21st May 2025 | Francesca Rossi | International, Italian Desk, Cross-Border

As part of our ongoing strategy to strengthen cross-border legal services across Europe, we are proud to shine a light on the work being carried out by our recently launched Italian Desk.

Our Italian Desk stands out as a key component of our international division, providing in-depth local insight while coordinating seamlessly with our other European teams. With deep rooted knowledge of Italian law and business culture, and bilingual speakers, the team provides strategic legal support to clients operating in or entering the Italian market, while ensuring that our clients receive both specialised local advice and also maintain a pan-European perspective.

The team is led by our recently appointed partner Francesca Rossi, who, after completing her Italian law degree, moved to the UK and qualified as a solicitor in 2007. Francesca specialises in taxation and inheritance matters, and is supported by other Italian speaking fee earners, making it possible for us to advise clients on a wide range of areas, from the interpretation of contracts and debt recovery to matrimonial property regimes and disputes concerning inheritance.

This is a key time for UK-Italy cross-border matters. Italian legislative changes are on the horizon, including reforms aimed at attracting foreign investment and updates to corporate governance and tax, which will influence how UK companies engage with the Italian market. At the same time, however, new, tighter rules for obtaining (and keeping) Italian citizenship may create new challenges to those wishing to relocate, who may end up choosing a different European country as a better fit for their business or their family.

With many of our corporate clients engaged in business with multiple countries and generational clients whose families live and hold assets all across Europe, the strength of the Italian Desk ultimately lies in its close integration with our French, Spanish, German and Eastern European teams. Together, these desks deliver cohesive, cross-border legal services that address the complexities of operating across multiple jurisdictions. Our desk-to-desk collaboration model allows us to streamline legal processes, reduce duplication, and offer efficient, commercially focused solutions to our clients that reflect both local depth and European breadth.

Francesca Rossi comments: “I have moved my practice to Sherrards because they share an international perspective with me, and I am very comfortable with bringing my Italian practice to sit alongside their European teams, which makes for a great fit, especially working with a law firm with so much experience in cross-border matters.”

Paul Marmor, head of international, comments: “We’re determined to focus on cross-border and multi-jurisdictional work, and Francesca is a natural fit to be part of our international scene, really helping to consolidate Sherrards’ position on the international map.”

For more information about Sherrards’ international desks, please contact:-

Paul Marmor, Head of International Services: +44 (0) 207 478 9010 / pdm@sherrards.com

Italian Desk – Francesca Rossi: +44 (0) 207 478 9010 / francesca.rossi@sherrards.com

French Desk – Nicole Marmor: +44 (0) 1727 832 830 / nm@sherrards.com

German Desk – Shane Knight: +44 (0) 207 478 9010 / shane.knight@sherrards.com

Central/Eastern Europe – Marta Grieve: +44 (0) 207 478 9010 / marta.grieve@sherrards.com

China Desk – Laurel Zhang: +44 (0) 207 478 9010 / laurel.zhang@sherrards.com