A guide to the job market and remuneration of the legal profession in Italy.

1. usa
Salary Guide &
Market Report
2017 | ITALY
taylorroot.com
Taylor Root & AIGI
In-house &
Private Practice

2. 2 TAYLOR ROOT & AIGI @TaylorRootLegal
Taylor Root
We are a specialist legal & compliance recruitment business
operating since 1989. Our global presence enables us to provide
our clients with a truly international solution to their hiring needs.
The strength of our brand and the quality of our people allows
us to work with some of the best-known multinationals in the
world. Almost all our people are themselves qualified lawyers,
ensuring an in-depth understanding of their clients’ business and
challenges.
Our technical expertise combined with our market knowledge
enables us to source the best talent for you.
Our reputation across all the markets we operate in is based on
honesty, discretion and professionalism which is why many of our
key client relationships date back to almost thirty years.
Our office in Milan covers the Italian and Southern European
market and is headed up by Nicoletta Ravida.
AIGI
The Italian In-house Counsel Association was established in 1976
by a group of General Counsel from established companies with
the scope of enhancing the role of the in-house legal counsel.
The Association, moreover oversees the respect of ethical
principles included in its Code of Conduct and supports the
exchange of information, knowledge and experience among the
members.
On December 5, 2013, AIGI obtained a listing with the register
of non-regulated bodies, managed by the Ministry of Justice.
Since 2005, AIGI manages the Graduate National School for
In-house Counsel and cooperates with several universities and
education academies providing lecturers, seminars, conferences
and workshops on legal matters.
If you are not an AIGI member or if you simply want to learn more
about the association, please visit their website on www.aigi.it.
Introduction
We are delighted to present Taylor Root’s second annual report for the legal and compliance sector in Italy in
partnership with, the Italian Association of In-house Counsel (AIGI).
The findings offer valuable insights into the hiring trends and salary fluctuations in key sectors of the in-house and
private practice legal market and follow the rise and fall of job prospects in Italy.
Search methodology
This market update and salary survey report is the result of in-depth qualitative and quantitative research of in-house and private practice
legal teams across Italy.
Many thanks go to our key partner, AIGI as well as Taylor Root’s key clients who provided invaluable insights and information.

3. The Italian in-house market was relatively busy in 2016 (continuing from
2015) and we have noticed a constant flow of vacancies. Interestingly,
the opportunities that we are seeing are predominantly at mid-level.
The outlook remains optimistic for 2017 and 29% of companies surveyed
confirmed that they will be hiring. The main reason for this was down to
the growth of the team or expansion of the business. This is a positive
sign for the economy. However, budget constraint, hiring freezes and
company reorganisations holdup the job market. As the economy and
the political scenarios remain unstable and uncertain, a large majority said
they would not recruit in 2017 (68%).
As a result, we expect opportunities to be limited and competition for
the selection process will remain high with companies maintaining the
decision power.
In this context it is difficult to foresee the effects that Brexit will have
on the market. Our clients are very cautious on the subject and after a
few weeks of awe that followed the referendum, business picked up as
normal. As a result, how the job market will be affected after Brexit is still
a grey area.
29% of companies surveyed confirmed
that they will be hiring in 2017
Despite the high volume of candidates looking to make a move, recruiting
the right profile remains difficult. Companies are spoilt with choice and
become ever more demanding. Because of this, and conscious that
making the wrong hire may have dramatic consequences (especially in
Italy where employment legislation is very tight), interview processes
become more complex, lengthy and demanding. For candidates who are
starting a recruitment process, this means that motivation levels need to
be high, constant and patient.
In parallel, and partly in contradiction to the above, companies under
pressure to reduce external costs may have to rely on their internal means
of recruitment and revert to online job postings (for example LinkedIn).
This way of sourcing candidates will inevitably attract a high volume of
applications, but finding the right talent will remain a difficult task for the
internal HR teams. Candidates are finding it difficult to secure visibility
and as a result tend to walk away from this method of recruitment.
Data Privacy is an area that is gaining momentum in the market. We have
noticed an increase in the number of instructions received to source data
privacy specialists. This skill set remains rare to find as there are not many
specialist profiles in the market. We expect to see more requirements for
this expertise in the coming months as companies are keen to meet the
requirements of the new data privacy regulations.
Compliance profiles remain sought after but we have noticed that
searches in this sector have slowed down. In fact, our survey showed
that 49% of the respondents are covering both legal and compliance
functions.
Market overview
In-house
3TAYLOR ROOT & AIGI @TaylorRootLegal 3TAYLOR ROOT & AIGI @TaylorRootLegal
The Italian Market
Italian population: 60 million.
CA. 237,000 registered with
the Italian bar: of which 53%
are male and 47% are women
CA. 1,000 registered as
in-house counsel
(this registration is not
compulsory)
238,000
in Italy registered with the bar
163,000
in Germany registered with the bar
60,000 in France
168,000 Solicitors in the UK
3.9 lawyers every
1,000 inhabitants

