Awards
Standing alongside global heavyweights like Clifford Chance LLP and Latham & Watkins LLP, this recognition reflects NeosLegal ongoing mission – to make complex regulation clear, accessible and founder-friendly. Irina Heaver named Leading Blockchain Lawyer in the UAE.
It’s encouraging to see global firms step up for crypto founders. At NeosLegal, we’ve been doing exactly that since 2016. We build with founders, draft laws with regulators, and structure real-world Web3 businesses every day.
Our team has helped launch and legally structure over 300 blockchain and digital asset projects – from Bitcoin startups to tokenized real estate platforms. For founders building in the UAE, this means one thing: you deserve legal clarity from crypto-native lawyers.
About Irina Heaver – Leading Blockchain Lawyer in the UAE
Irina Heaver is the founder and managing partner of NeosLegal, the UAE’s first crypto-native law firm, and author of “The Founder’s Guide to the UAE Crypto Laws”.
She holds a Juris Doctorate degree from Monash University and a Master of Lawsdegree in International Taxation and Energy Laws from Melbourne University, with advanced specializations in AI and blockchain technologies from the University of Oxford.
Following a successful career in the oil and gas sector, where she advised on projects and transactions exceeding USD 500 billion, established joint ventures with Mubadala and other sovereign wealth funds, and litigated against the DOJ and SEC, Irina founded the UAE’s first legal consultancy focused exclusively on crypto and web3.
She advises on all aspects of VASP licensing and regulatory compliance across UAE regimes, including VARA, SCA, ADGM and DIFC. Since 2016, she has advised more than 700 visionary founders, has structured over 300 blockchain and Web3 projects, supporting exchanges, token issuers, DeFi platforms, and RWA tokenisation ventures. Irina works closely with regulators, contributing to the development of virtual asset laws, and is a trusted adviser to founders, VCs and institutions expanding into the UAE’s rapidly evolving crypto ecosystem.
Founders in the UAE get one thing from us: legal clarity from lawyers who are crypto-native.
Book a call with our legal team today to make your venture legally sound, globally ready and future-proof.
