Civil litigation is the backbone of the Italian DM 55/2014 parametri — small claims before the Giudice di Pace (Tabella n. 1), ordinary cognition at the Tribunale (Tabella n. 2), provisional measures and pre-trial evidence-taking (Tabelle 9 and 10), the special eviction procedure (Tabella n. 5), and the appellate ladder to the Corte di Appello (Tabella n. 12) and Corte di Cassazione (Tabella n. 13). On the lawyer side, a litigation fee is the sum of per-phase valori medi (studio, introduttiva, istruttoria, decisionale), each phase a flat amount keyed to the value scaglione under art. 4, comma 5. On the state side, the same caseload pays the contributo unificatoItaly's unified court fee — a single banded charge payable to the state to register a case, scaling with the claim value. It is a court cost, separate from the lawyer's compenso.Glossary → under DPR 115/2002 art. 13 — step-flat at first instance, multiplied on appeal (×1,5) and cassation (×2).
Civil proceedings — Tribunal (ordinary)
The canonical Italian civil action — debt recovery, damages, declaratory and constitutive actions, contractual disputes valued in money or valore indeterminabile. The matter is filed before the Tribunale (monocratic or collegial by subject matter), with value declared in the atto di citazione under art. 14 DPR 115/2002.
You file here whenever the dispute exceeds the Giudice di Pace’s competence (€10.000 ordinary, €25.000 road accidents) and no specialised track applies. The matter unfolds over four canonical phases — studio, introduttiva, istruttoria, decisionale — and the user picks the phases the matter reached.
Lawyer fee — Tabella n. 2 · art. 4, comma 5 DM 55/2014. Composite of the four phase components, each a step-flat valore medio keyed to the value scaglione, variable by ±50% under art. 4, comma 1. The calculator returns the exact sum for the selected phases. State court fee — DPR 115/2002 art. 13, comma 1. Step-flat civil bands: €43 (≤ €1.100), €98 (€1.100,01–5.200), €237 (€5.200,01–26.000), €518 (€26.000,01–52.000 and valore indeterminabile ordinario), €759 (€52.000,01–260.000), €1.214 (€260.000,01–520.000), €1.686 (> €520.000).
Small claims — Justice of the Peace
The lower civil track, reserved to the Giudice di Pace for claims up to €10.000 (ordinary) or €25.000 (road-accident liability), plus a list of subject-matter exclusives. The Tabella n. 1 caps at the €26.000 scaglione because that’s the Giudice di Pace’s upper jurisdictional ceiling for road-accident matters.
You file it for the everyday small dispute — unpaid invoices, neighbour disputes, road-accident damages within the limits, condominium issues. Procedure is lighter and the lawyer fee is materially below the Tribunale equivalent.
Lawyer fee — Tabella n. 1 · art. 4, comma 5 DM 55/2014. Composite of four phases over three scaglioni; the calculator returns the exact sum. Top-of-band total sits around €2.090 — an order of magnitude below the Tribunale’s top band. State court fee — DPR 115/2002 art. 13, comma 1. Same step-flat bands; valore indeterminabile della competenza esclusiva del Giudice di Pace → banda c) €237.
Compute this case in the calculatorCourt of Appeal (civil)
The first-tier civil appeal — review on questions of law and fact of a Tribunale judgment under artt. 339 ss. c.p.c. The phase structure mirrors first instance but the valori medi sit materially above Tabella n. 2.
You file it when a Tribunale judgment has been entered against you (or, in cross-appeal, a partial loss is worth contesting) and the impugnability conditions and time limit (typically 30 days from notification) are met.
Lawyer fee — Tabella n. 12 · art. 4, comma 5 DM 55/2014. Four-phase composite with appellate valori medi. Per art. 4, comma 10-bis, the introductory phase carries +50% for motivi aggiunti / cross-appeal. State court fee — DPR 115/2002 art. 13, comma 1-bis. “Aumentato della metà” — first-instance band × 1,5 (e.g. an ordinary €30.000 case becomes €777 on appeal).
Court of Cassation & higher courts
The supreme court of cassation, limited to questions of law (vizi di legittimità under art. 360 c.p.c.). The Tabella n. 13 phase model collapses to three — studio, introduttiva, decisionale — because the Cassazione does not re-examine the facts.
