Stephenson Harwood

Commercial litigation

Kamal is the head of Stephenson Harwood's Africa and India groups. He specialises in complex, cross-border international arbitration, litigation and fraud and asset recovery. Kamal is highly regarded by his peers and clients for his Africa and India experience, as well as in his abilities in multi-jurisdictional disputes.

He acts for governments, government entities, banks, private corporations and high net worth individuals in a range of matters including those relating to projects and infrastructure, joint ventures, banking and finance, shareholder arrangements, energy and a range of schemes commonly used to defraud individuals and corporations.

Kamal is highly ranked in the legal directories including Chambers & Partners (UK, Global and Asia-Pacific), The Legal 500 (UK and Asia-Pacific), and IFLR1000. Kamal is one of only four lawyers ranked in Band 1 for Africa-wide dispute resolution in Chambers Global 2023. They comment that "Kamal Shah is always a star performer… and is always willing to go the extra mile to find the right solutions" and that "He is an excellent litigator. His strength is project management: he is able to perfectly organise all the moving pieces in a case." (Chambers Global, Africa-wide 2023). In 2022, Chambers Global commented "Kamal Shah runs a strong East Africa practice from London. He's very well known and respected in the arbitration community" and that "He is really a leader in Africa work." (Chambers Global, Africa-wide 2022)

Chambers & Partners UK 2024 for international arbitration also praises Kamal's practice in Africa stating that he "receives strong praise for his expert handling of Africa-related disputes." Legal 500 UK 2024 for international arbitration state he "deservedly has a strong reputation." In 2023 they also described him as the "doyenne of African and South Asian disputes" and a "real star, with in-depth knowledge of commercial disputes involving Africa and elsewhere."

He was named as a leading international arbitration practitioner in Who's Who Legal: Future Leaders 2017 - 2022 for arbitration and has been recognised in Africa’s 30 Arbitration Powerlist 2020 and The Legal 500's GC Private Practice Powerlist for arbitration and Africa in 2022. Kamal is also recognised in the Lawdragon Global Litigation 500 list that features attorneys who specialise in international arbitration.

Kamal has also been listed in India Business Law Journal's top 100 international lawyers for India-related matters for the last six years, along with being recognised as a 'Leading Cross Border (India Desk) Lawyer' at the Legal Era's Global Achievers Awards 2022. Chambers & Partners Asia Pacific guide lists Kamal as a key contact for India Dispute Resolution and the Legal 500 Asia Pacific guide quotes "Kamal Shah heads their India group and is a great litigator."

In addition to being a LCIA Court Member, Kamal is currently the President of the LCIA African Users Council. Kamal co-published the text of the ‘African Promise’, which seeks to tackle the under-representation of Africans on international arbitration tribunals. He is also the co-author of the leading text "Arbitration in Africa: A Review of Key Jurisdictions". Kamal was named joint winner of 'Mentor of the Year' at the African Arbitration Association Awards 2020.