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Faye Richardson is an attorney and was the acting managing partner of Specter Litt Wheeler Williams. She was appointed Special Master of Zane Specter Litt Wheeler Williams by the New York State Bar Association after Robert Zane's disbarment being the third strike in firm mismanagement, following Mike Ross' fraud and Jessica Pearson's disbarment.
History
- "You've had two managing partners disbarred in as many years, a junior partner go to prison, and if you think anybody believes that you weren't a party to that fraud, think again. [...] And when there's this much smoke, there's always fire. So if you want me gone, there's only one way to make that happen: convince me you people can be trusted to fly right."
- ―Faye Richardson
Faye is a corporate attorney who married George Richardson, taking on his surname. The two eventually became name partners at their own firm, with Faye being managing partner. After discovering that George had crossed a line, Faye had George disbarred and stripped his name from the firm. At some point after that, she left her firm and became employed by the New York State Bar Association.
After Robert Zane was disbarred after confessing to violating attorney-client privilege, the Bar began to see the firm currently known as Zane Specter Litt Wheeler Williams to have poor management, with two managing partners, Jessica Pearson and Robert Zane, having been disbarred in the span of two years along with a junior partner, Mike Ross, being convicted of fraud and sentenced to prison. After Louis Litt refused both the Bar's requests to remove Robert's name from the firm as well as to abdicate the title of managing partner to Alex Williams, the Bar had Faye take control of the firm through its Special Master provision. Threatening to suspend the law license of every partner in the firm for six months if they did not comply, Louis signed over control to Faye.[1]
The next morning, Faye walks in on a partners' meeting, announcing that she wished to meet them and criticizing the firm's management, such as how the firm had two disbarred managing partners in two years, a junior partner who had gone to prison, and that she believes Harvey was an involved party in Mike's fraud. Faye adds that if they want her gone, they would have to show her that they would stop crossing lines and fly straight, revealing that not only does she have the power to fire them, but that she can approve cases, allocate resources and do anything else she sees fit in her capacity as Special Master. Faye announces that her first order of business would be removing Robert's name from the firm name, causing Samantha Wheeler to reply that she would find dirt on Faye if Faye attempted to do so. Faye responds that this kind of thinking is the exact reason she had to take over their firm and that Samantha has no say in the matter, causing Samantha to retort that she would be leaving the firm. As she storms out, Faye informs the others that their days of operating the firm as they seem fit, likening it to the Wild West, are over.
Faye then heads to Donna's office, where she meets Katrina Bennett, and the pair share introductions. Faye asks Donna to schedule an exit interview with Thomas Kessler, stating that she finds it hard to accept that a man would fire his law firm after that firm placed his interests high enough to break privilege. True to her word, Faye goes on to removes Robert's name and officially renames the firm as Specter Litt Wheeler Williams.
Later that day, she runs into Samantha again, ordering her to drop the Lucas Hodge case, claiming that as Lucas is her friend, she would cross lines for him, and with the case involving military subpoenas, it would be a red flag. When Samantha refuses, Faye reminds her that she has approval over all new cases, although Samantha lies that she took the case and notified Harvey of it last night, knowing that Harvey would corroborate her story. Unable to make her drop the case, Faye notifies Samantha that she controls firm resources and that she would not allocate any to Samantha for a pro bono case, warning Samantha that she would have to use her own money and that she would drop Lucas herself if Samantha used firm resources, including any associates or her own expense account.
Faye goes down to Katrina's office to ask why Katrina has been listed as the attorney of record in Samantha's Lucas case, as she had explicitly told Samantha that firm resources could not be used. Katrina discloses that she worked on the case on her own time and that she would not be attending the scheduled depositions, which Faye respects since Katrina is adhering to the rules. However, Faye adds that she wanted Samantha to drop it, with Katrina stating that she is aware that Faye believes Samantha would be tempted to cross lines since the case is personal for her. Before she leaves, Faye tells Katrina that if she really wanted to help Samantha, she would help her avoid the temptation.
