Higher courts
Audience before higher Italian and European courts.
ICC the Hague
Admitted lawyer to the International Criminal Court
Human Rights
Human rights awards winner 2018 and 2023
LEAP
Member of Legal Experts Advisory Panel of Fair Trail International
ECBA
Member of International Criminal Bar Association
ELA
Member of Extradition Lawyers Association
CCBE
Italian representative at European CCBE’s criminal law committee
UCPI
European criminal law observatory of the Italian Union of Criminal lawyers Association.
Skills
Criminal Defence & International Judicial Cooperation in Italy
Founded in 1870, canestriniLex is a long-established Italian defence
firm assisting clients in complex domestic and cross-border criminal
matters.
We combine tradition, independence, and a dynamic rights-based approach
to litigation.
01
est. 1870
The law firm ‘Studio Legale Canestrini’ was founded by Mr. Alessandro Canestrini in Rovereto (Italy, 1839 - 1894) more than 150 years ago.
02
Italian Law Firm
Founded in 1870, canestriniLex is a long-established Italian defence firm assisting clients in complex domestic and cross-border criminal matters.
We combine tradition, independence, and a dynamic rights-based approach to litigation.
03
What we do
Our firm is widely recognised for: High-level criminal defence before all Italian courts, including the Court of Cassation and the Constitutional Court; International criminal judicial cooperation, including European Arrest Warrants, extradition, mutual legal assistance, cross-border investigations, and human-rights-sensitive proceedings; Strategic litigation before European courts, including the European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg and the Court of Justice of the European Union in Luxembourg; Defence in cases with diplomatic, political, or media relevance.
Thanks to our multilingual team and decades of experience, we regularly work with foreign law firms, consulates, NGOs and international institutions seeking reliable on-the-ground support in Italy.
04
International approach
We assist foreign lawyers whose clients face: arrest or detention in Italy, judicial cooperation proceedings, cross-border investigations, politically or diplomatically sensitive cases.
We ensure rapid access to files and information, coordination with foreign counsel and consular authorities, defence grounded in fundamental rights, courtroom advocacy before any Italian court and in key European jurisdictions.
Once a month, Nicola Canestrini publishes The Italian Desk — a working notebook on extradition, the European Arrest Warrant and international criminal defence in Italy, from the inside. Each edition opens one closed file or one question: the mechanics of judicial cooperation as they actually work — and as they fail — seen from the defence side of the courtroom. It is written in English, for foreign counsel whose cases cross the Italian border.
05
How we work
We operate as a coordinated, specialised team led by Nicola Canestrini, admitted to practice before the Italian and European Supreme Courts and the International Criminal Court. Our structure is highly focused: every case receives personalised attention, strategic planning, and full transparency for clients and referring counsel abroad.
06
Where we work
There are no territorial restrictions for defence counsel in Italy: we represent clients nationwide, before all Italian courts, and in relevant proceedings in Strasbourg and Luxembourg.
For over 150 years, canestriniLex has defended one principle: rights must prevail over power — in Italy and beyond.
The firm
The Team
7 attorneys
Avvocato
Nicola Canestrini
Diritto penale · Diritto Penale Internazionale
Avvocato
Federico Massara
Diritto civile
Avvocato
Stefania Franchini
Diritto civile
Avvocato
Giuseppe Sambataro
Diritto amministrativo · Responsabilità erariale
Avvocato
Irene Iannelli
Diritto penale · Diritto Penale Internazionale
Avvocato
Manuela Biamonte
Diritto penale
Avvocato
Maria Francesca Rossi
Diritto penale
Contacts
How to reach us
Three channels, from the most immediate to the most routine. Choose the one that fits your situation.
- Call or message counsel directly via Telegram
Urgent messages
If you have been arrested or detained, or require immediate assistance in an extradition, European Arrest Warrant (EAW), Interpol or other urgent cross-border criminal matter.
- Secure email · Proton Mail
Mail
For confidential written communications and documents, please use our secure Proton Mail address.
- 0039 0464 436688
Phone
For non-urgent enquiries and assistance during office hours, please contact the firm through our regular office telephone number.
- Office
- Corso Rosmini, 46
38068 Rovereto (TN), Italy - Phone
- +39 0464 436688
- Languages
- IT · EN · DE · FR
Resources
From the firm
Practical notes, articles and the latest judgments, written by the firm’s lawyers.