What is new
Tarifo launches the Italy Legal Guide — a comprehensive reference covering eight sections of Italian business-dispute law and procedure. The guide walks through limitation periods under the c.c. (the 10-year general period with specialized shorter windows for rent, interest, and professional fees), preventive measures including notarial authentication, pledge, mortgage, and the live register for registered pledge since June 2023, the amicable phase covering mediation (D.Lgs. 28/2010), assisted negotiation (D.L. 132/2014), and the expedited decreto ingiuntivo process, court proceedings and the contributo unificato flat-fee structure under D.P.R. 115/2002 plus the two-tier lawyer-fee framework, court hierarchy from the Giudice di pace to the Corte suprema di cassazione, key procedural deadlines including the August suspension window, insolvency and restructuring under the CCII (D.Lgs. 14/2019, in force since July 2022), and commercial arbitration under c.p.c. Book IV.
Lawyer fees: two-tier and context-dependent
Italy’s legal framework carries a crucial nuance distinct from many EU jurisdictions: mandatory tariffs were abolished (art. 9 D.L. 1/2012), and the parametri forensi (D.M. 55/2014, later replaced by D.M. 147/2022) are reference values — a court applies them only on liquidation of costs between parties. They are not a binding fee floor for private client engagements. However, equo compenso (L. 49/2023) re-hardened them into a binding statutory minimum for a defined subset: banks, insurers, enterprises with >50 staff or >€10 m revenue, and the public administration. Against all other counterparties, the parametri remain advisory reference values. Tarifo presents both paths: the parametri figures throughout the guide, with explicit flagging where equo compenso applies.
Explore the full guide
Start with the Italy Legal Guide, or compare lawyer and court fees with the Italy calculator.