4. Remuneration in Italy has remained largely unchanged with salary increases almost being inexistent. Our survey results show that 75%
of the respondents expect their salary to increase to be less than 10% in 2017. 64% of the respondents said this was the same as 2016.
The high abundance of candidates on the market, the low level of job flow and the fact that companies are continuously under pressure
to improve performance and reduce costs is not helping the level of salaries to increase; so these remain sluggish and companies are
maintaining the negotiation power.
Despite this, 43% of the respondents said that they are employed as Dirigente and 40% as Quadro which shows that in a close majority
of cases the legal function is highly valued within companies.
4 TAYLOR ROOT & AIGI @TaylorRootLegal
Prefer not
to say
54% 45% 67% 33%1%
Are you an AIGI member?Gender Split
Yes No
Despite the gloomy trend on salaries, 65% of Italian in-house counsels seem to be very happy in their current role and only 14% said that
they were unhappy. 74% of the respondents would move into legal if they were to start their career again and 40% are extremely happy
to be working in legal.
MD
General Counsel
Regional General Counsel
based abroad
Senior Manager
Other
26%
29%
18%
12%
15%
Who do you report to? Do you think you are
currently being paid
enough?
35% 65%
Yes No

5. 5TAYLOR ROOT & AIGI @TaylorRootLegal
Colleagues
Career prospects
Intellectual challenge
Location of office
Variety of work
Status of organisation
Money/Benefits
Training provision
Clients/candidates/staff involvement
Flexibility of work-life balance
Working for the business itself
39%
41%
55%
27%
64%
24%
41%
10%
6%
43%
21%
NQ-1
2-3
4-5
6-7
8-9
10-11
12-13
14-15
16-20
21+
General Counsel
15-20
20-35
40-60
65-75
75-95
95-130
130-150
150-160
160-200
155-250
500+
Which of the below options do you value most
about your job?
Salaries
Are you happy in your current role?
Are you currently happy to be working in legal?
6%
Prefer
not to
say
4%
Prefer
not to
say
12%
Extremely
happy
40%
Extremely
happy
65%
Happy
52%
Happy
14%
Unhappy
2%
Unhappy
3%
Extremely
unhappy
2%
Extremely
unhappy
Years of experience Salary Range (€ ,000)
Nicoletta Ravida
Head of Taylor Root Italy
T: +39 02 8295 1710
E: nicolettaravida@taylorroot.com
Nicoletta Ravida
Nicoletta joined Taylor Root in 2016 to head the launch of the Italian office
and expand their business offering in Southern Europe. She started her
career in legal recruitment in Paris in 2006 with headhunting firm Laurence
Simons. Nicoletta’s role was shared between Paris, Singapore and Milan. She
has handled instructions in Italy and Southern Europe placing candidates
across a number of jurisdictions, at all levels of seniority and across a wide
range of industries. Prior to moving into recruitment she practiced as a
solicitor for 5 years in Rome.

