About Us
About the firm
Shallon Legal provides legal and corporate solutions from our base in the United Arab Emirates, serving clients across the UAE, Europe and selected international markets. Shallon Legal is the trading name of Shallon Legal FZ LLC, an independent firm established in 2020 and registered in the Fujairah Creative City free zone.
Our approach is captured in a single line: advice that holds. Most firms advise and then hand you on. We advise, and then build and run what the advice requires: a Will that holds, a structure that holds, a judgment you can enforce, a company kept in good standing. We are privately owned and answerable to no bank or product provider, so the advice you receive is the right advice, and nothing else.
Our core practice areas
DIFC and ADGM Wills: we help non-Muslim individuals and families protect their UAE assets and provide for those they choose. Trusts and foundations: we structure, establish and administer arrangements for asset protection and succession. International structuring: we assist families and businesses with cross-border and multi-jurisdictional matters, on need. Dispute resolution and legal drafting: we act in legal disputes and prepare the full range of corporate agreements for institutions and high-net-worth clients. Company formation and corporate services: we form companies across the UAE and keep them in good standing. Fintech and regulatory: we guide financial services, digital-asset and payments businesses through licensing and compliance.
Why clients choose us
Independence: privately owned, owing nothing to any bank or provider. We recommend what is right for you because we have no reason to recommend anything else. Advice that is built and run, not just given: both halves of the work sit under one roof, lawyers who draft Wills, resolve disputes and write the contracts businesses depend on, alongside fiduciary professionals, including STEP-qualified practitioners, who build and run the structures that put the advice into effect. Cross-border experience for high-net-worth families: our team brings experience across UK, UAE and European jurisdictions, and coordinates with trusted local counsel where needed for multi-jurisdictional matters. Bespoke, proactive solutions: tailored, results-driven advice built around your long-term interests, with confidentiality and responsiveness throughout.
Jurisdictions we cover
UAE jurisdictions
Our UAE practice covers the full spectrum of onshore and free-zone legal environments across the Emirates, including:
- DIFC (Dubai International Financial Centre)
- ADGM (Abu Dhabi Global Market)
- RAK ICC (Ras Al Khaimah International Corporate Centre)
- Dubai Mainland and Free Zones
- Abu Dhabi and the Northern Emirates
International
Where a matter genuinely requires it, we structure and coordinate internationally through licensed fiduciary teams in selected jurisdictions, chosen on their merits and named at the point you engage them. International structuring is advised on need, never by default, and is integrated with your UAE Will, trust or company.
Court registrations and rights of audience
DIFC Courts: Shallon Legal is registered in the DIFC Courts. Our Managing Partner, Paul Hogarty, is registered under Part II, with full rights of audience before the DIFC Courts. ADGM Courts: Shallon Legal is registered in the ADGM Courts, and Paul Hogarty holds full rights of audience before the ADGM Courts.
Managing Partner: Paul Hogarty
Paul Hogarty is the Managing Partner of Shallon Legal. A Scottish-qualified solicitor and Notary Public, registered under Part II with full rights of audience before both the DIFC and ADGM Courts, he leads the firm's dispute resolution practice and advises on fintech, payments and related regulatory matters, alongside the firm's corporate and private-client work.
His disputes experience is current and hands-on: his recent work includes securing an urgent possession order for the owner of a Dubai property, defeating the buyer's attempt to appeal, and pursuing default judgment, forfeiture and indemnity costs before the DIFC Courts. He also brings substantial experience in fintech and payments, having advised on regulatory and licensing matters and led dispute-resolution strategy for businesses operating across the UAE, Canada, Brazil, Dominica and Hong Kong.
Paul qualified as a solicitor in Scotland in 2006 and holds an LLB (Honours) from the University of Aberdeen. His credentials include membership of the Law Society of Scotland, registration under Part II with full rights of audience before the DIFC Courts, full rights of audience before the ADGM Courts, appointment as a Notary Public, membership of the New York State Bar Association, and registration as a CCBE European lawyer. Outside the firm, he is a private pilot and a PADI scuba instructor.
Wills and estate planning
DIFC Wills
We draft and register DIFC Wills to protect your UAE assets. A DIFC Will is open to non-Muslims and gives you full control over how your UAE estate passes and who cares for your children, drafted and registered in English, with probate granted in English by the DIFC Courts.
Since February 2023, a non-Muslim who dies in the UAE without a will has their estate distributed under the UAE's civil intestacy rules (Federal Decree-Law No. 41 of 2022), which divide it in fixed shares, half to the surviving spouse and the remainder equally among the children, unless an heir applies to the court for the law of the deceased's home country to apply instead. Either route runs through the courts, with the delay, cost and uncertainty that brings. A registered DIFC Will replaces that default with your own instructions.
We provide DIFC Will options for different needs:
- Guardianship Will
- Property Will
- Business Owners Will
- Financial Assets Will
- Full Will
Registration can be completed remotely from any location worldwide, executed electronically by video link through the DIFC Courts portal.
Our fee covers basic revisions before registration. The DIFC charges a separate registration fee.
| DIFC Will | Our fee (single) | Our fee (mirror) | DIFC registration (single / mirror) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Guardianship Will | AED 2,750 | AED 4,125 | AED 5,000 / 7,500 |
| Financial Assets Will | AED 2,750 | AED 4,125 | AED 5,000 / 7,500 |
| Business Owners Will | AED 2,750 | AED 4,125 | AED 5,000 / 7,500 |
| Property Will | AED 3,500 | AED 5,250 | AED 7,500 / 10,000 |
| Full Will | AED 4,500 | AED 7,500 | AED 10,000 / 15,000 |
ADGM Wills
For non-Muslim individuals aged 21 or above, whether resident or non-resident in the UAE, we provide ADGM Wills under the common law framework of the Abu Dhabi Global Market. These can cover assets across the UAE.
