Zia Mody
Zia Mody is one of the founding partners of AZB & Partners.
Born in Bombay, as the oldest child and only daughter of Soli Sorabjee, India's former attorney general, Mody always knew she wanted to be a lawyer. She felt she "got a bit lucky" when her mother, whom she describes as the decision-maker, insisted her younger brother become a doctor.<ref> to India </ref>
Rebellious and argumentative, only Zia followed her father’s footsteps. “She was hard working. Always a topper,” says Hormazd, eight years her junior. After a law degree from the University of Cambridge and an LLM from the Harvard Law School in 1978, Zia worked with the world’s largest law firm, Baker & McKenzie, in New York until 1983. In 1984, she returned to Mumbai, married neighbour and long-time beau Jaydev (a realtor and owner of Delta Corp) and started her own law firm — grandiosely named Chambers of Zia Mody (CZM)<ref>Art of the Deal</ref>
How Zia’s CZM and Ajay’s ABC became AZB is a tale driven by circumstances, the need to expand, and fate. The three of them — Ajay, Zia and Bahram — had all earned their spurs in their respective capacities.
Zia Mody's primary practice consists of M&A, Private Equity, Securities Laws, BPO related work and Litigation. She has practiced in the Indian Courts for over 15 years as Counsel. She has also advised several International and Indian clients in significant M&A transactions.
Zia is a bit of a super woman, agree her colleagues, clients and even rivals. Her drive and attention to detail have played no small part in propelling AZB to the top of the charts in the rarefied world of corporate M&As.
Apart from her commitment to the legal practice Mrs. Mody is also a committed Baha'i by religion and serves as a member on various Baha'i organizations and Baha'i sponsored NGOs in the field of education and empowerment of rural women.
Achievements
- Business Today listed Mody as one of the 25 most powerful business women in India several times since September 2004.
- She is a recipient of the Financial Express Knowledge Professional of the Year Award.
- She was also named one of India's 100 Most Powerful CEOs by The Economic Times in 2004 and 2006.
- She is also the recipient of the Economic Times Awards for Corporate Excellence as the Businesswoman of the Year, 2010. The awards are given out every year and are seen as the foremost authority in recognizing excellence in the Indian corporate market.<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref>
- The American Lawyer has identified Zia Mody as being one of ‘country’s leading stars’.
- She has been featured in Asian Legal Business’ 2009 edition as one of Asia’s top 25 M&A Lawyers.
- The Asia Pacific Legal 500 & Chambers Global has ranked Zia Mody as among the leading individuals in the Merger & Acquisition sector, Private Fund, Private Equity, Litigation and Infrastructure Sectors.
- AZB & Partners was nominated as the best Indian National Law Firm 2006 by the International Financial Law Review and received the National Law Firm of the Year Award for India from The Chambers Asia Awards 2010.
Related pages
References
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