Michelle Picciolo

Lawyer

Born in London in 1972, she is a British and Italian citizen, educated in a boarding School in Lausanne where she achieved the “Maturité Federale Suisse”.
Native speaker of English and Italian, she is fluent in French as well.
In 1996 she graduated in Law from the University of Florence in Italy and now she lives in Rome with her husband, one daughter, two sons and a dog. She is enrolled with the Rome Bar Association.
Her consolidated knowledge of Italian business and legal culture combined with her experiences abroad - especially in the USA real estate market, with superior customer service in Miami, Florida - make Michelle Picciolo the perfect lawyer to assist foreign clients in Italy as well as Italian investors with overseas businesses.
Her mission is to offer technical expertise with unmatched attention to details, reliable, flexible, personable assistance and dedicated service with a smile.  

Avvocato Michelle Picciolo

Practice Areas

Whether you have decided to buy or sell a home in Italy or in other countries, real estate lawyers are worth their cost: residential and commercial real estate transactions entail significant, long-term financial commitments. Buying or selling real estate can be extremely complex; tax consequences may be unexpected and possession is not necessarily indicative of ownership.

Realtors, agents and expert advisors are helpful professionals but they can’t give you legal advice.

Michelle Picciolo will draft, review, translate and explain the legal language in purchase and sale agreements and detail all the rights and obligations of the parties. No matter what kind of property you want or where it is located, she will assist you throughout the entire process, she will grant you a clear and lien free property title, make sure your rights are protected and help you avoid costly mistakes.

Michelle Picciolo will handle all aspects of choosing, negotiating, buying or selling your property, and specifically:

• professional and independent opinion

• problem solving

• estimate, appraisal and survey

• due diligence, including planning and building regulations

• title and lien searches

• drafting of the offer (“proposta”) and of the preliminary contract (“compromesso”), with its translation if requested

• attending the closing (“rogito”) and, if necessary, represent the client as his Attorney-in-Fact (“Procuratore speciale”)

• translating the sale and purchase agreement

• clarifying the terms of your mortgage and work with the Bank

• arranging for transfer of funds for deposits, escrows and due balance

• taking care of the post completion formalities


Entering into a contract helps ensure fairness and predictability in a business relationship.

Before signing any contract, the parties involved should understand the details of the contract and what are the agreed upon terms.

Remember, pre-filled templates or online forms do not provide you with the protection that can be afforded with a tailored agreement for a specific transaction.

Michelle Picciolo is committed to creating precise contracts that pay meticulous attention to detail and that clearly define the relationship and expectations between each party involved. A carefully crafted legal contract is especially important and also simplifies the litigation of the dispute if litigation becomes necessary. It is crucial that each party negotiates their desired terms, and Michelle Picciolo can assist with making sure that your agreement contains all necessary clauses for your protection.

Whether you are starting your own business, working on a construction project, buying, selling or leasing a home, Michelle Picciolo, offers her professional assistance for the negotiation, the drafting phase and the revision of agreements, contracts, private deeds, public deeds and contractual agreements.

She can also file on your behalf applications, petitions and recourses to the Italian Civil Courts and Tutelary Judges ("Giudice Tutelare" and "Tribunale per i Minorenni") in order to obtain authorizations, nominations and appointments in civil, commercial and family matters. 


Succession planning is more than just transferring ownership of your assets. It can include family law, powers of attorney, Wills, international assets, tax and more. Regardless of your country of origin and your nationality, the assets you own in Italy are subject to the Italian Law.

The Italian succession procedure is different from the equivalent under English Law or USA Law and different rules may apply to non-Italian beneficiaries of an Italian inheritance: in order to avoid or reduce undesirable consequences or tax implications and achieve your desires for succession to your estate, it is recommended that you seek for qualified legal assistance to make your Will.

Michelle Picciolo can give you legal support to make a valid Will in Italian-English and Italian-French according to Italian Laws, ensuring that your wishes are followed and that you decide who will benefit from your wealth.

If you are the heir of an estate, Michelle Picciolo will handle all the formalities and necessary translations, assist you with the formal acceptance of the inheritance and with the payment of any applicable tax.

 And also:

• work closely to you to plan a succession and minimise the risk of a claim against your estate

• help decide what type of Will between a handwritten ("testamento olografo"), formal ("testamento pubblico") or secret ("testamento segreto") is more appropriate to the specific circumstances

• cover all the subsequent formalities including the "affidavit" ("atto notorio"), acceptance of the inheritance ("accettazione di eredità") and Italian Inheritance Tax Return ("dichiarazione di successione")

• search for properties, titles and records

• offer legal assistance for the sale of inherited assets

• obtain copies of public wills

• register inherited properties in the name of the heirs

• prepare certified translations

• deal with the Bank to obtain the release of founds held at the time of death by the deceased

• create trusts or family investment companies to protect your wealth and appoint professionals to help manage your assets

• help you solve the issues you could face if you hold assets in multiple countries

Michelle Picciolo can help you setting up and developing a Company in Italy. She also offers comprehensive support for Italian investors looking for investment properties in the USA.

Whether in Italy or in the USA, she will work closely with you and your accountants in the selection and formation of the appropriate business entity, advising you about the best legal form to adopt, and offer full services that include:

• drafting Articles of incorporation (“Statuto”) in two languages (Italian/English or French)

• assistance during the incorporation act ("atto costitutivo") in front of the public Notary

• establishment of subsidiaries branches and representative offices for foreign companies

• negotiation and drafting of corporate and shareholder agreements

• purchase and sale of shares

• creation of non-profit organizations

• creation of innovative Start-Up

Contacts 

Contact me

Legal services in Italian, English and French.

Address

Viale Bruno Buozzi 105,
00197 - Roma