With strength in sanctions advisory, international commercial arbitration, and disputes regarding statehood, the right to self-determination, and boundary delimitation, Stephenson Harwood counts both state entities and multinational corporations among its clients. Head of the practice Kamal Shah is a seasoned arbitrator with notable experience handling international arbitrations; Shah also heads the firm’s Africa and India desks. June 2025 saw the firm strengthening its international arbitration offering with the arrival of Stuart Dutson, formerly at Simmons & Simmons. Other key individuals include Charlotte Welsh, Daniel Boon, and Ellen Dixon.
Legal 500 Editorial commentary

Testimonials

Collated independently by Legal 500 research team.

  • ‘They are extremely knowledgeable, helpful, and practical in their interactions.’

  • ‘Kamal Shah is very helpful, but knows as well when to delegate whilst keeping a very good eye on the files and being there whenever we need him. We recently dealt with Ellen Dixon in a case, and Ellen proved to be very competent and client-friendly.’

  • 'A collaborative, hard-working and client-focused team. They are a client's dream.'

  • 'Kamal Shah is a senior statesman in the industry. Daniel Boon is intelligent and commercially savvy. Charlotte Welsh is brilliant - she is exactly the kind of person you want running your case.'

Key clients

  • GAIL India Limited
  • Arab Republic of Egypt
  • Nigeria National Petroleum Company Limited

Work highlights

Acting for the Arab Republic of Egypt in respect of massive sums misappropriated by the former president, Mubarak, and his allies.
Acting for GAIL (India) Limited ("GAIL"), the state-owned gas company of India, in relation to a multi-billion-dollar dispute against SEFE Marketing & Trading Singapore Pte Limited ("SM&TS") as a result of the sanctions imposed by Russia following the Ukraine war.

Practice head

Kamal Shah

Other key lawyers

Stuart Dutson; Charlotte Welsh; Daniel Boon; Ellen Dixon