Opportunity Across Borders

Luca Melchionna’s LLM in American Law prepared him for global practice and his own firm.

BU Law’s LLM in American Law Program attracts a diverse group of foreign lawyers who seek to learn about American law and prepare for a global practice. It was exactly that opportunity that drew Luca Melchionna (LLM in American Law ‘03) to BU to learn more about the American legal system, and inspired him to launch his own practice. He had been practicing law, teaching classes, and working in Italy on a bill to restructure the legal profession to be more in line with US practices. “The goal was to transform Italian firms into more organized business ventures,” he says. “The bill was passed, but I wanted to continue learning.”

“Students in this program have the unique opportunity to learn US doctrine in many different practice areas, from intellectual property to international business transactions and alternative dispute resolution,” says Assistant Dean John Riccardi. “We often hear from our students that the year they spend with us in the LLM in American Law Program is among their best, where they make connections that last a lifetime and are inspired to pursue new career opportunities.”

According to Melchionna, BU’s LLM in American Law Program was “extremely challenging,” but exactly what he was looking for. Building on his success at BU Law, Melchionna practiced at a British law firm in Italy, then returned to the US as a visiting scholar at BU Law, going on to teach at St. Johns Law School in New York. He was also appointed visiting scholar at The Italian Academy for Advanced Studies at Columbia University, a cultural institution with four Nobel laureates as senior fellows.

After seven years in American academia, he couldn’t resist the desire to return to private practice. “It was natural for me to move from conducting research, teaching students, and managing post-graduate programs to entering private practice. Just like when I came to the US to go to school first and serve students later, I wanted to serve clients and help them solve their legal and business problems,” says Melchionna.

He launched his firm in 2012 as a solo practitioner. The firm sponsored Luis Denuble (LLM ’03), a classmate in the American Law Program, who joined as of counsel in 2013 and moved in 2015 to another practice. Melchionna’s firm, Melchionna PLLC, is based in New York City and has clients all over the US, Europe, and Asia. It focuses on complex transactions, corporate law, international tax, and cross-border M&A in industries like art, food, tech, sports, and fashion.

“BU Law’s LLM in American Law Program really gave me the opportunity to refine my legal skills while opening my mind to the finesses of the global legal profession,” adds Melchionna.

Reported by Meghan Laska