Charles Russell Speechlys grows Real Estate team with the appointment of UK and Italian market expert Chiara Del Frate

Charles Russell Speechlys today announces the appointment of Chiara Del Frate to the Firm’s Real Estate team, based in London. Chiara’s arrival marks a step forward in the Firm’s ambition to develop its cross-border expertise and the continued growth of the Real Estate group.

Chiara joins from K&L Gates, where she was a Special Counsel in the London and Milan offices. She previously held a consultant position at Millbank Solicitors and spent time in private practice with Chiomenti and DLA Piper. Chiara’s expertise spans luxury retail, restaurant and entertainment, logistics, student housing, and high value residential in the UK and Italy.

Chiara is dual qualified to practice in both Italy and England and Wales and has built her practice representing Italian clients on cross-border property investment deals, particularly for owners, purchasers, lenders, and tenants. She also advises international institutional and private clients looking to invest in the European real estate market. She acts for a range of large corporates and luxury companies, including Audemars Piguet, Autry, Crazy Pizza, Gucci, Monnalisa, Rubinacci, YSL and Loro Piana.

Chiara’s appointment follows the opening of the Firm’s Milan office in November 2024, which has grown substantially since then from two lawyers to ten towards the end of 2025. Most recently, the Firm appointed corporate, fintech, IP and art law expert Annapaola Negri-Clementi to the Milan office in October 2025.

Robin Grove, Divisional Managing Partner of Construction, Real Estate and Disputes, comments:

Chiara will be an invaluable asset to the Firm, with a client base and sector expertise that fits perfectly with our capabilities. She has deep expertise in areas such as Luxury, Food & Beverage and Entertainment, the Living Sector and high-value residential, all key focuses and sectors in which we have been advising clients for many years.

"Against a backdrop of the Firm’s rapid growth in Milan, Chiara’s deep understanding of the Italian market will be invaluable as we continue to strengthen our relationships and expand our work in this space.

Chiara Del Frate comments: 

It is a very exciting time to be joining the Firm, and I look forward to collaborating with my new English and Italian colleagues, and all others internationally. The UK and European real estate markets remain resilient and full of opportunity, with London and Milan being pivotal centres across a number of different asset classes in Real Estate. These markets present an evolving landscape, driven by changing consumer behaviour, technological advancements, and global economic trends and my focus will be guiding clients through these changes in the years to come.

Chiara’s appointment also follows a number of other appointments to the Construction, Real Estate and Disputes division – Josh Risso-Gill, Partner, and Kevin Gibbs, Senior Consultant, joined the Planning, Infrastructure & Environment team in April 2025 and January 2025 respectively.