SAIMA ZAFAR
London,UK
Summary
Newly qualified solicitor (England & Wales, 2026) with over five years’ experience across competition and antitrust law and closely related regulatory investigations, including substantial hands-on work on cross-border merger control, US HSR filings, and foreign investment / national security regimes at Paul, Weiss and leading international practices. Operate at early-associate level, with responsibility for coordinating multi-jurisdictional filings, working closely with partners and the Paul, Weiss US antitrust team, and contributing to client memoranda, briefing and speaking notes, and client-facing publications. Bring a civil-law background and native German fluency, with strong experience handling foreign-language materials and complex cross-border regulatory matters.
Overview
9
9
years of professional experience
2035
2035
years of post-secondary education
Work history
Antitrust Paralegal (Future Associate)
PAUL, WEISS, RIFKIND, WHARTON & GARRISON LLP
London
2024.04 - 2026.03
- Core member of the London antitrust team, supporting partners on global merger control, US HSR, and foreign investment matters for private equity and strategic clients.
- Sole London-based team member on US HSR filings, coordinating directly with the Paul, Weiss US antitrust team on UPE analysis, transaction structure, filing strategy, and timing.
- Lead and support Transaction-related Documents (TdR) review for HSR filings, including coordinating collection, reviewing materials for responsiveness, identifying competitively sensitive content, and supporting privilege and redaction decisions.
- Manage multi-jurisdictional filings across the UK, EU, US, Canada, EEA, and selected Middle Eastern and Asian jurisdictions, including preparation, submission, and responses to RFIs.
- Support foreign investment and national security matters, including UK NSIA and CFIUS-related analyses, assisting with research, data collection, and drafting of filing materials.
- Contribute to client memoranda, briefing and speaking notes, and assist with client-facing publications and internal know-how (including research, drafting support, cite-checking, and formatting).
- Conduct substantive antitrust and regulatory research, including jurisdictional threshold analysis, precedent review, and enforcement trend monitoring.
- Regularly utilise AI-assisted legal tools (Harvey, Microsoft Copilot) to support legal research, drafting, and document review, with lawyer review and final responsibility retained.
- Selected Internal Training & Knowledge Sessions (Paul, Weiss): EU & international merger filing formalities; multi-jurisdictional filing assessments for private-equity continuation vehicles; foreign investment & UK NSIA training; Europe antitrust team training; associate development training; Knowledge & Innovation / AI training (Harvey and Copilot).
Antitrust Paralegal
HERBERT SMITH FREEHILLS LLP
London
2019.04 - 2024.04
- Supported regulatory investigations and litigation matters across the UK, EU, US, Middle East, and Asia within large cross-border teams, with competition aspects arising in the context of investigations rather than standalone advisory work.
- Conducted comprehensive document and database searches and in-depth legal and factual research primarily in support of regulatory and litigation investigations, including large-scale factual investigations and document-heavy matters.
- Summarised pleadings and key legal documents to support internal analysis and client reporting.
- Drafted professional correspondence with local counsel and third parties.
- Proofread and sense-checked submissions and supporting materials prior to filing.
- Participated in cross-jurisdictional team meetings and assisted with coordination across jurisdictions.
- Monitored live actions using weekly trackers and drafted initial versions of bi-weekly client reports, summarising key developments and next steps.
Litigation Paralegal
FRESHFIELDS BRUCKHAUS DERINGER LLP
London
2017.03 - 2019.04
- Worked on complex litigation and regulatory investigations (non-competition) involving multiple jurisdictions.
- Reviewed and analysed high-volume datasets, disclosure, and trial bundles.
- Performed advanced document review and redactions.
- Translated German-language expert reports and assisted with supervision and quality control of junior reviewers.
- Acted as a quality checker, reviewing work product for accuracy and consistency, and trained and mentored new team members on document review processes and best practices.
Education
Solicitor - England & Wales
Solicitors Qualifying Examination - undefined
Graduate Diploma in Law - undefined
BPP University
2018.01 - 2020.01
Master of Laws - International Private Law
University of Hamburg
Germany 2005.01 - 2006.01
LLB - undefined
University of Hamburg
Germany 1999.01 - 2005.01
LANGUAGES
German – Native
English – Working proficiency
Urdu / Hindi – Working proficiency
Spanish – Basic
Timeline
Antitrust Paralegal (Future Associate)
PAUL, WEISS, RIFKIND, WHARTON & GARRISON LLP
2024.04 - 2026.03
Antitrust Paralegal
HERBERT SMITH FREEHILLS LLP
2019.04 - 2024.04
Graduate Diploma in Law - undefined
BPP University
2018.01 - 2020.01
Litigation Paralegal
FRESHFIELDS BRUCKHAUS DERINGER LLP
2017.03 - 2019.04
Master of Laws - International Private Law
University of Hamburg
2005.01 - 2006.01
LLB - undefined
University of Hamburg
1999.01 - 2005.01