You file it when an appellate judgment carries a question of law worth taking to the Suprema Corte and the strict legitimacy criteria are met; the procedure is heavily filtered (filtro di ammissibilità) and the work is concentrated in the briefing.
Lawyer fee — Tabella n. 13 · art. 4, comma 5 DM 55/2014. Three-phase composite (studio + introduttiva + decisionale, no istruttoria) with the highest valori medi in the civil ladder. State court fee — DPR 115/2002 art. 13, comma 1-bis. “Raddoppiato” — first-instance band × 2 (e.g. €30.000 case becomes €1.036). The doppio contributo penalty under art. 13, comma 1-quater (a second CU on a wholly rejected recurso) is post-judgment and not in the up-front estimate.
Interim / precautionary proceedings
Provisional measures — sequestro (conservativo or giudiziario), denuncia di nuova opera or di danno temuto, the catch-all art. 700 c.p.c. for unspecified urgent measures. Filed ante causam or in corso di causa; the cautelare carries its own valori medi independent of the merits.
You file it when the harm threatened is imminent and irreparable (periculum in mora) and the underlying claim has surface plausibility (fumus boni iuris). Some cautelari have an “ultrattività” rule that makes the measure stable without a merits filing.
Lawyer fee — Tabella n. 10 · art. 4, comma 5 DM 55/2014. Four-phase composite with its own scaglione-keyed valori medi, below Tabella n. 2. State court fee — DPR 115/2002 art. 13, comma 1. Same ordinary civil bands (no specific reduction); when filed together with the merits, typically a single CU is owed.
Compute this case in the calculatorPreventive evidence-taking
Pre-trial evidence preservation under artt. 692–699 c.p.c. — accertamento tecnico preventivo (ATP), ispezione giudiziale, audizione di testimoni in periculum. The procedure locks in evidence whose loss is feared before the merits action can be brought.
You file it when a critical fact may become unprovable later (a witness about to leave, a defect about to be repaired, a medical condition that will change). Tabella n. 9 has three phases (studio, introduttiva, istruttoria) and five scaglioni (capped at €260.000).
Lawyer fee — Tabella n. 9 · art. 4, comma 5 DM 55/2014. Three-phase composite over five scaglioni; the calculator returns the exact figure. State court fee — DPR 115/2002 art. 13, comma 1. Ordinary civil bands.
Compute this case in the calculatorEviction / lease validation
The special procedure for terminating a tenancy and recovering possession — convalida di sfratto per finita locazione or per morosità under artt. 657 ss. c.p.c. Without opposition the order issues swiftly; opposition converts the procedure into ordinary cognition.
You file it when a lease has ended (finita locazione) or the tenant is in default on the canone (morosità) and notice has been served. It is one of the procedimenti speciali del libro IV, titolo I c.p.c. — hence the halved state fee.
Lawyer fee — Tabella n. 5 · art. 4, comma 5 DM 55/2014. Four-phase composite keyed to the canone or annual rent value; lighter istruttoria than Tabella n. 2. State court fee — DPR 115/2002 art. 13, comma 3. “Il contributo è ridotto alla metà” — half of the ordinary band (e.g. band-d pays €259 instead of €518).
Compute this case in the calculatorLawyer-side amounts are reference valuesA tariff figure that is advisory, not mandatory — a guide to what a fee customarily is, which the lawyer and client remain free to depart from. Every number Tarifo shows is a reference value.Glossary → for liquidazione giudiziale under DM 55/2014, not a binding minimumA tariff floor a court could once not go below. Several EU jurisdictions abandoned binding minimums after CJEU rulings; where that has happened, the same figures now serve only as reference values.Glossary → on the lawyer–client contract (D.L. 1/2012 art. 9; L. 247/2012 art. 13). Exception — equo compenso (L. 21 aprile 2023, n. 49): the parametri act as a binding floor in engagements with banks, insurers, large enterprises and the public administration. Contributo unificato is a tax — no 22% IVA or 4% CPA on state fees; lawyer fees attract 22% IVA on top, plus 15% spese forfettarie and 4% CPA. See the methodology page for the full encoding rules.