Paras Shah
Managing Partner, Kenya | Nairobi
Contact
T: +254 20 503 1600
Overview
Paras Shah is the managing partner of our Kenyan practice. He specialises in corporate and commercial law, banking and finance law, privatisations, M&A, capital markets and real estate law. He has a an LLB (Hons) from King’s College London, a Diploma in Legal Practice (cum laude) from the College of Law, UK, a Diploma in Management from Henley School of Management, UK, and a Diploma from the Kenya School of Law. He is qualified as a Solicitor in England, and an Advocate in Kenya
As part of the Firm’s senior leadership, Paras has also played an important role in building and fostering economic ties with clients and ILFs in the UK, India, Dubai, and Japan and in Africa.
He uses his 25 years of experience to get under the skin of every client he works with, to ensure his advice is always tailored to their specific needs and risk appetite. He helps his clients transform their businesses through IPOs, takeovers, listings and public-private partnership (PPP) transactions.
As Managing Partner of our Nairobi office, he directly manages teams of expert lawyers from across our offices to deliver a seamless cross-border service. Clients receive the best legal advice, delivered in a way that ensures efficiency and results.
He works with local and multinational companies, family businesses, financial institutions, state owned entities, and institutional investors. He acts as their trusted advisor working closely with them to understand their commercial needs and future objectives and guiding them locally with his vast local experience and contact base.
Clients enjoy his no-nonsense, commercial approach and his ability to provide solutions, rather than simply illustrate problems. Aurélie Pujo, Senior Partner & General Counsel at Amethis recently said: ‘Paras and the team at Bowmans give us the confidence we need to continue to expand our business. His advice is technically excellent and focused on the practicalities of getting deals done. His knowledge of our market helps us deal with the regulators, counterparties and other lawyers, and he is always available to guide us. Importantly, we also enjoy working with him – his optimistic approach means we look forward to picking up the phone!’
Experience
Jurisdictions in which transactions worked on: Dubai, Ethiopia, Germany, India, Kenya, Rwanda, South Africa, Tanzania, Uganda and United Kingdom.
Paras has advised:
- the shareholders of Wananchi Group Holdings Limited on the sale of 100% of the company to Axian Telecom Limited;
- the Holcim Group on the sale of shares in Bamburi Cement PLC, listed on the Nairobi Securities Exchange, through a mandatory take over offer;
- Amethis and Naivas in relation to the sale of a 40% stake in Kenya’s largest retail chain, Naivas to IBL;
- Safaricom PLC on its market entry into Ethiopia;
- The Government of Kenya in relation to a number of sovereign bonds and privatisations;
- Linde Group on the sale of its controlling stake in BOC Kenya Limited (a listed company);
- Allianz on its acquisition of a controlling stake in Jubilee Insurance’s general insurance business in Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, Burundi and Mauritius;
- Rubis Energie S.A.S (France) on its USD 420 million take-over of KenolKobil PLC (NSE listed), a pan-African downstream oil company and the subsequent delisting of KenolKobil PLC; and
- Tullow PLC on its upstream oil exploration project in Northern Kenya and midstream crude oil pipeline project in Kenya.
Awards
- Chambers Global have consistently recognised Paras for the past 13 years for his exceptional work in the Banking and Finance space in Kenya, most recently, as an Eminent Practitioner (2026); Band 1 for Corporate/ M&A (Kenya) (2015-2026); as an Eminent Practitioner for Real Estate (Kenya) (2026) and prior to that in Band 2 (2019-2024), as well as Band 3 for the same category (2016-2018 and 2025); and in Band 3 for his work in Projects and Energy (Kenya) (2018-2023).
- African Legal Awards awarded Paras the Partner of the Year Award for East Africa (2023).
- IFLR1000’s Financial and Corporate Guide rated Paras as a Market Leader for his work in Capital markets, Project development, Banking and M&A, particularly within the Energy, Transport, Real Estate and Social Infrastructure Sectors and prior to that as Highly Regarded in the same categories for seven consecutive years (2018-2024).
- Legal 500 ranked Paras as a Leading Partner for Banking, Finance and Capital Markets, Kenya (2016-2026) as well as Commercial, Corporate & M&A (2018 to 2026) and Real Estate and Construction, Kenya (2023-2026).
- ILO awarded Paras the Client Choice Award for corporate counsel in Kenya.
- African Legal Awards awarded Paras the Partner of the Year Award for East Africa (2023).
- IFLR1000’s Financial and Corporate Guide rated Paras as a Market Leader for his work in Capital markets, Project development, Banking and M&A, particularly within the Energy, Transport, Real Estate and Social Infrastructure Sectors and prior to that as Highly Regarded in the same categories for seven consecutive years (2018-2024).
