Dead Franzo Grande Stevens, 'the lawyer's lawyer'

Died Franzo Grande Stevens, 'the lawyer's lawyer' as he was nicknamed. Honorary president of Juventus, he would have been 96 years old on 13 September next. This was announced by sources close to the family.

Franzo Grande Stevens, one of Italy's most famous business lawyers. A trusted lawyer of Gianni Agnelli, to the point of being called 'the lawyer's lawyer', he had among his clients entrepreneurs such as Carlo De Benedetti, Luigi Giribaldi and Karim Aga Khan, the Ferrero, Pininfarina and Lavazza families.

Born on 13 September 1928 in Naples, where he graduated in law, he then moved to Turin and registered as a lawyer in 1954. In his long career he has held important roles in the economic and sporting worlds: he was president of Toro Assicurazioni, vice-president of Fiat, president of Compagnia di San Paolo and, from 2003 to 2006, of Juventus. He was honorary president of the Juventus team.

Grande Stevens was, with Gianluigi Gabetti, the director of the financial operation that in 2005 allowed the Agnelli family to maintain control of the company, a controversial operation that provoked an investigation by the Consob and also by the Public Prosecutor's Office, but which was the premise for the relaunch of the company led by Sergio Marchionne. And again with Gabetti he was among the supporters of the international alliance with the American Chrysler.