At the associate bullpen, Louis notifies the associates that Faye has joined them but asks them to give her a wide berth while welcoming her. Susan Carter asks to clarify whether Louis wants them to welcome Faye by avoiding, which Louis affirms. Susan then continues to ask more questions until Louis states that he is their leader and that no one likes a talker, before dismissing Susan and beginning to walk away. As he gives himself self-praise and tells the associates that it was he brought in Faye to deal with the firm's reputation, adding that Faye was reluctant, he turns around to see Faye herself. Faye sets the record straight, informing the associates that the New York State Bar installed her due to the firm's reputation of poor ethics and has Louis confirm this to them, lest he lie.
As she returns to her office later, she finds Donna sitting there. Donna informs Faye that she was in a relationship with Thomas that ended and that this led to Thomas leaving the firm; additionally, Donna adds that having an exit interview with him would reopen the wound and asks Faye if she ever had a relationship she thought would last but ended badly. Faye, sympathizing with the situation due to the circumstance with her husband, thanks Donna for telling her the truth and notifies her that she will no longer be seeking an exit interview with Thomas.
As Louis makes a prune smoothie in the associates' kitchen, Faye enters and publicly berates him for having Benjamin break the law by hacking the Bar. Louis retorts that he did not tell Benjamin to hack the Bar but that he had ordered him to do whatever it took to get Faye dismissed, while Faye lashes back that Louis in unethical, tarnishing the firm and his reputation as the other associates watch. Louis then makes his way to the IT floor. Louis reprimands Benjamin for ratting his orders out to Faye, and he tells Benjamin that he is fired, although Faye appears and tells Louis that Benjamin would not be fired; Louis then leaves after replying that he is not sticking around for Faye to publicly humiliate him for a third time. Louis heads outside the firm building and enters into his chauffeured car and finds Faye waiting there for him. She explains that she took heed of Louis' desire not to be publicly humiliated and therefore wished to have a private conversation in order to notify him that, effective immediately, she was stripping him of his title as managing partner along with all of its respective duties.[2]
The next day, Harvey storms into her office to discuss Louis' demotion. Faye explains to Harvey that she had revoked Louis' power after he had a subordinate hack the New York State Bar and then tried to fire him when he got caught. Harvey tells her that he believes Louis' statement that he had merely told Benjamin to do whatever it took and not explicitly to hack the Bar, prompting Faye to reply that there would be consequences if they did not obey her. Before storming out of her office, Harvey informs her that he would not be reporting to her. Later that night, Faye goes to Harvey's office, discovering that he is filing a lawsuit against her old firm. Since Faye is responsible for signing off and approving all new cases, she agrees so long as Harvey remains unethical, to which Harvey replies that he would do whatever it took to win. Faye then warns him that she would be monitoring him before leaving.
The next day, Faye heads to Donna's office, notifying Donna that she is now acting managing partner and that she requires a secretary. Donna initially refuses as she is now COO, claiming that resuming secretarial work would send an unflattering message, although Faye responds that she has heard Donna was the best in the firm and wants Donna to manage her files for her. Donna asks if she would get demoted if she refuses, which Faye affirms. Not wanting to receive a demotion and lose her title as COO, Donna agrees to perform secretarial duties for Faye.
Donna is handling Faye's files before deciding to head out for dinner. Faye attempts to find Donna but is unable to, and asks Gretchen to locate her. Gretchen finds Donna in the restroom and decides to take over her secretarial duties to Faye. Shortly after, Louis returns to the firm and is unable to find Gretchen, heading to the associates' kitchen. He comes across Faye, who notifies him that Gretchen is working for her temporarily sine her original candidate, Donna, pawned off the work on Gretchen.
Harvey walks into Faye's office with a record of Faye's phone calls, proving that Faye had a fifteen-minute phone call with her old law firm, believing Faye had called them to sabotage his case and have them fire Dan. Faye retorts that it was not she who called them but rather they who had called her, and adds that if they had asked her to collude, she would have reported them to the Bar. As Harvey leaves, Katrina walks to the associates' bullpen and asks Susan to come with her to see her new associate office. However, Katrina walks into Faye's office and informs Faye that Susan made a mistake in a case but admitted responsibility for her, earning Faye's respect.
