Faiza Saeed, presiding partner at major firm Cravath, is a towering figure in the legal world. Amongst many accolades, the New York Times included her on its “Wall Street’s 100 Masters of the New Universe” list. In addition, the World Economic Forum designated her a Young Global Leader in 2006. American Lawyer have also named her 2020’s “Corporate Lawyer of the Year.”
Recognized as one of the leading practitioners of M&A in America, Saeed has advised many multi-billion dollar acquisitions. These include AT&T’s $109 billion acquisition of Time Warner, and Viacom’s $30 billion merger with CBS.
Faiza Saeed works her way up at Cravath
Saeed joined Cravath in 1991, a law firm founded in 1819. She then made partner in 1998, and presiding partner in 2016. Cravath consistently ranks as the #1 most prestigious law firm in the US in the Vault 100. There Saeed maintains close relationships with the chief executives of TimeWarner, Starbucks and DreamWorks. Cravath also partners with Morgan Stanley and Hasbro inc.
As the first woman in Cravath’s 200 year history to lead the firm, Saeed received considerable media attention for the appointment. The Financial Times noted her election as “a significant moment for the dealmaking industry.” In 2019, Crain’s New York Business included her on their biennial list of the “Most Powerful Women in New York.”
Saeed acts as a trustee of the New York-Presbyterian Hospital and the Paley Center for Media. A member of the highly influential think-tank the Council on Foreign Relations, Asia Society recognized her as a “game changer”. They’ve described her specifically as “a trusted advisor to chief executives and entrepreneurs and a leading dealmaker across many industries.”
Faiza Saeed settles on law
Born in California to Pakistani parents, Saeed originally dreamed of a career in music or journalism. But an interest in the emerging field of genetic engineering drew her to study molecular biology and economics at Berkeley. After her election to Phi Beta Kappa, she graduated with the highest distinction.
Saeed then decided to study at Harvard Law school, where she graduated magna cum laude in 1991. Soon after, she joined Cravath, now one of the only female leaders of a law firm in the US.
Faiza Saeed: modernizing the firm
Saeed’s experience as a female leader in her industry has inspired her to push for diversity and inclusion. Specifically, to foster a culture that incentivizes and rewards the development of talent. 2019 saw a class of new partners at Cravath made up entirely of women.
In order to promote an inclusive and collaborative workspace, Saeed vocally commits to leveling the playing field in the world of law . “Our aspiration is a partnership and a profession that reflect the full diversity of the law school population. This requires investment and commitment at every phase — from recruitment to retention to ensuring that opportunities to excel are both abundant and fairly distributed,” she says.
Most recently, Saeed has also been at the forefront of promoting a 3.5 day per week remote-working model. In response to changes in working formations during the pandemic, Saeed has published an enlightening memo outlining her new approach. It seeks to take lessons learnt during the pandemic with regards to productivity and flexibility in her workforce.
You can read Faiza Saeed’s memo here to see her characteristically innovative approach.
