Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP and Affiliates (typically shortened to Skadden) is an American multinationallaw firm headquartered in New York City. The firm comprises approximately 1,700 lawyers and is the fifth highest grossing law firm worldwide.[6]
In March 2025, amid the Donald Trump administration's campaign of retaliation against law firms that provided services to his political opponents, Skadden agreed to contribute $100 million of pro bono legal services to support the Second Trump administration in exchange for not being among the targets.[7] Skadden's acquiescence stood in contrast to the resistance of the great majority of the law firms targeted for retaliation that have not been intimidated and to those that even have sued against the executive order.[8]
History
The firm was founded in 1948 in New York by Marshall Skadden, John Slate, and Les Arps.[9] The same year, Joseph Flom was hired as the firm's first associate. In 1959, William R. Meagher joined the firm and its first female attorney, Elizabeth Head, was hired. In 1960, the firm's name became Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom.[9]
In 1973, the firm opened its second office in Boston.[9] In 1981, Peggy L. Kerr became the first woman to become a partner at Skadden.[10]
In 1987, the firm opened its first international office in Tokyo.[9] In 2008, together with the City College of New York, Skadden launched the Skadden, Arps Honors Program with the goal of increasing diversity in law schools and the legal profession.[11]
In November 2023, amid a wave of antisemitic incidents at elite U.S. law schools, Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom was among a group of major law firms that sent a letter to top law school deans warning them that an escalation in incidents targeting Jewish students would have corporate hiring consequences. The letter said "We look to you to ensure your students who hope to join our firms after graduation are prepared to be an active part of workplace communities that have zero tolerance policies for any form of discrimination or harassment, much less the kind that has been taking place on some law school campuses."[12]
Targeting by Trump and capitulation
As part of a large retaliatory campaign in 2025 by the Trump administration against law firms and attorneys who had represented his political opponents, Skadden became concerned that it would be targeted in an executive order.[13] In March 2025, Skadden capitulated and agreed to contribute $100 million of pro bono legal services to support the goals of the second Trump administration.[7] The legal commentary site Above the Law, widely read in the legal profession, analyzed the deal and described it as "payola".[14] U.S. Senator Sheldon Whitehouse condemned the capitulation, saying it was "pathetic when the richest and most powerful lawyers in America won’t stand up for the profession that made them rich and powerful."[15]
Key people
Unlike some firms that have introduced two-tier partnerships with equity and non-equity partners, Skadden maintains a one-tier partnership, in which all partners are equity partners and share ownership of the firm.[16] The firm has 334 partners worldwide.[17] Notable partners include:
Skadden's New York City headquarters at One Manhattan West
In 2015 and 2016, Skadden was the fourth largest law firm in the U.S. by revenue. In the 2015 Global 100 survey by The American Lawyer, Skadden ranked as the fourth-highest grossing law firm in the world.[25] In 2016, Skadden had approximately 1,700 attorneys in 22 offices;[25] in 2011, the firm had approximately 1,900 attorneys in 23 offices.[26] Measured by the number of attorneys, Skadden is the fifth largest law firm in New York and 12th largest in the United States.[25][27] In 2016, Skadden was 187th on Forbes' list of America's Largest Private Companies by revenue.[28] Previously, the firm ranked 335th[29] in 1995, 194th[30] in 2003 and 213th in 2010.[31] In 2015, Skadden became the first law firm ever to handle more than $1 trillion in M&A deals in a single year[32][33] and, for the third time in six years, the Financial Times' "Innovative Lawyers" report named Skadden the most innovative law firm in North America.[34][35]
Other work
Russia and Ukraine
Skadden has a history of representing clients with ties to the Vladimir Putin regime in Russia, such as Alfa Bank, Roman Abramovich, and to Viktor F. Yanukovych's pro-Russian regime in Ukraine. In 2020, the firm paid a $4.6 million settlement for misleading U.S. authorities regarding its lobbying on behalf of a Russia-aligned Ukrainian government.
In 2012, Skadden took as a client Viktor F. Yanukovych, who was a pro-Russian president of Ukraine from 2010 to 2014. Paul Manafort helped arrange for the hiring of Skadden.[36] One of company's actions on Yanukovych's behalf was to produce a report justifying Yanukovych's imprisonment of former prime minister Yulia V. Tymoshenko (who was pro-European) and denying that the action had been a political prosecution, although many Western countries characterized it as such. Later that year, a team of American lawyers commissioned by the government of Ukraine concluded that Tymoshenko's trial had not been fair and her rights had been violated.[37]
After Yanukovych lost power in Euromaidan and fled to Russia, Skadden's work on his behalf led to several federal investigations. One Skadden attorney, Alex van der Zwaan, was convicted of lying to the FBI about his work on Yanukovych's behalf and served 30 days in jail.[38][39] In 2019, Skadden lawyer Gregory B. Craig was indicted on charges of lying to federal prosecutors about the work he did at Skadden on behalf of the Yanukovych, but was acquitted in a jury trial.[40]
Tymoshenko made plans to sue Skadden, and in May 2020 it was revealed that Skadden had paid at least $11 million to settle the case before a lawsuit could be filed.[41]
Skadden has been involved in representing Russian groups in corporate deals worth around $90 billion.[44] Skadden has represented Alfa Bank, a Russian bank closely associated with Russian oligarchs and the Vladimir Putin regime.[45][46] After Russia invaded Ukraine in 2022 and amid heavy sanctions against Alfa Bank, Skadden said it was "in the process of ending our representations of Alfa Bank."[45] Skadden has a long-standing relationship with Russian oligarchRoman Abramovich –Skadden refused to say whether it still represented him in 2022.[45][44]
According to OpenSecrets, Skadden was one of the top law firms contributing to federal candidates during the 2012 election cycle, donating $1.98 million, 76% to Democrats.[52] From 1990 through 2008, Skadden contributed $11.93 million to federal campaigns; between 2000 and 2008 the firm spent $2.2 million on lobbying.[53]
↑ Sorkin, Andrew Ross; Mattu, Ravi; Warner, Bernhard; Kessler, Sarah; Merced, Michael J. de la; Hirsch, Lauren; Livni, Ephrat (2 November 2023). "Law Firms Warn Universities About Antisemitism on Campus". The New York Times. Retrieved 2 November 2023.
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