6. The Italian private practice market continues to be dynamic for Q1 in
2017, a trend that seems to have continued on from 2015.
In comparison to 2015, we have noticed that the seniority level of the
profiles sought by law firms had increased but salaries have not been
increasing as much as in 2016.
Associate
The demand for profiles at Associate level was high during most of
2016, whilst towards the end of the year and the first quarter of 2017,
we have noticed a change in this trend.
As the market slows down on the Associate side, the curiosity and
desire to explore in-house opportunities seems to peak: junior and mid-
level Associates are often considering a move in-house. This is usually
because an in-house career is perceived by candidates as a more stable
and secure decision. This is partly due to the fact that opportunities
to grow in a law firm without having client portability remain limited.
Top-tier candidates with experience in public law, real estate, corporate
and banking & finance have been the most sought profiles in the
market.
In contrast with the trends over previous years, there has been
a reduction in openings for lawyers with white collar crime and
compliance (other than privacy and data protection) expertise.
Counsel and Partner
The market has been picking up momentum since Q4 in 2016. In fact,
we have been involved in an increasing number of lateral hires for
Counsel and Partners with a significant portfolio of clients.
Movements at Partner level are consistent as law firms consider the
progression to this category of lawyers important and are following
a long-term strategy. This is also with the purpose of attracting new
clients, strengthening the relations with existing ones and cross-selling
amongst practices.
In order to recruit a Partner, both national and international law firms
require at least €500,000 of originated business following (this figure
is significantly higher for Partner positions in Magic Circle or US firms)
and it is becoming quite common to carry on a careful due diligence on
the contacts and client portfolio of the candidates.
In terms of talent demand, the market seems to be dominated by a
requirement of M&A, private equity lawyers, banking & finance, tax
and restructuring candidates. In comparison to 2015, the request for
litigation partners has lowered but there has been an increased request
for litigation senior associates (8/10+ years’ PQE).
Remuneration
Remuneration for Italian professionals in private practice (excluding
Partners), has not changed substantially in comparison with 2015.
According to our survey data from 2016 and 2017, the salary increases
have been almost inexistent.
6 TAYLOR ROOT & AIGI @TaylorRootLegal
*The remuneration of the legal professionals vary by law firms (i.e. domestic or international, boutique
or structured) or by location. In general remuneration of magic circle and US firms is at least 30% higher
than other medium size international law firms or domestic less structured/boutique firms.
35% 65%
Do you think you are
currently being paid
enough?
Yes No
Trainees
Newly Qualified Lawyers
Associates (3-4+ years’ PQE)
6-8+ years’ PQE
8-10+ years’ PQE
Senior Associates or Counsel
with 10+ years’ experience
15-28
25-35
35-50
50-85
75-120
120+
Salaries
Level Salary Range (€ ,000)
The remuneration for Partners depend on the amount of business originated from new clients and the development of additional business from
current clients. Usually remuneration (for Partners) is composed by a base and a variable part that is usually a percentage of the billing - originated
and worked - of the previous year. We have noticed however that fixed remuneration of Partners tends to be lower than previous years but
bonuses are increasing. This trend confirms the instability of the private practice versus the in-house market.
Our survey results show that 65% of the respondents think they are not currently being paid enough, 62% expect their salary to increase to be
less than 10% in 2017, 63% of the respondents said this was the same as last year, and more than 71% expect to receive this year an average
bonus lower than 15%.
Notwithstanding the above (and taking into consideration a percentage of the participants preferred skipping the following questions), 65% of
Italian professionals working in private practice are currently happy to be working in legal, only 3% said that they were unhappy. 73% of the
respondents would move into legal if they were to start their career again and 39% are extremely happy in their current role.
Market overview
Private Practice

7. 7TAYLOR ROOT & AIGI @TaylorRootLegal
What will be the average
bonus your lawyers will
receive this year?
If you were starting your career
again, would you choose to move
into legal?
Corporate/M&A
Banking & Finance
IP&TMT
Construction/Real Estate
Public/Regulatory & Administrative Law
Financial Services
Litigation
Tax
Employment
Other
23%
23%
0%
0%
26%
3%
10%
0%
3%
13%
What practice are you working in?
Are you happy in your current role?
Are you currently happy to be working in legal?
66%0-15%
6%
3%
Extremely
happy
16%
Extremely
happy
53%
Happy
68%
Happy
34%
Unhappy
10%
Unhappy
0%
Extremely
unhappy
0%
Extremely
unhappy
48% 42% 10%
Yes No N/A Monica graduated from the University of Catania, Italy, in
2000 with a degree in Law, and after an LLM in International
Legal Studies she worked for several years in international law
firms (Allen & Overy and Jones Day) based in Milan, London,
Dubai and Istanbul as a banking & finance associate. Before
joining Taylor Root Monica worked in a domestic head hunting
company for 2 years as a legal recruiter.
15%16-25%
19%Other
Monica Giudice
Senior Consultant
T: +39 02 8295 1710
E: monicagiudice@taylorroot.com
Monica Giudice
10%
Prefer
not to
say
Prefer
not to
say

8. taylorroot.com
@taylorrootlegal
/company/taylor-root
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