Boutique private client law firm, M/Advocates of Law, hires Sophia Yazane to lead private wealth tax team in UAE

M/Advocates of Law has announced the addition of Leonardo Castellana and Sophia Yazane.

Leonardo has over 25 years of experience in the Private Wealth industry, having occupied various positions in both the legal and wealth management fields. He then went on to found and head a prominent Geneva based asset management and multi- family office platform. He gained versatility and experience in the advice to wealthy families in the set-up, organization, staffing and operations of single- and multi-family offices, having notably overseen the incorporation and follow-up of affiliated companies in several global financial centers and having acted as trustee and protector to multiple trusts and family foundations. Leonardo holds a Master degree in Law from Geneva University.

Sophia is a tax specialist with over 10 years of experience in the field. She regularly advises both institutional and private clients on international tax matters and cross border tax planning strategies. She assists Middle Eastern and European high net worth individuals and family offices on structuring their operational assets and global wealth. Most recently she worked as a tax manager at KPMG Dubai but before that she was with Baker & McKenzie in Luxembourg. Sophia will lead the firm’s Private Wealth tax team.

Commenting on both appointments, Yann Mrazek, Managing Partner at M/Advocates of Law said:

“We are very pleased with the addition of Leonardo and Sophia, which reinforces our position as a leading Private Wealth firm in the Gulf. Leonardo brings a unique skill set and formidable added-value to the firm and its existing clients. Sophia’s appointment is in line with the firm’s commitment to continue to build a strong tax team in what we view as the premier structuring jurisdiction for entrepreneurs operating in emerging and frontier markets. She is one of the most promising tax specialists in the region and we are very pleased that she chose our firm to take her career to the next level.”

The Firm has been operating in the UAE since 2009.

Ali Ibrahim, Founding Partner at Ali Ibrahim Advocates commented:

“Partners of the firm have a strong regional track record advising families organizing and preserving family assets and implementing inter-generational wealth transfer strategies and vehicles. At a time when many locally based entrepreneurial families are faced with the challenge of involving the next generation, M/Advocates of Law is perfectly positioned to assist.“

M/Advocates of Law is a boutique law firm primarily providing for the needs of successful individuals and wealthy international families. Headquartered in the UAE but with a proud Swiss heritage, its offering is unique in the Middle East: a holistic and cross-disciplinary combination of a law firm’s specialist expertise and the versatile capabilities of a market-leading fiduciary platform all under a single banner. M/Advocates of Law is operated in association with Ali Ibrahim Advocates.