Legal services in Curaçao

Curaçao is an island country in the Dutch Caribbean and a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands. It is the home of ZL Attorneys, founded here in 2003.

Our practice serves local families, business owners and international groups with Curaçao matters. The team works in Papiamentu, Dutch, Spanish and English.

Choosing a lawyer in Curaçao

Start with the matter you need help with: a company transaction, a contract, a workplace issue or a dispute. Ask how the lawyer's relevant experience fits the problem, who will handle the work and which jurisdiction's rules need to be considered. Our firm profile, Daniel Zahavi's professional background and notable cases provide information you can use in that discussion.

Before instructing counsel, clarify:

• Parties and conflicts: identify the proposed client, counterparties and related companies so that potential conflicts can be checked.
• Scope: distinguish an initial assessment, document review, negotiations and court representation. Confirm which work is included.
• Communication: agree the contact person, working language and how updates and decisions will be handled.
• Fees and costs: ask how fees will be calculated, what assumptions an estimate uses, and which third-party costs or additional work may arise.
• Timing: explain any hearing, signing date, payment demand or other deadline at the outset. Discuss what can be assessed with the documents available.

Instructing local counsel from abroad

For a Curaçao matter, send a short chronology, the names of the parties, the decision you need to make and any known deadline. Identify where the companies, assets and documents are located and whether another law firm is already involved. Start with enough information for the initial assessment and ask how to provide sensitive documents securely.

A useful instruction separates the local legal question from tax, notarial or foreign-law work. Discuss which adviser will lead each part, who can give instructions and what the first deliverable should address. There is no single timetable or fee that fits every matter; scope, urgency and the information available need to be discussed together.

Contact ZL Attorneys to outline your Curaçao matter and the assistance required.

Set up and run your business

For a new venture or an established business, we assess the legal work needed at each stage:

• Corporate law for local and international companies
• Incorporation of legal entities, including private foundations for preserving and passing on wealth
• Management of legal entities once they are up and running
• Contract law, from a simple agreement to complex commercial deals
• Advice on online gaming licensing and the requirements relevant to the proposed operation

Banking has its own rules here. Curaçao shares the Caribbean guilder (XCG) with Sint Maarten, and its institutions can be demanding. Our banking law specialists know them well and keep matters moving.

Look after your people

Curaçao's industries, from tourism and oil refining to financial services, run on their workforce. Our employment law and labor law teams act for employers and employees alike, from contracts to disputes.

Protect your assets and ideas

Intellectual property law protects your copyrights, patents, trademarks, trade secrets and industrial designs. When things go wrong, our insurance law and bankruptcy law practices step in.

Resolve disputes and enforce your rights

Our litigation practice covers liability, personal injury and applications involving asset attachment. We assess the evidence, appropriate procedure and practical recovery options.

We also handle landlord and tenant disputes. Where the government is involved, we act in governmental matters and administrative law.

Family, inheritance and the sea

We handle family law, including marriage, divorce and child custody, and inheritance law.

Willemstad is built around the Schottegat, one of the Caribbean's great natural harbours. Our maritime law practice is never far from the water.