- Legal 500 ranked Paras as a Leading Partner for Banking, Finance and Capital Markets, Kenya (2016-2025) as well as Commercial, Corporate & M&A (2018 to 2025) and Real Estate and Construction, Kenya (2023-2025).
- ILO awarded Paras the Client Choice Award for corporate counsel in Kenya.
‘Paras is very good at structuring deals and quick to come up with a solution for any challenge. He is sound both in terms of his business understanding and his legal knowledge.’ – Chambers Global, 2026
‘Paras is an adept leader of the firm in Kenya who continues to contribute greatly, not only to the Bowmans team but also to the Kenyan legal sector as a whole.’ – Chambers Global, 2026
‘Paras is simply outstanding – he’s the best partner I have worked with at any law firm. He takes charge, delivers error-free work and is not afraid to step up in deadlocks with the opposite side.’ – Chambers Global, 2026
‘Paras is a seasoned lawyer with practical solutions to complex issues and he has built a great team to support him.’ – Chambers Global, 2026
‘Paras and his team are brilliant. They have seen almost everything from an M&A perspective in Kenya and additionally have deep knowledge across a number of other disciplines.’ – Chambers Global, 2026
‘Paras Shah is a fantastic M&A lawyer.’ – Chambers Global, 2026
‘Paras Shah is one of the most commercially sound and practical lawyers in the region.’ – Chambers Global, 2026
‘Paras Shah is commercially-minded, always looking to get the deal over the line and nice to work with.’ – Chambers Global, 2026
‘Paras Shah is always available, even across time zones and under tight timelines. He worked seamlessly with international counsel and advisors, coordinating across multiple jurisdictions. He communicated clearly and concisely, making complex issues easy to digest for non-lawyers on our team.’ – IFLR1000, 2025
‘Creative solutions provided by Wathingira Gituro. Paras Shah is readily available to provide client support and pushes as quickly as possible to close on transactions.’ – Legal 500, 2025
AREA OF EXPERTISE
Qualifications
Education
- LLB from King’s College London.
- Diploma in Legal Practice (with distinction) from the College of Law in the United Kingdom.
- Diploma in Management from Henley School of Management.
- Postgraduate Diploma from the Kenya School of Law.
- Attended an executive law firm management course at Harvard Law School.
Professional Qualifications
- English-qualified solicitor;
- Advocate of the High Court of Kenya; and
- Qualified Certified Public Secretary in Kenya.
INSIGHTS
Overview
Paras Shah is the managing partner of our Kenyan practice. He specialises in corporate and commercial law, banking and finance law, privatisations, M&A, capital markets and real estate law. He has a an LLB (Hons) from King’s College London, a Diploma in Legal Practice (cum laude) from the College of Law, UK, a Diploma in Management from Henley School of Management, UK, and a Diploma from the Kenya School of Law. He is qualified as a Solicitor in England, and an Advocate in Kenya
As part of the Firm’s senior leadership, Paras has also played an important role in building and fostering economic ties with clients and ILFs in the UK, India, Dubai, and Japan and in Africa.
He uses his 25 years of experience to get under the skin of every client he works with, to ensure his advice is always tailored to their specific needs and risk appetite. He helps his clients transform their businesses through IPOs, takeovers, listings and public-private partnership (PPP) transactions.
As Managing Partner of our Nairobi office, he directly manages teams of expert lawyers from across our offices to deliver a seamless cross-border service. Clients receive the best legal advice, delivered in a way that ensures efficiency and results.
He works with local and multinational companies, family businesses, financial institutions, state owned entities, and institutional investors. He acts as their trusted advisor working closely with them to understand their commercial needs and future objectives and guiding them locally with his vast local experience and contact base.
Clients enjoy his no-nonsense, commercial approach and his ability to provide solutions, rather than simply illustrate problems. Aurélie Pujo, Senior Partner & General Counsel at Amethis recently said: ‘Paras and the team at Bowmans give us the confidence we need to continue to expand our business. His advice is technically excellent and focused on the practicalities of getting deals done. His knowledge of our market helps us deal with the regulators, counterparties and other lawyers, and he is always available to guide us. Importantly, we also enjoy working with him – his optimistic approach means we look forward to picking up the phone!’
Experience
Jurisdictions in which transactions worked on: Dubai, Ethiopia, Germany, India, Kenya, Rwanda, South Africa, Tanzania, Uganda and United Kingdom.
