Fractional General Counsel for Oman: a senior lawyer beside the business from the UAE, with reserved work sent to Omani-licensed offices. Not an Omani law firm.
Oman changed its rules on who may do legal work in 2024, which makes this a country where the question of who does what needs answering early. A foreign-owned company still needs someone senior to read customer terms, watch its Omanisation certificate and keep its board papers straight, usually well before it can employ a General Counsel. A fractional General Counsel fills that seat for part of the week. Dinmore Bell does so from the UAE on a fixed monthly fee, and work reserved under Omani law goes to Omani-licensed offices, on a scope and fee agreed first.
Anyone seeking a fractional lawyer in Oman is normally after a fractional General Counsel: a senior lawyer who gives a business part of their week for a fixed monthly fee. Dinmore Bell offers this from the UAE and holds no Omani licence. Work that Omani law reserves goes to Omani-licensed offices, on an agreed scope and fee.
How we own it
Royal Decree 41/2024 decides who does what
The Advocacy and Legal Consultancy Law, issued in October 2024, limits the legal profession in Oman largely to Omanis, with roles for registered foreign consultants inside Omani-owned offices. As reported in the Oman Observer, the work it covers includes court representation, legal opinions on request, drafting contracts and documenting them with the authorities, and company formation procedures. Practising or giving legal advice without a licence carries imprisonment of one month to a year, a fine of RO 1,000 to RO 5,000, or both. So a fractional arrangement for a company in Oman has to be drawn carefully, and we draw it in writing. The role done from the UAE is the commercial one: holding the contract register and group templates, reading what the business is about to agree and flagging what it changes, preparing board papers, running the budget and briefing whoever is instructed. Where a contract, an opinion or a formation step falls within what Omani law reserves, an Omani-licensed office does it. Your scope document shows which is which, line by line.
Investment, zones, Omanisation and data: what the role keeps track of
Ownership. Royal Decree 50/2019 ended the requirement for an Omani shareholder in general, and the ministry's list of activities reserved for Omanis has grown, reaching 123 in 2024. If a business changes what it sells, someone has to check the list again. Zones. Royal Decree 38/2025 replaced the 2002 Free Zones Law and brought special economic zones such as Duqm and the free zones under one framework. Qualifying enterprises get a 10-year exemption under the Income Tax Law from the start of operations. Banks, insurers, telecoms, contractors and road and maritime transport businesses are excluded, and existing operators keep their terms until they expire. Omanisation. Since Tender Board Circular 2025/2, compliance is checked through the Isnad system before a government contract is awarded. A shortfall stops the tender, not just a hiring plan. Data. The Personal Data Protection Law (Royal Decree 6/2022) has been fully enforceable since 5 February 2026. It generally requires express written consent, has no legitimate interests ground, and carries fines of up to OMR 500,000 for unlawful transfers abroad. A group running its HR or CRM outside Oman feels that directly.
Price and first step
From AED 7,050 a month, about OMR 738 at the fixed dollar rates, set against written scope. Hourly billing does not come into it. Omani counsel's charges are separate, and nothing is instructed until you have agreed them. Before any retainer there is a Scope Analysis. It reads your contracts, licence and structure, records the live exposures, and divides the work into three columns: ours from the UAE, yours in-house, and reserved to Omani-licensed offices, each with a cost. Keep it regardless of whether we go further. Should the workload change, for instance on a move into a zone, the retainer is reset to match.
Good fit, poor fit
A good fit is a UAE or UK group with an Omani subsidiary, or one bidding for Omani government work, that wants a single senior person coordinating its advisers and keeping its commercial paper in order. Equally, a family-owned business with Omani partners and a growing contract book. A poor fit is any company expecting someone outside the Omani system to draft its Omani-law documents or sign off Omani-law positions: we will send that to a licensed office. A business with steady Omani litigation needs an advocacy office rather than this role. And an early venture with no contracts yet has nothing for it to do. Our outsourced General Counsel page describes how the wider function is organised.
Where specialists come in
Where required, we use local counsel for regulated areas. Dinmore Bell's UAE company holds a business consultancy licence. It is not a law firm, is not registered under Royal Decree 41/2024, has no office in Oman and does not appear before the Omani courts. The work is done from the UAE. Anything Omani law reserves is instructed to Omani-licensed counsel on a scope and fee agreed first, with Dinmore Bell handling the briefing and the budget.
Across the GCC
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- What is a fractional lawyer in Muscat?
- It is shorthand for a senior lawyer whose time is divided among several businesses rather than given to one employer. The label carries no right to practise in the Sultanate, where Royal Decree 41/2024 sets who may do so. A Muscat business using it usually wants commercial judgement on its paperwork at a part-time cost. Dinmore Bell supplies that as a fractional General Counsel from the UAE, leaving reserved work with Omani-licensed offices.
- Is Dinmore Bell a law firm in Oman?
- No. We are not an Omani advocacy firm or legal consultancy office, and we have no office or presence in Oman. The UAE company, Maurice James LLC-FZ, trading as Dinmore Bell International, holds a business consultancy licence, and the work is done from the UAE. We do not give legal advice in Oman or appear before its courts. Omani-licensed counsel are instructed where the law requires it, with scope and fee agreed first. Where required, we use local counsel for regulated areas.
- Can foreign lawyers work in Oman?
- Under the Advocacy and Legal Consultancy Law (Royal Decree 41/2024), advocacy offices hire only Omani advocates. Foreign lawyers may register as legal consultants, with at least five years' experience under the executive regulation, and work in Omani-owned consultancy offices. Foreign firms may take part through a partnership with an Omani consultancy, or a branch if they meet size and age tests. One commentary reads the law as covering firms rather than in-house counsel.
- How expensive is a good lawyer?
- That depends on the firm, the matter and the billing basis, and we found no dependable published rate for Oman, so we will not guess. Dinmore Bell's price for its own role is public: retainers from AED 7,050 a month, about OMR 738, against a written scope and with no hourly billing. Omani counsel, where needed, quote separately and you agree the fee before they begin.
- What is omanisation in Oman?
- It is the national policy of raising Omani employment in the private sector. Private establishments need an electronic Ministry of Labour certificate confirming compliance with labour standards and Omanisation requirements. Non-compliant firms face higher permit fees, and more than 30 further professions were restricted to citizens in 2024. Since Tender Board Circular 2025/2, ministries and government units subject to the Tender Law must not contract with companies below the approved rates.
- What business can I start in Oman?
- Foreign investors can generally own up to 100% under the Foreign Capital Investment Law (Royal Decree 50/2019), which removed the need for an Omani shareholder. Activities on the ministry's reserved list are the exception: 28 were added in 2024, bringing the total to 123, including grocery stores, handicrafts, used vehicle sales and public clerk services. Check any plan against the current list, because it has changed before.
- How much does it cost to set up a company in Oman?
- We do not quote set-up fees, because they vary with the structure and the licences involved. One point is often misread: commentary on Royal Decree 50/2019 records that foreign investors can set up without a capital requirement, though that source dates from 2020 and individual activities may carry their own conditions. A Scope Analysis lists what applies and which steps belong with an Omani-licensed office.