Litigation and Arbitration

Ms. Ferranti has more than 20 years  practical experience of civil and commercial litigation during which time she has been involved in many complex cases. She is entitled to represent Clients before the "Corte di Cassazione" and, in general, the Supreme Courts.

Arbitration is a procedure for the resolution of disputes on a private basis through the appointment of an arbitrator. The arbitrator is a neutral third person who hears and considers the merits of the dispute and renders a final award. Arbitration is useful too because it is faster than litigation but more expensive than ADR. In other words, arbitration and mediation are processes that attempt to guide the parties toward settlement without the time and expense of going to court. All these methods are in addition to litigation and are by no means intended to replace litigation.

Of course, we agree that certain matters must be resolved through the courts. Our philosophy is to bring the case before the judge only if required. Before the judge we used to provide our Clients the best defence with meticulous advanced strategies.

The life cycle of a typical civil litigation case can be divided into several stages, including investigation, potential settlement or trial, and even appeal. Not every lawsuit passes through each stage. Sometimes lawsuits are settled by agreement of the parties and never reach the courtroom. When a case does go all the way to trial, the entire process – from filing documents to judgement – can take anywhere from a few months to several years.

The trial lawyer is his Client’s advocate, obliged to fight for him to achieve the best possible outcome on the Client’s behalf. Certain skills and knowledge are essential to litigation practice, including:

-          an excellent knowledge of substantive and procedural law;

-          strong written and oral advocacy skills;

-          negotiation skills.