Ms Faiza Saeed > Cravath, Swaine & Moore LLP > New York, United States > Lawyer Profile

The corporate expertise at Cravath, Swaine & Moore LLP enables the firm to handle high-value acquisitions such as Amazon’s recent $8.45bn acquisition of MGM, closed in March 2022, in which the practice represented the acquirer. The team also frequently advises the likes of Yell Holdco Limited and Quibi Holdings on banking matters, restructurings and winding down processes. Faiza Saeed  leads the practice from New York and has extensive experience of crisis management and M&A- in a recent highlight she represented Disney in a support agreement with Third Point.

Cravath, Swaine & Moore LLP utilises its team’s familiarity with the playbook of key activist investors such as Corteva, Ancora, Corvex, Elliott, Starboard, Third Point, and ValueAct to successfully navigate campaigns when representing large conglomerates such as The Walt Disney Company. Co-head of the firm’s global M&A practice Robert Townsend focuses on all types of M&A, corporate governance matters and activist defense. The multi-disciplinary team works with clients from a diverse range of sectors such as including leisure, entertainment and gas. Mark Greene is a key practitioner and is head of the firm’s corporate department, alongside firm presiding partner Faiza Saeed, who recently led a case in which the group acted for Hasbro, Inc. in its successful proxy contest against Alta Fox Capital Management LLC.

One of the preeminent law firms in the US for transformative M&A, Cravath, Swaine & Moore LLP is regularly turned to by an impressive roster of global household name companies across an array of industries, including retail, technology, consumer goods, entertainment, energy and life sciences. Benefitting from a deep bench of antitrust experts, the New York-based firm is also well placed to advise on spin-offs and joint ventures, and fields a wealth of experience in hostile takeovers, proxy contests and shareholder activist campaigns. Presiding partner Faiza Saeed is a reference in the market, given her involvement in market-shaping M&A transactions, most notably in the media, tech and biotech spaces. Mark Greene  – head of the corporate department and the international practice – excels in cross-border M&A and private equity deals. Robert Townsend, who maintains a broad practice focused on M&A, corporate governance and activist defense, and George Schoen, who stands out for his track record in transactional work in the telecoms and media industries, are at the helm of the global M&A group. Leader of the EMEA M&A team Richard Hall is another name to note for multijurisdictional mandates. Ting Chen has taken a lead role in several high-value deals in the worlds of tech, media and entertainment spaces. Aaron Gruber and Keith Hallam are other key practitioners to note for activism defense, governance matters and M&A. Andrew Elken left the firm in August 2023.