Paras has advised:
- the shareholders of Wananchi Group Holdings Limited on the sale of 100% of the company to Axian Telecom Limited;
- the Holcim Group on the sale of shares in Bamburi Cement PLC, listed on the Nairobi Securities Exchange, through a mandatory take over offer;
- Amethis and Naivas in relation to the sale of a 40% stake in Kenya’s largest retail chain, Naivas to IBL;
- Safaricom PLC on its market entry into Ethiopia;
- The Government of Kenya in relation to a number of sovereign bonds and privatisations;
- Linde Group on the sale of its controlling stake in BOC Kenya Limited (a listed company);
- Allianz on its acquisition of a controlling stake in Jubilee Insurance’s general insurance business in Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, Burundi and Mauritius;
- Rubis Energie S.A.S (France) on its USD 420 million take-over of KenolKobil PLC (NSE listed), a pan-African downstream oil company and the subsequent delisting of KenolKobil PLC; and
- Tullow PLC on its upstream oil exploration project in Northern Kenya and midstream crude oil pipeline project in Kenya.
Awards
- Chambers Global have consistently recognised Paras for the past 13 years for his exceptional work in the Banking and Finance space in Kenya, most recently, as an Eminent Practitioner (2026); Band 1 for Corporate/ M&A (Kenya) (2015-2026); as an Eminent Practitioner for Real Estate (Kenya) (2026) and prior to that in Band 2 (2019-2024), as well as Band 3 for the same category (2016-2018 and 2025); and in Band 3 for his work in Projects and Energy (Kenya) (2018-2023).
- African Legal Awards awarded Paras the Partner of the Year Award for East Africa (2023).
- IFLR1000’s Financial and Corporate Guide rated Paras as a Market Leader for his work in Capital markets, Project development, Banking and M&A, particularly within the Energy, Transport, Real Estate and Social Infrastructure Sectors and prior to that as Highly Regarded in the same categories for seven consecutive years (2018-2024).
- Legal 500 ranked Paras as a Leading Partner for Banking, Finance and Capital Markets, Kenya (2016-2026) as well as Commercial, Corporate & M&A (2018 to 2026) and Real Estate and Construction, Kenya (2023-2026).
- ILO awarded Paras the Client Choice Award for corporate counsel in Kenya.
- African Legal Awards awarded Paras the Partner of the Year Award for East Africa (2023).
- IFLR1000’s Financial and Corporate Guide rated Paras as a Market Leader for his work in Capital markets, Project development, Banking and M&A, particularly within the Energy, Transport, Real Estate and Social Infrastructure Sectors and prior to that as Highly Regarded in the same categories for seven consecutive years (2018-2024).
- Legal 500 ranked Paras as a Leading Partner for Banking, Finance and Capital Markets, Kenya (2016-2025) as well as Commercial, Corporate & M&A (2018 to 2025) and Real Estate and Construction, Kenya (2023-2025).
- ILO awarded Paras the Client Choice Award for corporate counsel in Kenya.
‘Paras is very good at structuring deals and quick to come up with a solution for any challenge. He is sound both in terms of his business understanding and his legal knowledge.’ – Chambers Global, 2026
‘Paras is an adept leader of the firm in Kenya who continues to contribute greatly, not only to the Bowmans team but also to the Kenyan legal sector as a whole.’ – Chambers Global, 2026
‘Paras is simply outstanding – he’s the best partner I have worked with at any law firm. He takes charge, delivers error-free work and is not afraid to step up in deadlocks with the opposite side.’ – Chambers Global, 2026
‘Paras is a seasoned lawyer with practical solutions to complex issues and he has built a great team to support him.’ – Chambers Global, 2026
‘Paras and his team are brilliant. They have seen almost everything from an M&A perspective in Kenya and additionally have deep knowledge across a number of other disciplines.’ – Chambers Global, 2026
‘Paras Shah is a fantastic M&A lawyer.’ – Chambers Global, 2026
‘Paras Shah is one of the most commercially sound and practical lawyers in the region.’ – Chambers Global, 2026
‘Paras Shah is commercially-minded, always looking to get the deal over the line and nice to work with.’ – Chambers Global, 2026
‘Paras Shah is always available, even across time zones and under tight timelines. He worked seamlessly with international counsel and advisors, coordinating across multiple jurisdictions. He communicated clearly and concisely, making complex issues easy to digest for non-lawyers on our team.’ – IFLR1000, 2025
‘Creative solutions provided by Wathingira Gituro. Paras Shah is readily available to provide client support and pushes as quickly as possible to close on transactions.’ – Legal 500, 2025
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