Pierluigi Matera is Co-Founder and Board Member of Exep. He is a tenured professor and an attorney admitted to practice before the Italian Supreme Court, with a strong track record advising companies, founders, and institutional investors on complex, high-impact transactions. In 2010, he co-founded Libra Legal Partners, where he serves as Co-Managing Partner.

His practice is focused on M&A, restructurings, and special situations, as well as litigation and arbitration connected to transformative transactions. He regularly advises leading investment funds and serves on corporate boards, working alongside management teams and entrepreneurs on the structuring and execution of sophisticated deals. His experience spans corporate governance, deal strategy, and cross-border transactions.

In parallel with his practice, he is active in academia at an international level. He teaches Corporations and M&A at Boston University School of Law, Corporate Law at LCU in Rome, and Law and Economics – Business and Corporate Law at LUISS Guido Carli.

He has published widely and contributes regularly to leading platforms such as the Harvard Law School Forum on Corporate Governance, the Columbia Blue Sky Blog, and the Oxford Business Law Blog.

Ferruccio Maria Sbarbaro is Co-Founder and Board Member of Exep. He is a tenured professor and an attorney admitted to practice before the Italian Supreme Court, with extensive experience advising companies, financial institutions, and investors on complex transactions and special situations. In 2010, he co-founded Libra Legal Partners, where he serves as Co-Managing Partner.

His practice focuses on M&A, restructurings, distressed assets, and litigation and arbitration arising out of high-stakes transactions. He regularly advises investment funds, banks, and financial institutions, working alongside management teams and entrepreneurs on the structuring and execution of complex deals. He has significant experience in credit, turnaround situations, and special situations, as well as in real estate investments and corporate governance.

In parallel with his professional activity, he maintains an active academic profile. He is Director of CERSIG – the Research Center on Legal Sciences at LCU, where he previously served as Director of the MBA program, and has been a visiting fellow at leading European and U.S. academic institutions.

His academic work focuses on corporate and commercial law, with a strong publication record that includes monographs, book chapters, and articles in leading Italian and U.S. journals.