Francesca Zanasi

Senior Consultant

Francesca Zanasi is a powerhouse in Italian family law, known for her strategic insight and decades of experience in the legal industry. As a key figure within the Milan Bar Association, Francesca drives cross-border legal innovation and collaboration. Her career spans elite legal practice, academic leadership, and policy reform, delivering clarity and inspiring confidence in even the most complex family law matters.

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Francesca Zanasi is one of Italy’s best-known divorce lawyers, highly esteemed for her expertise in high-stakes family cases. She has written extensively for top legal publications, holds senior roles within the Milan Bar, and regularly appears in the press. With decades of legal experience, Francesca’s practice covers every angle of family and inheritance law, with a sharp focus on international cases. Renowned for her strategic ability in asset tracing, meticulous approach to drafting prenuptial agreements, and her skill in crafting cohabitation contracts that stand up to international scrutiny, Francesca is a leading presence in high-stakes family law. She also leads a specialist department handling wills and international estate administration, delivering seamless solutions across jurisdictions.

Institutional Roles

Francesca Zanasi plays a pivotal role in shaping Italy’s legal landscape. Since 2019, Francesca has served on the Milan Bar Association’s board, where she leads its Foreign Affairs Committee (CRINT) and contributes to its Family Law Committee as a deputy member.

In 2021, she founded the Union of Italian Foreign Affairs Committees, bringing together CRINT representatives nationwide to drive collaboration on European legal initiatives. Her leadership has positioned the Union as a key strategic force in cross-border legal dialogue.

In 2023, Francesca was appointed vice president of the Milan Bar, and in 2025, she took the helm through her presidency of its Arbitration Chamber – a forum championing efficient, modern alternatives to litigation.

MEMBERSHIPS

Francesca is a driving force in juvenile law reform, co-founding the Camera Minorile di Milano to champion the rights of children and young people. She sits on the board of Child Priority, a foundation backed by Condé Nast, where she helps steer initiatives focused on child welfare. Internationally, Francesca is an active member of the International Academy of Family Lawyers (IAFL), the British Italian Law Association (BILA), and STEP – where she was a featured speaker at the 2023 STEP Europe Conference, sharing insights on cross-border estate planning.

PUBLICATIONS

Francesca Zanasi is a prolific legal writer whose work has appeared in top-tier publications including Giuffrè Editore, Wolters Kluwer, and La Stampa. Her writing earned her the prestigious International Legal Science Award “Giovanni Falcone and Paolo Borsellino” for her publication Violenza in famiglia e Stalking – dalle indagini difensive agli ordini di protezione (Giuffrè Editore, Milan, 2006).

PROJECTS

Francesca’s commitment to legal innovation is evident in her hands-on work and forward-thinking initiatives. From the outset of her career, she has supported families through complex legal and emotional challenges – most notably at Milan’s Family Counselling Centres. Francesca quickly established herself as a leading educator, teaching postgraduate and specialist programmes and serving as adjunct professor of Legal Psychology at Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore. A driving force behind Project STAGE – a Milan Bar initiative empowering young lawyers with international experience – Francesca is now at the forefront of modernising family law. Her current work spans drafting legislation on prenuptial agreements, formalising the role of will executors, and forging global partnerships between bar associations, all with the aim of reshaping family law for a more connected world.

Languages

Francesca is fluent in Italian, French and German.

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“Among the most famous divorce law firms in the world”

“Diva of Divorce For The World's Super Rich”

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We offer a free consultation to all suitable clients. This is not just a formality. We take the time to understand your unique situation, explain the next steps, and provide a clear sense of potential outcomes and likely costs.

Timing matters in high-stakes family law. If you think you might need our help, don’t delay.

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OUR SERVICE

Going through a separation or divorce can feel like one of life’s biggest challenges. Our leading team of divorce and family lawyers is here to guide you through the process with clarity and compassion, ensuring your interests are protected every step of the way with discretion, expertise, and unwavering support.

One of the most difficult aspects of separation or divorce is understanding how to divide finances fairly. It is crucial to understand which matrimonial property regime applies, as this dictates how assets are handled upon divorce. While the "community of property" (comunione legale) is the default system in Italy, spouses can formally opt for a "separation of property" (separazione dei beni) regime.

Under this arrangement, each spouse maintains exclusive ownership of all assets acquired during the marriage. Consequently, upon separation, there is no joint marital estate to be divided, which greatly simplifies the financial settlement process. Each party retains their own property, although obligations concerning spousal and child support are assessed independently based on legal criteria.

HOW CAN VARDAGS HELP YOU?

Strategic Separation and Divorce Representation:

Whether you are initiating proceedings or responding to a petition, we provide tailored strategies to protect your interests, explain your options and help you make informed decisions.

Financial Settlements:

Dividing assets and securing your financial future is a critical part of any separation or divorce. The process can be complex, involving not just property but also maintenance agreements, business interests, and international holdings.

A key step in the process is the dissolution of the legal communion of assets (comunione legale). It is important to understand that this does not happen at the beginning of the legal proceedings, but rather at a precise moment: either when the court president authorises the spouses to live separately or upon the signing of a consensual separation agreement.
From that point on, any assets that were held in the comunione legale transition into a state of ordinary co-ownership (comunione ordinaria), subject to division that is typically done in equal parts.

Maintenance:

Beyond asset division, spousal support is a central issue. Italian law distinguishes between two types of maintenance:

Separation Maintenance (Assegno di mantenimento): This is based on the principle of marital solidarity and aims to preserve, as much as possible, the standard of living enjoyed during the marriage. However, the right to receive this maintenance is permanently lost if the recipient enters a new, stable cohabiting relationship that mirrors a marital bond.
Divorce Maintenance (Assegno divorzile): This is not tied to the previous standard of living. Instead, it is determined based on a comprehensive evaluation of factors including the spouses' economic conditions, the duration of the marriage, each person's contribution to the family's life and assets, and the objective ability of the receiving spouse to become self-sufficient. In some cases, this can be settled with a one-off lump-sum payment (una tantum).

Child Arrangements:

Where children are involved, our lawyers prioritise their welfare while guiding you through the most practical solutions for living and contact arrangements.

International and Complex Cases:

Our team is experienced in cross-border disputes, jurisdictional issues, and enforcement of orders worldwide.

WHY CHOOSE VARDAGS?

When facing separation or divorce, choosing the right legal team can make all the difference. Vardags is one of the world's best family law firms, renowned for handling complex, cross-border and high-value cases. Our lawyers combine exceptional legal expertise with strategic insight to deliver outstanding results for our clients.

If you are going through a separation or divorce, contact us for a free, confidential consultation. Our lawyers will take the time to understand the details of your unique situation, talk you through the next steps of the process, and give you unparalleled legal expertise from the very first conversation. Our mission is to protect what matters most: your lifestyle, your financial future, and your personal interests – especially when the stakes are at their highest.

If you think you might need our help, don’t delay – contact us before your spouse does.