Harvey meets Faye by the elevators and notifies her that he convinced Kevin Miller to buy SensaTech and rehire Dan, but that he also asked Kevin to retain the firm's original counsel in order to save face for Faye, in exchange for Faye returning Gretchen to Louis. Faye admonishes Harvey for leveraging a client for his personal interest, although Harvey replies that Kevin was okay with doing so. Harvey then tells Faye that the firm is his and not hers, although as she leaves, she points out that despite Harvey claiming he would do whatever to win, he hadn't crossed any lines while under her purview.[3]
A week later, Faye pays Katrina a visit at her office to ask her why she brought Susan to her the other day, adding that she knows Katrina didn't do so because Susan wished to owe up to her mistake. Katrina replies that she handled it as she saw fit after Faye claims Susan should have been reported. Impressed, Faye tasks Katrina with drafting a code of conduct for the firm, Katrina realizing that the partners would take it better coming from a fellow partner and not Faye herself. Katrina agrees on the condition she drafts the code as she sees fit, which Faye would not be allowed to amend; Faye would have to either accept it wholesale or refuse it, and Faye says that her condition is an indication she made the right choice in picking her.
Donna returns to the firm to find Faye waiting for her in her office. Faye tells Donna that she's aware that she and Harvey are in a relationship, and citing that 2 out of the 5 people in firm management being in a relationship causes them to have influence over the other and therefore tells Donna that she must give up her power to vote. Donna is aghast and asks why she must give her vote away and not Harvey, with Faye replying that it is because Harvey is a senior partner and a former managing partner. However, Faye offers to accept Harvey's vote in exchange for Donna's if the pair reach an agreement, stipulating that if they do not, she would choose who loses their vote.
Donna confronts Faye in her office, not wanting to lose her vote, and explains to Harvey that the two not only influence each other, but balance the other out. However, when Faye replies that individual circumstances do not matter, Donna mentions mentions Faye's ex-husband, believing it is personal for Faye since she and her ex-husband had a conflict of interest at work, adding that she and Harvey aren't them. Faye is angered that Donna mentioned her ex-husband and replies that it isn't a negotiation and that the next day she would revoke one of their votes due to the conflict of interest.
The next morning, Louis, Harvey, Alex and Samantha go to Faye's office to save Donna's vote. They all mention the interpersonal relationships they have, such as Louis naming Donna his child's godmother and Samantha having dinner at Alex's house, although Faye chalks it up to it being friendship and not a relationship and claims there is still a conflict of interest. Louis then reveal that Katrina's code of conduct has a clause that allows the name partners to waive said conflict and that they all have done so. The four also threaten to quit if she does not respect their legal rights to waive conflict, reminding her that she would have to explain to the State Bar why four name partners resigned after she did not let them do something that was their legal right.
Later that night, Faye goes up to Gretchen and asks her if she informed Donna about her personal history regarding her ex-husband, although Gretchen merely asks if Faye had spied on her to find out the truth about Donna and Harvey. Faye adds that it was painful to have the incident with her ex-husband mentioned, and Gretchen replies that it was painful for her to be taken away from Louis and that Donna found it painful to be mistreated. Faye claims she is learning things as well and apologizes, stating that she told Donna she could keep her vote and asks Gretchen whether Louis would prefer hearing it from herself or Gretchen that she could return to being Louis' secretary, and with a smile, Gretchen responds that Louis would like hearing it from Faye.[4]
Appearances
| Suits, Season 9 | |||
| #01 | "Everything's Changed" | #06 | "Whatever It Takes" |
| #02 | "Special Master" | #07 | "Scenic Route" |
| #03 | "Windmills" | #08 | "Prisoner's Dilemma" |
| #04 | "Cairo" | #09 | "Thunder Away" |
| #05 | "If the Shoe Fits" | #10 | "One Last Con" |
