Firm Profiles

In its recruitment materials, Skadden describes itself as innovative, inclusive, collaborative, and instructive.  It could add behemoth, as well.  Based in New York, Skadden has been a perennial chart-topper on The American Lawyer’s Am Law 100 list, ranking second in 2011 and 2010 after more than a decade at number one.  It was the first law firm ever to make a billion dollars in annual revenues -- a feat Skadden accomplished in 1999 -- and in 2010 it more than doubled that figure.  With nearly 2,000 lawyers (430 of them equity partners) located in 23 offices in 13 countries, Skadden represents nearly one-half of the Fortune 500 companies.

While Skadden practice areas runs the gamut, particular strengths include banking, corporate, litigation, energy, real estate, and tax.  The firm is a mergers and acquisitions powerhouse, ranking first in that category on nearly every one of The American Lawyer’s annual Corporate Scorecards.  Skadden was one of the first U.S. law firms to make a major push into China, opening a Beijing office in 1991 (today more than 60 lawyers work out of offices in Beijing, Shanghai, and Hong Kong).

For lawyers, Skadden’s culture can be decidedly old-school: long hours for junior attorneys; big rewards for those who stick around.  The firm’s 2011 profit per partner was approximately $2.3 million (12th nationwide), yet Skadden ranked just 69th in associate satisfaction that year, down from 51st in 2010.  Nor was the firm immune to the financial downturn: Staff layoffs were followed by a voluntary “Sidebar” program that gave associates the option to take a year off for one third of their annual salary.

Skadden’s high rank on The American Lawyer’s A-List -- it was number 7 in 2011 -- has historically received an assist from its commitment to pro bono and public interest work, a focus since the firm’s founding in 1948 (Les Arps served as counsel to the Waterfront Commission and Joe Flom assisted the House Ways and Means Committee).  The Skadden Fellowship Foundation provides two-year fellowships to recent law school graduates who agree to practice public interest law full time (since 1988, more than 600 fellowships have been awarded).  In The American Lawyer’s 2011 pro bono rankings, the firm recorded more pro bono hours -- nearly 200,000 -- than any other Am Law 200 firm.  There may be many words that describe Skadden’s reputation and record, but there is one that certainly doesn’t: half-hearted.

—Updated as of 1/1/12