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Elected Member

Muhammad
U.
Faridi

Location
New York, NY, USA
Affiliation
Linklaters Americas
Education
John Jay College
City University of New York, School of Law at Queens College

Muhammad U. Faridi is a Partner in the Litigation, Arbitration, and Investigations department at Linklaters LLP. He is a go-to litigator on matters involving disputes relating to breaches of contract and fiduciary duty, commercial real estate, structured finance transactions including RMBS and CMBS, syndicated loan transactions, alleged violations of U.S. sanctions, and international manufacturing supply chain. He has handled a wide variety of litigation matters at various stages—including trials and appeals—for large financial institutions (such as financial guarantors and hedge funds), international manufacturing conglomerates, large pharmaceutical companies, and not-for-profit organizations. His recent victories include obtaining dismissal of a lawsuit related to a business venture focused on ETFs and another lawsuit alleging breaches of subordination and management agreements related to a complex commercial real estate transaction. He has also handled sensitive internal investigations for his clients, including serving as lead counsel for a special committee charged with investigating a corporate executive. His clients have recouped billions of dollars through litigation and out-of-court settlements.

 

As a result of his work, Mr. Faridi was named a “2018 Rising Star” by the New York Law Journal and has been named to Benchmark Litigation’s “40 & Under Hotlist” of practitioners for multiple years, including as recently as 2021. Mr. Faridi was the recipient of the New York State Bar Association’s 2014 Outstanding Young Lawyer Award, highlighting his recognition by the Young Lawyers Section of the association for having rendered outstanding service to both the community and legal profession. Mr. Faridi has also received The Legal Aid Society’s Pro Bono Publico Award for multiple years, MFY Legal Services, Inc.’s Partner in Justice Award, and the Brooklyn Bar Association Volunteer Lawyers Project’s TD Bank Champion of Justice Award. Mr. Faridi was also recognized as the 2017 Law Day Honoree at John Jay College of Criminal Justice “for his outstanding commitment to the legal community.”

 

Mr. Faridi has also written extensively on commercial litigation in New York. He is the co-editor of Commercial Division Practice Guide (Bloomberg), a treatise that seeks to provide guidance on the process of litigation in the Commercial Division of the New York State Supreme Court. Mr. Faridi is also a contributor to the American Bar Association Section of Business Law's annual review of business courts in the United States. Further, Mr. Faridi is a founding contributor to the Firm’s blog, www.NYCommercialDivisionBlog.com, covering developments related to practice and case law in the Commercial Division and commercial cases in New York appellate courts. He has also made presentations before, among others, the New York State Judicial Institute.

 

Mr. Faridi is an Adjunct Professor of Law at Fordham University School of Law where he teaches commercial litigation. Prior to joining Patterson Belknap, Mr. Faridi served as a law clerk to Judge Jack B. Weinstein, Senior U.S. District Judge in the Eastern District of New York.

Member News

Traynor on Liberty, Law, and Democracy

In his essay "Liberty, Law, and Democracy: Are There Grounds for Realistic Optimism?" Michael Traynor, former President of The American Law Institute, reflects on the challenges facing American democracy amid political polarization and institutional strain. He examines threats to the balance between liberty and law, citing dysfunction across the executive, legislative, and judicial branches, while drawing on historical context and recent scholarship to frame these concerns.

Despite his sober assessment, Traynor maintains a guarded optimism rooted in America’s resilience, civic traditions, and individual potential to effect change. He highlights positive actions within the legal community, nonprofit organizations, and among engaged citizens, while outlining five practical steps Americans can take to strengthen democracy: improving civic education, demanding accountability, fostering open debate, participating in elections and local governance, and resisting simplistic solutions.

Traynor concludes that democracy is “stubborn work,” incremental, imperfect, and ongoing, but expresses confidence that Americans have the resolve to preserve it.

Read the full article The New Nationalist

Michael Traynor is senior counsel at Cobalt LLP in Berkeley California. He served as ALI President from 2000 to 2008, and as Chair of the Council from 2008 to 2011. He is also a recipient of ALI's Distinguished Service Award. Mr. Traynor is a Fellow of the American Academy of Arts & Sciences, the American Academy of Appellate Lawyers, the California Academy of Appellate Lawyers, and the American Association for the Advancement of Science.   He received the John P. Frank Outstanding Lawyer Award from the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit. He is an honorary life trustee of the Lawyers Committee for Civil Rights Under Law and of Earthjustice and a past President (1973) of the Bar Association of San Francisco.