Insights

Reading, slowly compiled.

Long-form pieces on Danish and international tax, UAE corporate and real estate practice, and the cross-border questions that arise where they meet. Written by Dr. Michel Moore and the Moore Law team.

Recent additions

Newly published.

Ten new long-reads added to the firm’s library, spanning UAE corporate structuring, residency, real estate, international tax, governance, and the integrated-advisory questions that arise across them.

UAE corporate · Structuring

Choosing between mainland and free zone — practical structuring considerations

The basic mainland-versus-free-zone choice has narrowed substantively over the past decade. What still differentiates the two — and determines whether a UAE structure works in practice — is the operational reality that follows the incorporation choice.

Long read · Moore Law
Corporate governance · Strategy

Why corporate governance should be addressed before growth creates friction

A practical case for putting governance arrangements in place before they are needed. Frameworks built in calm conditions are materially easier to construct than the same frameworks built under transaction pressure.

Long read · Moore Law
International tax · Holding structures

International tax considerations for UAE-connected holding structures

The UAE’s progression to a 9 per cent corporate-tax regime with the qualifying-free-zone-person framework has not reduced the attractiveness of UAE structures. It has made them analytically more demanding — and rewarding for those who design well.

Long read · Moore Law
UAE residency · Golden Visa

Golden Visa planning in the UAE — why documentation strategy matters

For most Golden Visa applicants, eligibility is not in doubt. What is in doubt is whether the documentation file presents the eligibility in a form the reviewing authority can easily verify. That is the variable worth addressing deliberately.

Long read · Moore Law
UAE corporate · Founders

What founders should consider before setting up a UAE operating company

The choices made at formation — entity type, ownership, capital, governance, banking, IP, founder employment — determine the trajectory of the company. A founders-oriented framework for the structuring decisions that matter.

Long read · Moore Law
UAE real estate · Acquisition

Property acquisition in Dubai — structuring, documentation, transaction discipline

The Dubai market is well-regulated and well-supported. The transactions that go smoothly are those in which the buyer has addressed title-holding, source-of-funds, financing, and due-diligence questions before the deposit is paid.

Long read · Moore Law
Family business · Cross-discipline

How governance, tax, and ownership design interact in family business structures

The three principal design dimensions of family-business structuring are aspects of a single design problem. The families whose structures last are those that addressed all three together while the founder was still able to drive the design.

Long read · Moore Law
UAE real estate · Services

Real estate consultancy vs brokerage — which service is appropriate for your objective

Brokerage is transaction execution. Consultancy is strategic advisory before the transaction. Clients who treat them as interchangeable frequently pay for one when they needed the other.

Long read · Moore Law
UAE corporate · Common errors

Common structuring errors made by international investors entering the UAE

The UAE rewards deliberate structuring. The errors that recur in international investors’ UAE work are errors of approach — sequencing, attention, and integration — that are entirely avoidable with sufficient pre-commitment discipline.

Long read · Moore Law
Integrated advisory · Cross-discipline

Why integrated advisory matters when business, immigration, and property decisions overlap

Decisions in one domain constrain decisions in the others. Multi-dimensional planning at the integrated level — before any single decision is committed — is the discipline that converts complex situations into durable outcomes.

Long read · Moore Law
From the library

Established pieces.

The firm’s earlier published writing on Danish tax, UAE corporate practice, real estate, and the structural questions that arise across them.

Danish tax · Cross-border

Danish exit tax — what to expect, how to plan

A practical guide to the Danish exit-tax regime (fraflytterskat) for executives and founders considering relocation. What triggers it, what assets it covers, how it is calculated, and what the deferral framework allows.

Long read · Moore Law
Cross-border · Residency

Becoming UAE-resident from a Danish tax perspective

A framework for Danish residents considering the move to the United Arab Emirates — covering the Danish-side conditions for cessation of full tax liability, the UAE-side residency routes, and how the two should be sequenced.

Long read · Moore Law
Danish tax · Procedure

The case for a binding ruling before any major transaction

Why the Danish binding-ruling instrument is one of the most underused tools in commercial tax planning, and how a well-framed request can convert an uncertain tax position into a documented certainty.

Long read · Moore Law
UAE corporate · Structuring

Mainland, freezone, offshore — choosing a UAE structure

The three principal UAE corporate vehicles each serve a different purpose. A framework for choosing the right one, in light of the actual commercial activity, the residency strategy, and the UAE corporate-tax position.

Long read · Moore Law
Real estate · Dubai

What to look for in a Dubai off-plan property contract

The off-plan SPA is the document on which most of the buyer-side risk in a Dubai property purchase rests. A practical guide to the provisions that warrant particular attention before signing.

Long read · Moore Law
Cross-border · Citizenship

Second-citizenship programmes in 2026 — an honest assessment

What second citizenship gives you, what it does not, and the framework for choosing a programme that actually meets the underlying objectives — rather than the one with the lowest qualifying investment.

Long read · Moore Law
Danish tax · Procedure

When tax authorities are wrong — and what to do about it

The Danish tax-appeal system, from the first response to the National Tax Court. How the procedural framework actually works, where the strategic decisions sit, and the role of the 50 per cent statutory cost-recovery framework.

Long read · Moore Law
Cross-border · Holding structures

Setting up a family holding structure that crosses borders

For families with assets and operations across multiple jurisdictions, the holding structure is the long-term architecture. A framework for designing one that operates over time and across generations.

Long read · Moore Law
Practice · Philosophy

Why retainer relationships work better than transactions

Most legal work is structured around discrete transactions. For the clients who benefit most from professional counsel, the retainer model produces materially better outcomes — at materially lower total cost.

Short read · Moore Law
UAE corporate · Tax

What the UAE corporate-tax regime means for structuring

The introduction of UAE federal corporate tax in 2023 changed the structuring conversation. A practical view of the qualifying-freezone-person framework, substance requirements, and the implications for international groups.

Long read · Moore Law

The library expands as new pieces are added. Direct enquiries on any of the topics here are welcome.

Questions arising from a specific situation?

The firm welcomes direct enquiry on any of the topics discussed.

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