how professional relationships developed through meetings, knowledge sharing and everyday collaboration can evolve into more structured opportunities for members and their clients.

What began with a joint webinar during the pandemic has developed into a bilateral initiative with a clear commercial purpose: making cross-border legal support between Hungary and Italy more accessible, coordinated and responsive to business needs.

And it offers an example of how the relationships built within a global legal network can generate new forms of cooperation well beyond individual cases and referrals.