Crownstone Advocates is an internationally accredited law firm with offices in Malta and the UAE, advising multinational corporations, financial institutions, and high-net-worth individuals on cross-border matters for nearly two decades.
about us
Crownstone Advocates was founded in 2007 by Jonathan Wayne and Alexander Brown, who set out to build a firm capable of advising clients across two very different legal systems without ever treating either one as secondary. What began as a boutique corporate and maritime practice on Malta's Grand Harbour grew, following the opening of a Dubai office in 2013, into a firm advising multinational corporations, financial institutions, and private families on matters that routinely cross from European Union law into Gulf commercial practice and back again. Today the firm has advised on more than 3,400 cross border matters, holds a 96% client retention rate, and has structured or licensed transactions exceeding two billion euro in aggregate value across 27 jurisdictions.
Our mission is straightforward and, we think, worth repeating rather than filing away in an internal document nobody reads. We aim to deliver legal counsel that meets the highest international standards while remaining genuinely fluent in the local law, regulatory culture, and commercial realities of Malta, the UAE, and the wider jurisdictions our clients operate in, so that crossing a border never means starting over with an adviser who is learning the terrain as they go. Our longer term aim is to be the firm that clients moving between Europe and the Gulf call first, not because we are the largest firm in either market, but because our sixty two lawyers and staff across both offices are built specifically for the work that happens in the space between two legal systems, rather than treating that space as an afterthought to a domestic practice.
speak with a lawyer
services
Company formation, mergers, and governance advice for businesses operating across Malta, the UAE, and beyond, structured to satisfy regulators in both jurisdictions at once.
Malta Gaming Authority licensing, virtual financial asset compliance, and regulatory advisory for operators and technology businesses entering a fast moving sector.
Malta residency programmes, UAE Golden Visa applications, and corporate relocation strategy for families and executives moving between Europe and the Gulf.
Property acquisition, off plan transactions, and commercial leasing across Malta and Dubai, handled with the diligence a property purchase actually deserves.
Malta trusts, DIFC foundations, and family office governance built to protect both a family's assets and a family's privacy.
Advice under the Malta UAE double taxation agreement, corporate tax planning, and careful sequencing for structures that span both jurisdictions.
where we practice
