Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom: What Law Students Should Know

Skadden is the firm that made hostile takeovers respectable. In the 1970s and 80s, while white-shoe firms refused to touch contested M&A, Joe Flom built an empire on it. That scrappy insurgent energy has faded, Skadden is now very much part of the establishment, but the breadth and scale of what they built remains unmatched by almost any competitor.

The Basics

• Vault Rank: #3
• Headquarters: New York
• US Offices: New York, Washington DC, Chicago, Los Angeles, Boston, Houston, Wilmington, Palo Alto, Miami
• Size: ~2,000 attorneys worldwide
• Global Offices: London, Brussels, Frankfurt, Munich, Paris, Beijing, Hong Kong, Seoul, Shanghai, Singapore, Tokyo, Toronto, Sao Paulo
• Starting Salary: $225,000

What They Are Known For

Skadden's roots are in M&A, and it remains one of the top M&A practices in the world. But the firm has grown far beyond deals. Litigation is massive, one of the largest litigation practices at any firm, covering securities, antitrust, white collar, IP, and government enforcement. Banking and institutional lending is a major revenue driver. Tax is quietly one of the best groups in the country.

The breadth is the differentiator. Unlike some V5 firms that focus on a narrow set of elite practices, Skadden runs a full-service platform at scale. They have roughly 2,000 lawyers across 20+ offices worldwide. This is not a boutique. It is a machine.

Regulatory and government work is also significant, particularly out of the DC office. Former government officials populate the firm's roster at all levels.

Culture and Assignment System

Skadden uses a rotation system for incoming associates, similar in concept to Cravath's. Junior associates rotate through different practice areas before settling into a permanent group. The idea is exposure, you try M&A, then maybe litigation, then maybe banking, before committing.

In practice, the rotation experience varies by office. New York runs the most structured version. Smaller offices may offer less variety simply because there are fewer groups to rotate through.

The culture is professional and meritocratic. Skadden has historically been less "white shoe" and more performance-driven than some of its V5 peers. The firm was founded by outsiders, Jewish lawyers who were excluded from the WASP firms of midcentury Manhattan, and that identity as a firm that judges you on your work product rather than your pedigree still echoes in the culture today.

Hours are high. Skadden is a demanding place. But the deal flow is consistent, the matters are significant, and the training infrastructure reflects a firm that has been onboarding hundreds of associates per year for decades.

Summer Program

Skadden runs one of the largest summer programs in BigLaw, typically bringing on 150-200 summers across its US offices. New York is the largest class by far.

The program includes rotations through practice areas, consistent with how full-time associates start. Summers get real assignments from real matters. The social events are well-funded, this is a firm with the budget to make your summer memorable.

Offer rates are consistently high, typically in the 95-100% range. Skadden needs the bodies, with 2,000 attorneys to maintain, associate hiring is an operational necessity, not a luxury.

The Skadden Fellowship is also worth knowing about. It is the most prestigious public interest fellowship in the legal profession, funding two years of post-graduation public interest work. Even if you are not interested in it personally, it tells you something about the firm's values that they created and fund the program.

Offices

New York is headquarters and where the bulk of the corporate and litigation work happens. DC is the second-largest office and has a distinct regulatory and government-facing practice. Chicago has a strong corporate practice. Los Angeles handles entertainment and West Coast deals. The rest of the US offices are meaningful but smaller.

The global footprint is real. Skadden's London office is one of the most significant American law firm outposts in the City. The Asia offices handle cross-border work for both US and local clients. If you want international exposure at a US firm, Skadden has more infrastructure for it than most competitors.

Compensation

Skadden matches the Cravath scale. $225,000 base for first-years with a $21,000 bonus. Total first-year comp: approximately $246,000.

They have always been a market-matching firm. You will not be behind your peers at any other V5 shop.

Who Should Apply

Skadden is a good fit for students who want the prestige and deal quality of a V5 firm but also want options. The breadth of the platform means you can practice almost anything here. The rotation system gives you time to figure out what you like. The global footprint means international opportunities are available without leaving for a Magic Circle firm.

If you are the type who wants a large firm that operates like a large firm, structured, resourced, with deep benches in every major practice area, Skadden delivers exactly that. It is not trying to be a boutique. It is trying to be the best version of a global full-service law firm, and it largely succeeds.