Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP
Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP and Affiliates (aka "Skadden, Arps", "Skadden" or "SASM&F") is a major corporate law firm that has its headquarters in New York City. The firm has approximately 1,750 attorneys in 21 offices. The total number of employees is nearly 4,500. With $1.33 billion, Skadden is the largest law firm in the U.S. in terms of revenue. In terms of the number of attorneys, Skadden is the third largest law firm in the United States and the eighth largest in the world. Skadden is 194th on Forbes's list of the largest U.S.-based private companies .
Key Personnel
Partners
- Joseph H. Flom was the firm's first associate and is the only living "name partner." He is recognized as a pioneer in the field of mergers and acquisitions.
- Robert C. Sheehan is the Executive Partner (equivalent to a CEO in a corporation).
- Roger S. Aaron is the senior partner in charge of all of the firm's corporate practice areas.
- William P. Frank is the firm?s national litigation legal practice leader.
Others
- Carol Sawdye is the Director of Finance (equivalent to a CFO in a corporation).
History
1948 - The firm was founded in New York by Marshall Skadden, John Slate and Les Arps.
1954 - Flom becomes a partner.
1959 - Bill Meagher joined the firm. Elizabeth Head, the firm's first female attorney was hired.
1961 - The firm's name became Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom.
1973 - The firm opened its Boston office, the firm's second.
1981 - Peggy Kerr became the first female partner.
1987 - The firm opened its first international office in Tokyo.
1988 - The firm participated in the RJR Nabisco buyout, the largest such deal to date. Partner Peter Atkins led the Skadden team, which advised the RJR board of directors as to the financial soundness of the respective bids.
2000 - New York City headquarters moved to Four Times Square.
Locations
- New York, New York (headquarters)
- Boston, Massachusetts
- Chicago, Illinois
- Houston, Texas
- Los Angeles, California
- Palo Alto, California
- San Francisco, California
- Washington, D.C.
- Wilmington, Delaware
- White Plains, New York (non-legal staff only; no attorneys)
- Beijing, China
- Hong Kong, China
- Singapore (official name is Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom (International))
- Sydney, Australia (official name is Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom (International))
- Tokyo, Japan
Practice Areas
The firm specializes in the following areas of law:
- Alternative Dispute Resolution
- Antitrust
- Asia
- Australia and New Zealand
- Banking and Institutional Investing
- Brazil
- Canada
- China
- Communications
- Complex Mass Torts and Insurance Litigation
- Consumer Financial Services Enforcement and Litigation
- Corporate Compliance Programs
- Corporate Finance
- Corporate Governance
- Corporate Restructuring
- Derivative Financial Products, Commodities and Futures
- Employee Benefits and Executive Compensation
- Energy and Project Finance
- Environmental
- Europe
- European Union
- Financial Institutions
- Financial Services
- Gaming
- Government Enforcement
- Health Care
- India
- Information Technology and E-Commerce
- Insurance
- Intellectual Property and Technology
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- International Arbitration
- International Law and Policy
- International Trade
- Investment Management
- Israel
- Italy
- Japan
- Labor and Employment
- Latin America
- Lease Financing
- Life Sciences
- Litigation
- Mergers and Acquisitions
- Patent and Technology Litigation, Prosecution and Counseling
- Political Law
- Private Investment Funds
- Privatizations
- Products Liability
- Public Policy
- Real Estate
- Russia and C.I.S.
- Securities Litigation
- Sports
- Structured Finance
- Tax
- Trademark, Copyright, Advertising and Internet Litigation and Counseling
- Trusts and Estates
- UCC and Secured Transactions
- Utilities Mergers and Acquisitions
- White Collar Crime
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Recognition and Rankings
- In the July/August issue of Corporate Board Member magazine, Skadden was named as the top corporate law firm in America, as selected in a survey of 2,152 corporate directors.
- Vault, Inc. ranked Skadden fourth on its "Top 100 Most Prestigious Firms - 2005", a survey which asked law firm associates to rank the prestige of various firms.
- Skadden's ranking on Forbes's list of America's Largest Private Companies has consistently increased over the past several years. 2003: 194th; 2002: 200th; 2001: 224th; 2000: 230th; 1999: 245th; 1998: 269th; 1997: 297th; 1996: 310th; 1995: 335th
Trivia
- "Meagher" is pronounced "mar", not "mee-gur".
- The salary for a first-year associate (i.e., fresh out of law school) is widely reported to be $140,000, not including the annual discretionary bonus.
- The firm has endorsed and financially supported John Kerry in his campaign to become president of the United States. ,
Further Reading
- Skadden: Power, Money, and the Rise of a Legal Empire, by Lincoln Caplan (ISBN 0374524246)
