K&H Partners is a distinguished legal firm headquartered in Dubai, with strategically positioned offices in Cyprus (in association with Nicos Chr. Anastasiades & Partners), Armenia, and London. This international presence enables the firm to serve clients across the Middle East, Europe, the Caucasus region, and the United Kingdom with seamless, cross-border legal expertise.
Our dedicated team of highly skilled legal professionals brings more than 75 years of combined experience to every case. Our team comprises legal experts with substantial knowledge across various sectors, ensuring that we address your specific legal needs with precision. From complex mergers and acquisitions that reshape market landscapes to intricate dispute resolution matters that demand strategic litigation expertise, our attorneys navigate the full spectrum of legal challenges with unwavering professionalism. Whether structuring multi-jurisdictional corporate transactions, resolving commercial disputes through arbitration or litigation, or providing comprehensive legal counsel on regulatory compliance matters, our team leverages deep sector knowledge and cross-border experience to deliver optimal outcomes. Each case benefits from our collaborative approach, where specialists across different practice areas work seamlessly together to provide holistic legal solutions that protect our clients’ interests and advance their business objectives. We are committed to delivering bespoke legal solutions precisely tailored to meet the diverse and unique needs of our clients.
With an in-depth understanding of local laws and a comprehensive grasp of international regulations, we provide exceptional service and unmatched expertise across a wide array of legal disciplines. Our commitment is to support you comprehensively at every step of your legal journey, ensuring optimal outcomes for your most complex legal challenges.
FOUNDING PARTNER
Founding Partner
+971 4 222 0000
mohd@khpartners.ae
Jirayr Habibian is the Founding and Managing Partner of K&H Partners, bringing over 25 years of distinguished legal expertise across multiple jurisdictions. A Masters graduate of St. Joseph’s University of Beirut and member of the Lebanese Bar since 1996, he has built his reputation as a leading authority in sports law, commercial arbitration, and corporate compliance.
Prior to establishing K&H Partners, Jirayr served as Managing Partner of Matouk Bassiouny’s UAE offices, further strengthening his expertise in regional corporate law and cross-border transactions.
Between 2010 and 2014, Jirayr served as Senior Legal Advisor to the Abu Dhabi Judicial Department, where he spearheaded the development of the UAE’s sports arbitration framework. His work led to the establishment of the Sports Arbitration Center of the UAE and the opening of the alternate hearing center of the Court of Arbitration for Sports (CAS) in Abu Dhabi.
With nearly two decades of arbitration experience, Jirayr served as a panel member of CAS Lausanne from 2003 to 2019 and sat as Court Member of the ICC Court of Arbitration. His robust corporate practice encompasses complex mergers and acquisitions, cross-border transactions, and regulatory compliance matters. He has successfully negotiated and closed significant deals, including a landmark $60 million transaction in the defense sector, while his extensive compliance expertise was developed through senior leadership roles at Standard Chartered Bank, where he headed the Legal and Compliance Department for the Levant and Northern Gulf region, developing comprehensive sanctions-related policies and procedures.
Jirayr’s international profile extends through his collaboration with Squire Patton Boggs LLP as Of Counsel on sensitive corporate and sanctions matters, and his role as founding board member of the ICC National Committee Armenia. Fluent in Arabic, English, French, and Armenian, he embodies the cross-border expertise that drives K&H Partners’ success in navigating complex legal challenges across corporate, commercial, and regulatory landscapes.
JIRAYR HABIBIAN
Founding and Managing Partner
+971 4 222 0000
jirayr@khpartners.ae
Janet Abdel Massih is a Senior Associate in the Corporate and Commercial practice, advising local and international clients on complex corporate transactions, regulatory frameworks, and cross-border structuring in the United Arab Emirates. With extensive experience across life sciences, healthcare, hospitality, construction, aviation, and holding structures, she provides strategic and practical legal solutions tailored to the needs of multinational corporations, family-owned businesses, and high-net-worth individuals.
Her practice covers a broad range of corporate and commercial matters, including mergers and acquisitions, corporate structuring, joint ventures, shareholder arrangements, licensing requirements, and employment matters. She has led on the establishment and restructuring of companies in the UAE mainland and across leading free zones including JAFZA, DIFC, ADGM, DMCC, and DDA, and regularly drafts and negotiates a wide spectrum of agreements, including share purchase agreements, joint venture agreements, franchise and license agreements, management and service contracts, and constitutional documents.
Janet is also highly regarded for her work with family-owned businesses and private clients, advising on asset structuring, succession planning, and governance frameworks, with a particular focus on the establishment and operation of DIFC and ADGM foundations. She has developed particular expertise in advising clients in the life sciences and hospitality sectors, providing ongoing legal support to major international hotel groups and pharmaceutical companies on both transactional and day-to-day operational matters. Her regulatory expertise includes advising on ultimate beneficial ownership filings and sector-specific licensing regimes, and she has significant experience representing clients before UAE governmental and free zone authorities in relation to corporate approvals, licensing, document legalization, and procedural matters. She is valued by clients for her pragmatic approach, attention to detail, and ability to navigate complex regulatory frameworks with commercial awareness.
Janet is admitted to the Beirut Bar Association, and she holds a Research master’s degree in public law from Sagesse University, Faculty of Law in Lebanon, where her thesis focused on combating terrorism in public international law. She also earned a master’s degree and a Bachelor of Law from the Lebanese University, Faculty of Law and Political Science. She is fluent in Arabic, English, and French, with basic proficiency in Greek.
