In today’s Platforum9 session, Marco Imperiale, former lawyer and founder/managing director of Beum (a benefit corporation focused on innovative legal services), shared insights on the Italian legal market. As the first head of innovation for a leading Italian law firm, Marco brings a unique perspective on the challenges and opportunities facing lawyers in Italy.
The Italian Legal Market Structure
The legal profession in Italy has a clear dichotomy, with Marco noting that “there are 220,000+ lawyers in Italy.” The market consists of approximately 1-2% large firms (300+ lawyers) with about half being Anglo-American law firms with Italian offices. The vast majority are small practitioners spread throughout Italy with different mindsets and approaches to practice.
Economic disparities within the profession are striking, with official data showing that 13% of Italian lawyers declare zero or negative income (including 6.7% who didn’t file a return, 0.8% reporting negative income, and 5.5% reporting zero income). Furthermore, 47.4% earn less than €20,000 annually. The median lawyer salary falls in the €35,000-51,250 range, with a notable gender pay gap. Only 7.8% of lawyers are in the highest income brackets (€107,000+), yet this small percentage generates a disproportionate share of the profession’s overall revenue.
The Client-Market Relationship
Marco emphasized how the Italian market reflects the broader economy: “In Italy, less than 10% of companies have more than 50 employees.” This abundance of Italian SMEs shapes legal services, as many small businesses either don’t have in-house counsel or “don’t even think about legal service at all.”
This creates a disconnect between the sophisticated legal needs of large corporations served by big law firms and the more basic requirements of small businesses that make up the majority of the Italian economy.
The Path to Becoming a Lawyer
Unlike other professions in Italy, law school has “no entrance exams,” leading to market saturation as many students default to legal education. After graduation, aspiring lawyers face a challenging qualification process involving:
- A two-year traineeship which is “in most cases not paid” at small firms, creating another divide as “big law firms are the ones paying you”
- A difficult bar exam that often requires “five, 10 times” of attempts to pass
- A career path that’s largely determined by early choices, as Marco notes it’s “pretty difficult after five, 10 years as a lawyer to join big law”
This system creates a perpetual cycle where early career decisions—particularly whether to join a large firm or small practice—largely determine a lawyer’s professional trajectory.
AI and Technology Impact
Marco expressed concern about technology’s potential impact on the profession, particularly for small practitioners. He believes “AI will help us to improve the life of citizens and promote access to justice,” but notes this could eliminate routine legal work that currently sustains many lawyers.
He referenced Goldman Sachs’ prediction that “300 million jobs are disappearing because of AI,” suggesting the impact extends far beyond the legal field. However, regulatory factors may offer some protection, as Marco observed that AI-driven law firms like “Garfield Law in the UK” couldn’t operate in Italy due to strict professional regulations.
These regulations include limitations where “lawyers should not do advertisement” and “should not mention the name of the clients,” with advertising permitted only in non-comparative, non-offensive ways. Such restrictions create barriers to certain forms of legal innovation.
The Italian Approach to Work-Life Balance
Perhaps most revealing was Marco’s insight into the Italian legal culture: “We are the only country I know that has vacation as a right in the constitution.” This cultural value permeates the profession, with Marco explaining that Italian lawyers have “a way more holistic concept of living where work is just one of [many] factors.”
For most Italian lawyers, “the idea of spending 12 hours every day working is just blasphemy,” representing a fundamental difference from Anglo-American legal culture. Marco suggested many lawyers deliberately choose moderate-income careers to maintain work-life balance, asking rhetorically whether “€200-300,000 make me a happier and better person.”
This cultural orientation explains why many talented Italian lawyers may consciously reject the big law path despite its financial rewards. As Marco observed, if you asked the average Italian lawyer if they would trade their €35,000-51,000 salary for a partner’s €500,000 but work “14 hours a day and travel around the world…most of them would say no.”
The Future Outlook
The legal profession in Italy faces multiple challenges: declining status as younger generations show less interest in law as a career, decreasing law school enrollment, and technological disruption. Marco expressed skepticism about lawyers’ readiness for change, noting they are “devastated in terms of wellbeing and burnout” and often “just close your eyes, close your ears, and continue working like nothing else” rather than confronting industry transformation.
Despite these challenges, Marco suggests the profession’s future may ultimately depend on finding a balance between embracing efficiency and maintaining the human connection that defines Italian legal culture. The question remains whether technology will disrupt this balance or if Italy’s regulatory framework and cultural values will provide a different adaptation path than seen in Anglo-American markets.
