Fara Tabatabai

Fara Tabatabai is a litigation partner in Hughes Hubbard & Reed’s New York office who represents companies facing complex, high‑stakes disputes in the U.S. and abroad. She is trusted by clients across multiple industries to manage risk, develop winning litigation strategies, and achieve results in bet‑the‑company litigation involving commercial, products liability, and antitrust matters, including domestic and international arbitration. Her experience includes serving as lead counsel in complex matters before U.S. courts and domestic and international tribunals.

A core focus of Fara’s practice is mass disputes, including class actions and consolidated multi‑district litigation. She is also highly experienced in cross‑border litigation and has advised clients on some of the most significant international proceedings to come before U.S. courts and arbitration tribunals. Notably, she acted as counsel to the European debtors of the Nortel Networks enterprise in the first U.S.–Canadian cross‑border trial in history.

Fara’s work has been consistently recognized by leading legal and business publications for both excellence and impact. She was named a Law360 “Rising Star” in International Arbitration (2023), a Profiles in Diversity Journal “Woman Worth Watching” (2021), one of Crain’s New York Business’s “Notable Women in Law” (2020), and a New York Law Journal “Rising Star” (2019).  She has also been repeatedly recognized in the Legal 500 as a recommended practitioner in Products Liability, Mass Torts, and Class Action Defense.

Fara brings proven leadership and perspective to her client work through service in prominent professional and civic roles. She was selected to participate in the David Rockefeller Fellows Program through the Partnership for New York City (2024), reflecting her role as a legal industry leader. She served multiple terms as President of the Iranian American Bar Association’s New York Chapter and as a member of Iranian American Bar Association’s National Board, was selected as a Fellow of the Leadership Council on Legal Diversity (2020), and previously served on the Corporate Leadership Committee of the New York Women’s Foundation.

In addition to her commercial practice, Fara is deeply committed to pro bono service in matters that create meaningful client and community impact. She has received multiple awards for this work, including two Legal Aid Society awards for her role in impact class action litigation against New York State that expanded housing subsidies for thousands of low‑income New Yorkers, and a Commitment to Justice Award for representing immigrant clients through Her Justice, an organization dedicated to serving low‑income women.