Studio Legale Corte
legal services for the food & beverages industry
Studio Legale Corte is Italy's oldest food law firm, founded in 1921.
We offer legal representation, legal advice and in-house food law training to food business operators, including producers, importers, large-scale retailers, mass caterers, and trade associations in the food sector.
Our legal advice is based on the evolution of food law, but also on the interpretation of the laws given by authorities inflicting the sanctions, and on the defendability of each claim in light of the established jurisprudence. Studio Legale Corte represents defendants accused of food related crimes in criminal law suits, and challenges regulatory sanctions on behalf of its clients. The expertise gained with the judicial activity enables Studio Legale Corte to help the clients avoid challenges, long before avoiding convictions.
Studio Legale Corte avails itself of a network of scientific experts in the various fields related to food law (food chemistry, microbiology, commodities, etc.), who regularly cooperate with lawyers in preparing the defense of the clients.
The firm also has its own network of specialized food lawyers in other countries, in order to manage cross border matters efficiently.
4 generations & over 100 years in food law
Food Law has been our family business for over a century.
Studio Legale Corte was founded in Genoa in 1921 by Avv. Andrea Corte (1898-1971), who started the business dealing with the problems of the olive oil industry.
The activity continued with Avv. Lorenzo Corte (1917-1995), who began to deal with the subject of food law organically.
In 1970 the Studio Legale Corte moved its offices to Milan, where Andrea Corte started working.
Studio Legale Corte currently has three partners: Andrea Corte, and two of his daughters: Elena Corte and Paola Corte, who are both internationally well established food lawyers.
Elena Corte and Paola Corte, both native English speakers, assist international clients.
ranking & awards
Forbes Italia has included Studio Legale Corte in its rankings dedicated to the legal world since 2019: among the 100 Italian leaders in strategic, legal and tax consulting in 2019, in the ranking of 100 Legal Leaders in 2020, and among the 100 Legal Professionals in 2021, 2022, and 2023. In the last three years, both Paola Corte and Elena Corte have been personally mentioned these lists.
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Legal 500 has included Studio Legale Corte in its international ranking for years. Studio Legale Corte is indicated as a "top tier" in the "Industry Focus: Food" category and both Elena Corte and Paola Corte are individually indicated as "leading individuals" among the lawyers dedicated to food in Italy.
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Top Ranked Legal has indicated Studio Legale Corte as the "Top ranked firm" in Italy in the sector "Food and Beverages (Italy)", with both Elena Corte and Paola Corte individually ranked as "Band 1" food lawyers
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The firm has also received numerous "Food Law Firm of the Year" awards from leading national legal magazines.