Muhammad Faridi Elected as President of New York City Bar Association
May, 2024 - New York, New York
On May 21, 2024, Patterson Belknap Partner Muhammad U. Faridi was elected as the 71st president of the New York City Bar Association. Mr. Faridi is the youngest person and first-ever Muslim American to serve in this role.
Mr. Faridi is a Partner in the litigation department of Patterson Belknap Webb & Tyler. He focuses his practice on complex commercial actions involving claims relating to breaches of contract and commercial torts. He also maintains an active pro bono practice, representing indigent clients across a wide variety of matters.
In February 2023, Mr. Faridi was appointed by New York City Mayor Eric Adams to serve as the independent civilian representative to the New York City Police Department's Handschu Committee, which regulates the NYPD’s policies and practices regarding investigations of political activity in compliance with consent decree. He previously served on the New York City Mayor's Advisory Committee on the Judiciary.
At the New York City Bar Association, Mr. Faridi previously served in many roles, including Vice President, Chair of the Capital Punishment Committee, and Co-Chair of the Committee on the Recruitment and Retention of Lawyers.
Mr. Faridi received his B.A., summa cum laude, from John Jay College of Criminal Justice and his J.D. from the City University of New York School of Law. He clerked for Judge Jack B. Weinstein, Senior U.S. District Judge in the Eastern District of New York, and he taught commercial litigation as an adjunct professor at Fordham University School of Law for five years. He has written extensively on commercial litigation. His writings include a treatise on the subject.
Mr. Faridi follows in the footsteps of the late Judge Robert P. Patterson, a named partner of Patterson Belknap, who served as president of the New York City Bar Association from 1948-1950.
In Mr. Faridi’s induction remarks, he highlighted three areas of particular focus for his term as New York City Bar Association president: modernizing the New York state court system; the need for more diversity in the profession; and preparing the bar association for the future generation of lawyers. Mr. Faridi said, “As I have in the past twenty years, in the next two years, I will value every moment that I walk into [this association’s building]. Now the hard work begins, and I look forward to all of you joining me in these efforts.”
"We are honored that Muhammad has been confirmed as the next New York City Bar president," said Dahlia Doumar, Patterson Belknap managing partner and co-chair. "He is an outstanding attorney and invaluable member of our firm. We look forward to seeing all that he will continue to accomplish in his new role as City Bar president."
To read the New York City Bar’s announcement of Mr. Faridi’s induction, please click here.
To read Mr. Faridi's remarks on his induction, please click here.
