Private Wealth · DIFC & ADGM

Family office lawyer in Dubai

Dubai has become the fastest-growing family-office hub in the world — no personal income, inheritance or capital gains tax, common-law courts in the DIFC and ADGM, and a 10-year Golden Visa for the whole family. Neo Legal designs and builds the legal architecture: the family office itself, the foundation that holds it together, the succession plan that survives you, and the cross-border tax position that makes it all worth doing.

Speak to our family-office team → How the DIFC regime works
DIFC · ADGM
Both hubs, structured honestly
1,000+
Clients advised by our founder since 2015
中文 · EN
Bilingual — dedicated China Desk
Est. 1891
The UAE practice of Cornwalls

What a family-office lawyer does for you

A family office is not one document — it is a system of entities, rules and people that has to work for decades. We build each layer:

Who we act for

We act for founders and principals relocating wealth to the UAE, established Gulf families formalising governance and succession, Chinese and Asian families (served in Mandarin through our China Desk), and Australian and European families exiting high-tax residence — alongside their existing bankers and accountants.

Why Neo Legal for your family office

Family-office work sits where our practice is deepest: private wealth, tax, corporate structuring and cross-border coordination. The work is led personally by Harly Zappino, Founder & Managing Partner, who has advised over 1,000 clients since 2015. We are partner-led, fixed-fee where possible, bilingual in English and Mandarin, and the UAE practice of Cornwalls (established 1891) — so multi-jurisdiction execution is in-house, not referred out.

Family office lawyer Dubai — frequently asked questions

Do I need a DFSA licence to run a family office in the DIFC?
Not for a single family office. An SFO serving one family operates under the DIFC Family Arrangements Regulations rather than DFSA authorisation, because it manages only the family's own wealth and provides no services to the public. A multi-family office serving several unrelated families is a different matter — that is regulated financial services business and needs a DFSA licence. See SFO vs MFO.
How much wealth do I need for a family office in Dubai?
The DIFC family-arrangement regime contemplates families with at least US$50 million of net assets. In practice, a dedicated single family office with its own team tends to make economic sense from around US$100 million; below that, families often run a lighter structure — a foundation plus holding vehicles with outsourced investment management — which we also design. The right answer follows the family's complexity, not just the number.
Should we choose DIFC, ADGM or Singapore for our family office?
DIFC and ADGM both offer common-law courts, foundations regimes and family-office frameworks; DIFC has the deeper wealth-management ecosystem while ADGM is often more cost-competitive. Singapore offers strong fund incentives but higher operating costs. For Gulf-centred families the UAE usually wins on tax, proximity and the Golden Visa. We structure across all three — see the full comparison.
What is the difference between a foundation and a trust for my family?
A foundation is a separate legal person that owns its assets — no shareholders, governed by a charter and by-laws. A trust is a relationship where trustees hold assets for beneficiaries. Families from civil-law and Middle East backgrounds usually prefer foundations: registered, statutory, easier to explain to banks, and in the DIFC it overrides forced-heirship expectations while preserving the founder's intended control. See the DIFC foundation.
Can a family office get Golden Visas for the whole family?
Yes. Principals typically qualify through the investor or entrepreneur routes, and the 10-year Golden Visa extends to spouses and children, with parents and domestic staff possible under prevailing rules. Senior family-office staff can also be sponsored. There is no minimum-stay requirement — though tax residency is a separate analysis we plan deliberately. See family office & the Golden Visa.
What does setting up a family office in Dubai cost and how long does it take?
A foundation-plus-holdings structure can be established in four to eight weeks. A registered DIFC single family office typically takes two to four months including registration and governance documents. Registration fees are modest; the substantive investment is design — charter and by-laws, the family constitution, asset transfers and tax coordination. We scope it fixed-fee upfront.
Related reading
The DIFC Family Office Regime
Family Arrangements Regulations, explained properly.
Structuring a Family Office
Foundation vs holdco vs VCC vs prescribed company.
Succession Planning
Wills, foundations and forced heirship — one plan.
Family Office Tax
0% QFZP income and the Pillar Two trap.

Bringing your family's wealth to Dubai?

Tell us where the family and the assets are today. We will map the office, the foundation, the visas and the tax — partner-led from the first call.

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