Curtis Announces Dual Promotion to Partner and Counsel in Dubai

Curtis, Mallet-Prevost, Colt & Mosle LLP is pleased to announce the elevation of Philippe Habib to partner and Ashley Connick to counsel, effective June 1, 2025.

These strategic promotions underscore the firm's sustained commitment to expanding its capabilities across key practice areas in the Middle East, particularly strengthening its corporate, commercial and advisory offerings throughout the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) region.

“Philippe has demonstrated excellence in advising the firm’s most important clients, particularly in the dynamic area of mergers and acquisitions. This step up to join the partnership is much deserved recognition for the trust his clients have placed in him, his strength in critical corporate sectors deals, and reflects our firm's unwavering commitment to excellence in client service,” said Dubai Managing Partner, Jeremy Miocevic.

Miocevic added, "Ashley has consistently proven himself to be a promising and versatile lawyer, and clients value his commitment and practicality. We look forward to his continued contributions as he further develops his own practice and enhances our corporate advisory capabilities."

Both Mr. Habib and Mr. Connick are recommended by Legal 500 for commercial, corporate and M&A work in the United Arab Emirates.

Philippe Habib, Partner

Mr. Habib brings extensive experience in mergers and acquisitions, joint ventures, corporate reorganizations, and equity and debt capital market transactions. His sectoral expertise spans diverse industries, with particularly prominent recent work in the agriculture and port services sectors. Mr. Habib recently served as counsel on two high-profile acquisitions for Al Ain Farms that resulted in a landmark consolidation of leading dairy and poultry businesses, creating the largest integrated entity in the UAE region.

His work on acquisitions, disposals, joint ventures and capital markets transactions extends throughout the Gulf Cooperation Council countries and cross-border across the EMEA region. Admitted to practice in Florida, USA and the UAE, and trilingual in Arabic, French and English, Mr. Habib provides sophisticated cross-border advisory services on complex transactional matters to his global clientele. He also brings valuable in-house perspective, having previously worked at a multinational and diversified family-owned conglomerate.

Mr. Habib earned his Bachelor of Arts degree with honors from New York University and his JD from Florida State University.

Ashley Connick, Counsel

Mr. Connick has spent more than a decade in the UAE advising on a spectrum of complex domestic and cross-border matters including mergers & acquisitions, private equity, venture capital, and joint venture transactions, while also continuing to provide counsel and assistance to his clients during the ongoing operation of their businesses, advising on all manner of commercial agreements and regulatory navigation. Mr. Connick’s background, which includes time spent in-house with a family-owned conglomerate and on secondment to a regional mega-project, allows him to deliver commercial and pragmatic advice that aligns legal solutions with clients' strategic business objectives.

While maintaining a broad practice, Mr. Connick has a particular interest in the healthcare and education sectors, where he has developed specialized knowledge of the unique regulatory and commercial considerations these industries present. Mr. Connick has been an integral part of Curtis teams advising on significant regional transactions including the acquisition of one of the UAE’s leading dermatological clinics by the healthcare arm of a Dubai-headquartered investment company.

Admitted to practice in England & Wales and the UAE, Mr. Connick holds a Bachelor of Laws from the University of Law (formerly the College of Law), and a Bachelor of Arts in European Parliamentary Studies from the University of Leeds.

Growing Middle East Presence

These hires build on Curtis’ strategic expansion in the Middle East, recently relocating Middle East stalwart Serena Boscia Montalbano (admitted in DIFC) from London, and Mohannad El-Murtadi Suleiman (admitted in DIFC and ADGM) from New York. In 2024, the firm welcomed Victoria Mesquita, a highly regarded finance lawyer known for developing and implementing complex investment solutions in the region. The Dubai office was previously strengthened by the additions of corporate partner Julien Hansen and counsel Mikhail Bychikhin. The firm also received a license to practice law as a foreign firm in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia in 2024, further cementing its regional capabilities.