Our process:
- Initial engagement: we issue an engagement letter and invoice for your review.
- Instruction meeting: we discuss your estate and take your instructions.
- Drafting: we prepare a bilingual English and Arabic draft that complies with ADGM formalities.
- Execution: the Will is signed and notarised through an appointment with the ADGM Notary Public, typically arranged within three to five working days.
- Registration: the Notary registers the Will and arranges secure storage with the Abu Dhabi Judicial Department.
Where a couple instructs two Wills, the mirror fee is a reduced fee for the two together. Registration and court fees are separate from our fee and are payable for each Will: the Abu Dhabi Judicial Department (ADJD) fee of AED 950, and the ADGM fee of USD 155.
| ADGM Will | Our fee (single) | Our fee (two Wills, mirror) |
|---|---|---|
| Guardianship Will | AED 3,900 | AED 6,300 |
| Full Will | AED 4,900 | AED 8,300 |
Two conditional costs may arise, neither charged by us: if you leave specific gifts or legacies of particular assets, ADGM requires proof of ownership, legally translated into Arabic and certified; and if you later update a Will after it has been translated, it must be translated again (we do not charge for the first three revisions, but the re-translation is a third-party cost).
Trusts
We advise on trust structures designed for asset protection and succession planning. A DIFC trust is established on common-law principles, is recognised internationally, and is free of forced-heirship rules, which gives flexibility over how and when wealth passes. Trusts can be drafted to reflect the arrangement you require, whether discretionary, fixed-interest, purpose or charitable.
| Benefit area | What this can support |
|---|---|
| Asset protection | Shielding assets from legal claims and economic risks |
| Succession planning | Efficient, controlled transfer of wealth across generations |
| Confidentiality | Discretion over the ownership and management of assets |
| Family office integration | Centralised governance for long-term wealth preservation |
| Jurisdiction | Notes |
|---|---|
| DIFC (Dubai) | Strong common-law framework; no forced heirship; structures tailored to the client's requirements |
| Malta | Blends common and civil law for estate planning |
| Cayman Islands | Established privacy framework; no forced heirship; suited to high-net-worth individuals |
Foundations
We establish and administer foundations for wealth protection, succession planning and philanthropy, for high-net-worth individuals, family offices and corporations. A foundation has its own legal personality: it can own assets, enter contracts and operate independently, governed by its charter and council.
Key benefits: asset protection; controlled succession; a separate legal identity; and privacy. In the UAE the common choices are ADGM, with common-law governance and global recognition, and RAK ICC, with strong asset protection.
Strategic M&A and corporate law
We provide strategic guidance on corporate structuring, mergers and acquisitions: precise, efficient execution; due diligence that identifies risks and opportunities so you can decide on a clear view; and legal strategy aligned with your business objectives.
Company formation and corporate services
We form companies in Dubai and across the UAE, onshore, free zone and offshore, and provide the corporate governance and administration to keep them in good standing. We build the company with succession, tax residence and dispute risk in mind from the start, and we stay on to run it.
Fintech and regulatory services
We guide financial-services companies, digital-asset platforms and payment providers through licensing, compliance and ongoing regulatory requirements across the UAE and internationally:
- Licensing strategy: assessing regulatory requirements and the optimal licensing pathway across the DIFC, ADGM and other relevant regimes.
- Application support: preparing and submitting licence applications with supporting documentation, business plans and compliance frameworks.
- Compliance framework: developing AML and CFT policies, operational procedures and governance that satisfy regulators while supporting growth.
- Ongoing advisory: continuous regulatory monitoring and strategic counsel as your business and the regulatory landscape evolve.
Real estate law
We advise on UAE property transactions, including buying, selling and leasing, working with real estate professionals to support informed decisions and to ensure transactions comply with applicable UAE property laws.
Dispute resolution
Navigating complex disputes requires strategic judgement and jurisdictional knowledge. We act across the UAE's court systems, and a judgment is only worth what you can enforce, so we plan the win to hold, through to enforcement.
Dubai Courts: representation in civil and commercial matters before the onshore courts, working with licensed Emirati advocates on litigation, enforcement and arbitration under UAE federal law. Criminal matters are handled with licensed Emirati advocates holding the requisite authorisation. DIFC Courts: advocacy in the English common-law framework of the DIFC Courts, covering commercial, employment and property disputes and the enforcement of arbitral awards. ADGM Courts: counsel in the independent common-law jurisdiction of the ADGM Courts, including litigation, mediation and arbitration on financial, commercial and administrative matters.
We have experience in litigation and arbitration, including high-value and multi-jurisdictional disputes, and significant experience in matters before the Conflict of Jurisdiction Tribunal.
Recent work: acting for the owner of a Dubai villa whose buyer defaulted under a 2025 sale and purchase agreement and refused to leave, we secured an urgent possession order in the DIFC Courts to the summary-judgment standard, with costs, and defeated the buyer's application for permission to appeal, the defence having relied on a lease the Court found to be a sham. We are now pursuing default judgment, forfeiture and indemnity costs. (DIFC Courts, Court of First Instance, CFI-013-2026, before H.E. Justice Mark Pelling.)
Our approach
We operate with a client-first mentality, providing independent and conflict-free advice. Our focus is legal precision combined with human understanding, and long-term relationships over short-term transactions.
Contact and consultations
Whether you need succession planning, corporate structuring, a foundation, or regulatory guidance, we invite you to schedule a confidential consultation. We offer a free initial consultation for Wills.
WhatsApp and phone: +971 58 518 2116 Email: info@shalloncsp.com Address: Office 2002, 20th Floor, Creative Tower, PO Box 4422, Fujairah, United Arab Emirates Website: <https://www.shalloncsp.com>