Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom

Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP and Affiliates
Company type	Limited liability partnership
Industry	Legal services
Founded	1 January 1948; 78 years ago in New York City, United States
Founder	Marshall Skadden, John Slate, Les Arps
Headquarters	New York City, United States
Area served	Global
Key people	Patrick B. Fitzgerald, Fred T. Goldberg, Jr., Mark N. Kaplan, Michael Leiter, Stephen C. Robinson
Products	Legal services
Owner	Partners (334 equity partners)
Number of employees	Approximately 1,700 attorneys (2016)
Website	www.skadden.com

Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP and Affiliates (commonly referred to as Skadden) is a global law firm based in New York City. With a workforce of around 1,700 attorneys, it ranks as the fourth highest revenue-generating law firm in the United States.

History

Established in 1948 in New York by founders Marshall Skadden, John Slate, and Les Arps, the firm welcomed Joseph Flom as its inaugural associate that same year. In 1959, William R. Meagher joined the team, coinciding with the hiring of the firm's first female lawyer. The firm's official name was revised to Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom in 1960.

As part of its international growth strategy, Skadden inaugurated a second location in Boston in 1973 and expanded overseas by opening an office in Tokyo in 1987. Peggy L. Kerr broke new ground as the firm's first female partner in 1981.

In 2008, Skadden launched the Skadden, Arps Honors Program in collaboration with City College of New York to promote diversity within legal education and the profession.

In November 2023, following a surge in antisemitic incidents at prominent U.S. law schools, Skadden joined other leading law firms in issuing a letter to top law school deans. The correspondence highlighted concerns that such discriminatory events could influence corporate recruitment decisions and reaffirmed a strict policy against discrimination and harassment within workplace environments.

Trump administration scrutiny (2025)

During 2025, as part of a retaliatory initiative by the Trump administration targeting law firms representing his political adversaries, Skadden faced potential inclusion on an executive order list. To circumvent this designation, Skadden agreed to contribute $100 million worth of pro bono legal services aligned with the administration’s objectives. This decision sparked considerable debate among legal professionals and political commentators.

Key people

Skadden follows a single-tier partnership structure where all 334 partners hold equity stakes and share ownership of the firm. Distinguished partners include:

Patrick B. Fitzgerald, former U.S. attorney for the Northern District of Illinois and special counsel for the Department of Justice during the Valerie Plame case
Fred T. Goldberg, Jr., ex-commissioner of Internal Revenue and former assistant secretary for tax policy at the U.S. Treasury
Mark N. Kaplan, past CEO of Drexel Burnham Lambert and Engelhard
Michael Leiter, previous director of the National Counterterrorism Center
Stephen C. Robinson, former federal district judge for the Southern District of New York and ex-U.S. attorney for the District of Connecticut

Rankings

In both 2015 and 2016, Skadden was ranked as the fourth largest U.S.-based law firm by revenue and held the position as the fourth highest grossing firm worldwide according to The American Lawyer. By 2016, it employed roughly 1,700 lawyers across 22 offices—a decrease from nearly 1,900 attorneys in 23 offices back in 2011. In terms of attorney headcount, it ranked fifth largest in New York and twelfth nationally. That year also saw Skadden placed 187th on Forbes list of America's Largest Private Companies by revenue, marking an improvement from its 335th spot in 1995 and around 200th during the early 2000s.

Notably, in 2015 Skadden became the first law firm to surpass $1 trillion in merger and acquisition deal value within a single year, highlighting its commanding presence in corporate transactions. The firm's strategic focus on innovation has earned it repeated recognition as North America’s most innovative law firm over six years in the Financial Times "Innovative Lawyers" rankings.

Russia and Ukraine

Skadden has provided legal services to clients associated with Vladimir Putin’s administration, such as Alfa Bank and Roman Abramovich, as well as the pro-Russian government led by Viktor F. Yanukovych in Ukraine. In 2020, the firm agreed to pay $4.6 million to settle allegations of misleading U.S. authorities regarding its lobbying activities on behalf of the Ukrainian government.

In 2012, Skadden was retained to assist Yanukovych, then Ukraine’s president, with Paul Manafort playing a key role in facilitating this contract. The firm authored a report that justified Yanukovych’s detention of former prime minister Yulia Tymoshenko, a move widely criticized by Western nations as politically driven. Later inquiries determined Tymoshenko’s trial lacked fairness.

