A cross-border legal journey
Ambrogina Rizzello, chief counsel Portugal and regional legal counsel Italy at HPE, on her international legal path, regulation and the in-house lawyer’s strategic role
by glória paiva
Ambrogina Rizzello sometimes imagines that today she could be in Lecce, her hometown in southern Italy, doing criminal law practice at her uncle’s firm — he is a criminal defence lawyer. Her first two years of training, however, spent at the TAR (Regional Administrative Court) more than twenty years ago, made her fall in love with public law. From there, her professional and personal path took a different direction: first Rome, where she began her career at an Italian law firm, then moved on to international organisations such as Baker McKenzie, where she worked as an associate for over six years, and Hewlett Packard Enterprise first in Italy and then in Spain. Today she is chief counsel Portugal and regional legal counsel Italy at HPE. She takes pride in her cross-country experience and in the best practices she has actively brought from Italy to Portugal. Speaking to Iberian Lawyer, she discusses her career path, the regulatory challenges facing a technology company and the role of in-house legal as a strategic business partner.
How did you first approach law as a career path?
I came to law through the experience of my older brother: we studied together in Pisa and both went on to become in-house lawyers in multinational environments, after several years as a practising lawyer. Initially, I was drawn to criminal law — so much so that I wrote my thesis on the subject — also influenced by my uncle, who is a criminal lawyer. Then my traineeship at the State Attorney’s Office made me fall in love with the TAR (Italy’s Regional Administrative Court). It was a centre of excellence, and I felt a certain reverential awe that motivated me enormously. From there came the shift towards administrative law and, later on, towards international environments.
What value did the sectoral, cultural and linguistic transition between Italy and Portugal have for you?
The cross-country experience is extremely enriching, both professionally and personally. I already had an international background, having studied in Spain, and in 2017 I began my in-house experience in Madrid. A few years later, I took on the role of head of legal for Portugal with enthusiasm and very naturally, without a long adjustment period. Knowledge of languages such as Spanish and Portuguese is a great help, although English remains central to day-to-day work.
Which best practices did you bring from Italy to Portugal?
I focused primarily on simplifying processes and improving alignment between functions. In some areas, it is possible to reduce the legal team’s involvement in more operational activities without losing control. …
