# Victoria Wells Founding partner · Legal & international structuring > Victoria Wells is a founding partner of Project Get Out. She brings legal and international structuring experience, together with her own move from Australia to Dubai, to the questions Australians face before building a life and business overseas. - Canonical profile: https://www.projectgetout.com/victoria-wells - Updated: 2026-10-01 ## An Australian legal background. A business built overseas. Victoria Wells is Principal and Co-Founder of Ape Law. Her legal work covers company structures, digital asset regulation and the requirements of running a business internationally. Her background includes serving as Chief Legal Officer at Illuvium and founding Alt Law in Australia. She has built a legal practice and worked inside a business, so she understands how legal decisions affect the people running it. She moved from Australia to Dubai with her partner, Stephan Roberto. At Project Get Out, her role covers legal scope and international structuring. The Australian Exit Guide was built with her legal input, and the journal publishes relocation articles under her byline. ## Connecting the structure with the move. A destination, a company and a departure plan need to work together. Victoria’s contribution is to bring the legal and structuring questions into that planning conversation early. ### Identify the questions that need advice Her role covers legal scope and international structuring. That includes identifying where the Australian departure and destination-country arrangements need input from the relevant qualified advisers. ### Make the decisions easier to follow The Australian Exit Guide was built with Victoria’s legal input. The journal’s articles under her byline help readers separate immigration, company setup and tax-residency questions and prepare for a conversation about their own circumstances. ### Bring experience from both sides of the move She has founded a legal practice in Australia, worked inside a business as Chief Legal Officer and built from Dubai. Those experiences inform the questions she brings to Project Get Out. ## Professional background ### Principal and Co-Founder of Ape Law Ape Law’s profile describes Victoria’s legal leadership, former Chief Legal Officer role at Illuvium and founding of Alt Law in Australia. [Read her professional profile](https://ape.law/victoria-wells) ### Australian Treasury consultation · 2022 Victoria signed Alt Law’s submission on proposed licensing and custody requirements for crypto-asset service providers. The Treasury hosts the original submission. [Read the submission (PDF)](https://treasury.gov.au/sites/default/files/2022-12/c2022-259046-alt_law.pdf) ### OceanBlocks team profile OceanBlocks lists Victoria on its team page and describes her corporate-law and Web3 regulatory work. The page does not give dates for the role. [View the team profile](https://www.oceanblocks.org/team/victoria-wells/) ## In the press The relocation report below concerns Project Get Out. The earlier articles record Victoria’s legal career and commentary. ### Australian relocation report · 19 September 2026 Angelica Snowden’s report quotes Victoria Wells and names Stephan Roberto, Ape Law and Project Get Out. The same report appeared in [The Age](https://www.theage.com.au/national/victoria/fed-up-with-taxes-aussies-are-following-adrian-portelli-to-dubai-the-ato-is-watching-20260919-p60ues.html), [The Sydney Morning Herald](https://www.smh.com.au/national/victoria/fed-up-with-taxes-aussies-are-following-adrian-portelli-to-dubai-the-ato-is-watching-20260919-p60ues.html) and [Brisbane Times](https://www.brisbanetimes.com.au/national/victoria/fed-up-with-taxes-aussies-are-following-adrian-portelli-to-dubai-the-ato-is-watching-20260919-p60ues.html). These are three editions of one story. A subscription may be required. [Project Get Out’s own analysis](https://www.projectgetout.com/blog/project-get-out-featured-in-the-age) ### The National · 15 October 2024 Solana blockchain seeks UAE foothold with Founders’ Villa event The National quoted Victoria as a Dubai-based crypto lawyer on stablecoins and regulatory attention in the MENA region. [Read The National report](https://www.thenationalnews.com/business/2024/10/15/solana-blockchain-seeks-uae-foothold-with-founders-villa-event/) ### Lawyers Weekly · 2 November 2017 Dentons takes up residence in Melbourne The report names Victoria as a consultant in the incoming Melbourne team from Nick Stretch Legal. It records an earlier stage of her legal career. [Read the Lawyers Weekly article](https://www.lawyersweekly.com.au/biglaw/22187-dentons-takes-up-residence-in-melbourne) ## Social mentions Daily WA Online · 19 September 2026 Daily WA Online’s Instagram post names Victoria and Project Get Out in discussion of Australians considering Dubai. This is a social mention. [View the Instagram post](https://www.instagram.com/p/DdfdlsLCBqf/) ## Planning and advice Victoria brings legal experience to Project Get Out’s planning and educational work. Personal legal or tax advice needs a separately agreed scope with the appropriately qualified adviser for the country and issue involved. The website and Australian Exit Guide provide general information. ## Published work - [What should I take from Project Get Out’s feature in The Age?](https://www.projectgetout.com/blog/project-get-out-featured-in-the-age): The Age spoke to Project Get Out about Australians considering Dubai, tax residency and why a genuine move requires more than a visa or foreign company. - [What decisions do I need to make before committing to an overseas move?](https://www.projectgetout.com/blog/decisions-before-committing-to-overseas-move): Separate reversible decisions from expensive commitments, then resolve the dependencies that could change the whole move. - [What should I prepare before my first relocation advice meeting?](https://www.projectgetout.com/blog/prepare-for-relocation-advice-meeting): Organise the decision, timeline, people, business facts, assumptions and missing evidence before your first advice meeting. - [Does a UAE visa settle my Australian tax residency?](https://www.projectgetout.com/blog/uae-visa-australian-tax-residency): A UAE visa answers an immigration question. Australian tax residency is a separate, fact-dependent assessment. - [Would I be better off after moving from Australia to Dubai?](https://www.projectgetout.com/blog/moving-to-dubai-full-cost-comparison): Build a full-cost comparison that includes one-off, recurring, refundable and uncertain amounts, not just headline rates. - [Is moving to Dubai right for me as an Australian business owner?](https://www.projectgetout.com/blog/is-dubai-right-for-australian-business-owners): Test whether Dubai fits your business, family, lifestyle and full financial position before treating it as the default move. ## Questions ### What does Victoria do at Project Get Out? Victoria is a founding partner whose role covers legal scope and international structuring. She contributes legal input to the Australian Exit Guide, and the journal publishes relocation and planning articles under her byline. ### Has Victoria made the move from Australia herself? Yes. Victoria and Stephan Roberto moved from Australia to Dubai and built from there. Their own relocation experience informs Project Get Out alongside their professional backgrounds. ### Is Project Get Out part of Ape Law? They are separate ventures. Victoria is Principal and Co-Founder of Ape Law and a founding partner of Project Get Out with Stephan Roberto, Matthew Cameron and Felicity Morgan. Any legal engagement identifies the provider and agreed scope separately. ### Can Victoria’s profile tell me whether I will cease Australian tax residency? A biography cannot determine your tax position. You need advice based on your circumstances from an appropriately qualified Australian adviser, coordinated with any advice required in your destination. ### How do I enquire about planning a move? Start with Project Get Out’s fit check. Tell us where you are now, the move you are considering and the business or family decisions involved. The team can assess the appropriate next step. [Check if you’re a fit](https://www.projectgetout.com/#fit-check-open) · [Meet the founding team](https://www.projectgetout.com/about)