Family Office and Private Wealth.
Family wealth in the United Arab Emirates is rarely held under a single legal system. We advise across the mainland, the ADGM and the DIFC, so that a structure is built with all three in contemplation.
Few family structures are confined to a single jurisdiction, and fewer still are built all at once.
The federal system governs the operating company and, in most cases, the estate. The ADGM applies English common law directly. The DIFC has enacted its own body of law and maintains its own registry for wills. A family holding an onshore business, a foundation in one centre and property in another has not been disorganised; that is simply the shape of the map. The difficulty is that the three regimes answer the same questions about ownership and succession differently, and a structure established within one of them will encounter the other two in time.
We practice across all three, which allows a family to instruct one firm for work that would otherwise be divided between two or three, with the seams appearing at precisely the points that matter most. It also allows the whole question to be put to us rather than a part of it. Not whether a foundation is a sound idea, but whether this foundation, holding these assets, for this family, will still serve its purpose in thirty years.
“A structure established within one regime will encounter the other two in time. It should be drafted in contemplation of them from the outset.”
Where this sector meets our practice.
§ Practice register · Sector 06Corporate & Transactions.
- Corporate CommercialFoundation charters, by-laws, and council and guardian arrangements.
- Free Zone StructuringHolding companies and special purpose vehicles in the ADGM and the DIFC.
- Real EstateThe holding of real property and other significant assets.
- Islamic FinanceSharia-compliant structuring where the family requires it.
Family Office and Private Wealth.
Family wealth in the United Arab Emirates is rarely held under a single legal system. We advise across the mainland, the ADGM and the DIFC, so that a structure is built with all three in contemplation.
Few family structures are confined to a single jurisdiction, and fewer still are built all at once.
The federal system governs the operating company and, in most cases, the estate. The ADGM applies English common law directly. The DIFC has enacted its own body of law and maintains its own registry for wills. A family holding an onshore business, a foundation in one centre and property in another has not been disorganised; that is simply the shape of the map. The difficulty is that the three regimes answer the same questions about ownership and succession differently, and a structure established within one of them will encounter the other two in time.
We practice across all three, which allows a family to instruct one firm for work that would otherwise be divided between two or three, with the seams appearing at precisely the points that matter most. It also allows the whole question to be put to us rather than a part of it. Not whether a foundation is a sound idea, but whether this foundation, holding these assets, for this family, will still serve its purpose in thirty years.
“A structure established within one regime will encounter the other two in time. It should be drafted in contemplation of them from the outset.”
Where this sector meets our practice.
§ Practice register · Sector 06Corporate & Transactions.
- Corporate CommercialFoundation charters, by-laws, and council and guardian arrangements.
- Free Zone StructuringHolding companies and special purpose vehicles in the ADGM and the DIFC.
- Real EstateThe holding of real property and other significant assets.
- Islamic FinanceSharia-compliant structuring where the family requires it.
Discuss a family office and private wealth matter with us.
We're available to assess your position and advise on the most effective approach. Initial conversations are always without obligation.