Keystone Law welcomes five new partners

Keystone Law has announced the appointment of five new partners across its International Arbitration, Property, and Professional Discipline & Regulatory teams. The arrival of Ben Knowles, Milena Szuniewicz-Wenzel, Ian Hopkinson, Elliot Chontow, and Sheetul Sowdagur will bolster the experience and expertise of their respective teams.

James Knight, Founder and CEO of Keystone Law, said:

“We are delighted to welcome five outstanding partners to Keystone. Ben, Milena, Ian, Elliot, and Sheetul’s expertise across international arbitration, property, and professional discipline & regulatory work strengthens our client offering and the firm’s continued growth.”

The new appointments are:

Ben Knowles – International Arbitration

Ben advises on high-value, complex international disputes alongside transactional experience in the oil and gas sector. He has a particular focus on Middle-East-related matters, advising clients from across the region.

His clients include governments, state entities, including National Oil Companies, venture capital investors, and large corporates. Ben has advised investor clients on numerous shareholder disputes, particularly in fintech and neo banking, with significant emphasis on Saudi-related investments. He also advises on public international law, especially as to recognition of states and state entities and has represented clients from more than 40 countries and on six of the seven continents.

Ben was a Partner at Clyde & Co. and Chair of its International Arbitration group.

Milena Szuniewicz-Wenzel – International Arbitration

Milena advises on large-scale, high-value and complex disputes across multiple jurisdictions, acting for states, national energy companies, insurers, traders and multinational corporates. She has also advised and represented the Government of Yemen.

Her practice spans a broad range of sectors, with a particular strength in energy, telecommunications, trade and commodities, pharmaceuticals, transportation, and infrastructure. She has specific expertise in Production Sharing Agreements (PSA), advising on disputes arising throughout the entire lifecycle of PSA arrangements in the oil and gas sector.

Milena was also a Partner at Clyde & Co. before joining Keystone.

Ian Hopkinson – International Arbitration

Ian has extensive experience representing and opposing states and state-owned entities, national oil companies, and state authorities, particularly in disputes arising from production sharing agreements, infrastructure projects, and regulatory frameworks. He regularly appears as an advocate at international arbitration hearings in London, and abroad.

He often represents trading entities in arbitration proceedings concerning the international sale and purchase of oil products, minerals, biofuels, steel and other commodities, and has experience in disputes concerning infrastructure projects, telecommunications, pharmaceuticals, and information technology.

Ian was also a Partner at Clyde & Co. before his move to Keystone.

Elliot Chontow – Commercial and Residential Property

Elliot is a real estate property partner specialising in high-value property transactions. He advises on acquisitions, disposals, restructurings, and refinancings, and acts for a broad client base including investors, first-time buyers, lenders, high-net-worth individuals, and family offices.

Elliot has particular expertise and regularly acts on prime and super prime residential property transactions in Central London, as well as country estates. Elliot also advises on the management of residential flats and landlord and tenant matters both on residential and commercial portfolios and undertakes significant work for developers involved in new-build and mixed-use schemes.

Elliot was a Solicitor at Macfarlanes before he joined the firm.

Sheetul Sowdagur – Professional Discipline & Regulatory

Sheetul specialises in regulatory, professional discipline, employment, and reputation management matters. She represents individuals, businesses, and public bodies on advisory, contentious, and enforcement issues. She has particular expertise in regulatory referrals, disciplinary proceedings, employment disputes, and appellate litigation.

She acts in High Court proceedings, particularly in judicial review and regulatory appeals, and is experienced in interim applications and complex public law challenges.

Prior to joining Keystone, Sheetul was a Legal Director at didlaw.