After Yanukovych was removed from power amid the Euromaidan protests, Skadden’s involvement prompted federal investigations. Attorney Alex van der Zwaan was convicted for providing false statements to the FBI about his participation and served a 30-day prison sentence. In 2019, Skadden attorney Gregory B. Craig faced indictment but was ultimately acquitted concerning his work for Yanukovych. Tymoshenko intended to pursue legal action against Skadden; however, the firm settled for no less than $11 million in 2020 prior to any lawsuit filing.

Together with Mercury Public Affairs and the Podesta Group, Skadden was scrutinized by the U.S. Attorney's Office over potential violations of lobbying laws tied to former Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort. The firm consented to a $4.6 million settlement with the Department of Justice for failing to register as a foreign agent under the Foreign Agents Registration Act (FARA).

Skadden has represented Russian clients in corporate transactions totaling nearly $90 billion, including Alfa Bank, which is closely connected to Russian oligarchs and Putin’s government. Following Russia’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine and subsequent sanctions imposed on Alfa Bank, Skadden announced it would cease its representation of the bank. The firm also maintains a longstanding association with oligarch Roman Abramovich but declined to confirm any ongoing legal representation in 2022.

Political donations

Partners and employees at Skadden have mainly supported Democratic candidates. The firm backed John Kerry during his 2004 presidential bid and organized a phone bank for Barack Obama’s 2008 campaign. According to OpenSecrets data, Skadden ranked among the top law firm donors in the 2012 election cycle, contributing $1.98 million with approximately 76% allocated to Democratic candidates. Between 1990 and 2008, Skadden donated $11.93 million to federal campaigns and expended $2.2 million on lobbying efforts from 2000 through 2008.

Prominent affiliations with the firm

Amelia Boone, obstacle racing champion and Spartan Race World titleholder
Bruce M. Buck, chairman of Chelsea Football Club
Gregory B. Craig, former White House counsel under President Barack Obama
William Daly, Deputy Commissioner of the National Hockey League
George B. Daniels, judge for the U.S. District Court in the Southern District of New York
Robert Del Tufo, ex-New Jersey attorney general and U.S. attorney
John Feerick, former dean at Fordham University School of Law
Joseph Flom, founding name partner
Chip Flowers, Delaware state treasurer and co-chair of National Democratic State Treasurers
Greg Giraldo, attorney turned stand-up comedian
Keith Gottfried, previous general counsel for the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development
Jamieson Greer, trade official during President Donald Trump’s administration
Natasha Hausdorff, British barrister and international analyst
Laura Ingraham, Fox News host of The Ingraham Angle
Merit Janow, past dean of Columbia University School of International and Public Affairs
Helene L. Kaplan, former chairperson of Carnegie Corporation of New York
Mark N. Kaplan, ex-CEO of Drexel Burnham Lambert and Engelhard
Judge Judith S. Kaye, longest-serving chief judge of New York Court of Appeals (1993–2008)
Robert Lighthizer, former United States trade representative (2017–2021)
Finbarr O'Neill, former CEO at J.D. Power, Hyundai Motor America, and Mitsubishi Motors North America
Robert S. Pirie, co-chairman and CEO at Rothschild North America; senior managing director at Bear Stearns; vice-chairman at SG Cowen Securities
Douglas Rediker, executive chairman at International Capital Strategies; formerly U.S. alternate executive director at IMF
Irving S. Shapiro, past CEO of DuPont
Isaac Shapiro, former president of Japan Society
John Slate, founding name partner
Mary L. Smith, principal deputy director at Indian Health Service; former DOJ official; nominee for assistant attorney general in Tax Division
Leo Strine Jr., chief justice of Delaware Supreme Court (2014–2019); previously Chancellor and Vice-Chancellor of Delaware Court of Chancery
Robert W. Sweet, judge for U.S. District Court, Southern District of New York (1978–2019)
William H. Timbers, former judge on U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit and U.S. District Court for District of Connecticut
Alex van der Zwaan, attorney implicated in investigation concerning Russian interference in 2016 U.S. elections
Stephen Vaughn, former acting United States trade representative and general counsel at USTR
Harold M. Williams, past chairperson of the Securities and Exchange Commission (1977–1981)

External links

Skadden Fellowship Foundation