Janet Abdel Massih
Senior Associate
+971 4 222 0000
janet@khpartners.ae
Stuart McInnes is a seasoned litigator and a partner at K&H Partners, based in the firm’s London office. With over 40 years of experience, Stuart specializes in complex, high-value cross-border disputes. His areas of expertise include Sports Arbitration, Commercial Arbitration, Commercial Litigation, and Disputes Relating to Offshore Trusts.
In the realm of Sports Arbitration, Stuart has handled disputes arising from corporate and marketing agreements related to sports, regulatory issues, and contractual disputes between athletes and clubs. His Commercial Arbitration experience includes disputes between states and commercial entities, stakeholders, and shareholders in private companies. He has also managed cross-border claims for high-net-worth individuals, companies, and financial institutions in Commercial Litigation.
In addition, Stuart has dealt with disputes against trustees, directors, and managers arising from breaches of trust deeds and management agreements, breach of fiduciary duties, team moves, and theft of confidential information.Stuart’s impressive career includes 18 years as an arbitrator at the Court of Arbitration for Sport in Lausanne, where he presided over more than 200 effective cases. He is currently the president of the Ordinary Division of the Qatar Sports Arbitral Tribunal in Doha and sits in the Saudi Sports Arbitration Centre in Riyadh, among other arbitral courts worldwide.
Stuart was one of the 12 CAS Arbitrators, and the only UK representative, on the special ad hoc division of CAS for the London 2012 Olympic Games. He has also sat on other tribunals for major sporting events.
Before joining K&H Partners, Stuart was a managing partner of a London-based international law firm, where he was joint head of both the dispute resolution team and the sports and leisure sector team. After his tenure there, he served as a consultant at Squire Patton Boggs.
Stuart’s extensive experience includes representing an equine stud in the United Arab Emirates subject to an investigation into Equine Doping by the Emirates Racing Authority, representing the Saudi Arabian Football Federation in a dispute with the kit supplier for the Qatar World Cup, and acting for a Saudi-based company servicing the military sector in a €3 billion dispute with the government of France.
Stuart’s recognitions include testimonials from The Legal 500 UK and Chambers UK, praising him as a “great lawyer who commands respect” and an “excellent and experienced commercial litigator.” He was appointed MBE in 2006 in recognition of his charity work in the City of London.
Stuart is also a Visiting Professor to the Instituto Superior Derecho Y Economica in Madrid, where he has taught part of the world-renowned LLM Masters in International Sports Law for the past 20 years.
Stuart holds an LL.M. in International Sports Law from the University of Madrid and an LL.B. from the University of Hull. He was admitted to the bar in England and Wales in 2002.
STUART MCINNES
Partner (London)
+971 4 222 0000
Stuart@khpartners.ae
Stathis A. Lemis is a highly experienced and respected legal practitioner hailing from Cyprus. His academic journey began at Southern Illinois University in the USA, where he earned a BA in Psychology in 1988. His interest in law led him to Essex University in the UK, where he graduated with an LLB Honours degree in 1993. To further refine his legal expertise, he attended the vocational course at the Inns of Court School of Law in London from September 1993 until June 1994.
In 1995, Stathis was admitted to the Cyprus bar, and since then, he has been practicing law in Limassol, Cyprus. He holds a prominent position as one of the Managing Partners of the law firm Nicos Chr. Anastasiades & Partners. His clientele is diverse, including corporate entities, groups of companies, and high net worth individuals.
Stathis specializes in several areas of law, including Mergers & Acquisitions, International tax planning, Property Law, and Contract Law. He is particularly skilled in the Tax, Corporate, and Trust aspects of International Tax and Estate planning structures. His expertise also extends to International Escrow Agreements.
Stathis is an active member of numerous professional associations, including the Cyprus Bar Association, the International Bar Association (IBA), the International Fiscal Association (IFA), the International Tax Planning Association (ITPA), Cyprus Fiduciary Association (CFA), and the Cyprus International Business Association (CIBA). He also served for two years as a member of the Taxation and VAT sub-Committee at CIBA. Additionally, he is a member of the Cyprus Chamber of Commerce.
STATHIS A. LEMIS
Partner firm
+357 2 584 2000
Stathis@anastalaw.com
Theophanis (Phanos) Th. Philippou, based in Cyprus, is a distinguished legal expert and one of the managing partners at Nicos Chr. Anastasiades & Partners . His expertise spans a broad spectrum of areas, including International Company Law, International Tax Law, Domestic Tax Law, Contract Law, Property Law, Aviation Law, and Mergers & Acquisitions.
Phanos excels in the incorporation and advising of International Financial Companies, Forex and Crypto exchange structures, and matters related to the Cyprus Securities and Exchange Commission. His career has seen him gain extensive experience in banking law, particularly during his active involvement in the restructuring and advising of the board of Bank of Cyprus on legal matters from 2013 to 2018.
His international law career has also seen him participate in energy-related projects in the Balkan Region, Eastern Europe, and Africa. For over a decade, Phanos has managed legal matters in trading oil and gas and drafted agreements for the exploitation of offshore gas reserves.
Phanos’ academic journey in law began at the University of Sheffield in the UK, where he was awarded an LLB (Honors). He further expanded his knowledge base by studying Property Valuation and Management at Sheffield Hallam University in the UK. His diverse educational background and extensive practical experience make him a formidable force in the legal field.
I’ve removed the date of birth and replaced “highly respected” with “distinguished”. Let me know if there’s anything else you’d like to add or change!
STATHIS A. LEMIS
Partner firm
+357 2 584 2000
Stathis@anastalaw.com
