This New York top dog has cemented itself as a big corporate & transactional player on the world stage by looking for “diamonds in the rough.”
Skadden Lateral Profile 2024
Looking for a New York giant that’s scaled its way to the top of the BigLaw beanstalk? Call off the search! You’ll be glad to hear we found it, although Skadden is a Big Friendly Giant if we’ve ever seen one. With an international presence across Europe, Asia and the Americas, Skadden’s all-encompassing footprint has made quite the impression, not only on the legal market, but on aspiring associates too. “Skadden is a very powerful brand,” one noted when asked why they joined the firm, with another calling it “a market leader – one of the top firms in a number of aspects.”
View the firm’s Chambers USA rankings
Read the firm’s Inside View feature on junior associate life
Why did you join your firm? Associates say…
“It is a safe place to try new things, fail, get feedback, learn, and try again.”
“For a Big Law firm, the office genuinely has a small-firm family atmosphere.”
“That most of the staff had been there for a long time. This to me meant that the firm takes care of its people.”
Career Development & the Path to Partnership
|
24 |
2.8 : 1 |
67% |
||
|
partners made in 2023 |
associate : partner gearing |
of associates intend to make partner |
||
|
68% |
45% |
83% |
||
| felt partnership was achievable for attorneys with children | felt partnership was achievable at the firm | agreed partners are nurturing future leaders |
||
Hours & Compensation
|
1,800 |
11.3 |
48.9 |
|
billable hours |
average number of vacation days associates took in one year |
average number of hours associates worked in one week |
|
61% |
79% |
84% |
| agreed they had a good work-life balance |
said the benefits package makes the workload worthwhile |
found the bonus allocation fair and transparent |
Salaries
1st year: $215,000
*The firm did not disclose its salaries beyond this point.
Is Skadden the right firm for you?
|
92% |
97% |
87% |
|
were happy in their current role |
agreed the work is interesting |
felt comfortable being themselves at work |
Here's what survey respondents had to say about the firm's culture...
“In my office particularly, the camaraderie really stands out to me. It seemed as if everyone worked really hard on interesting matters and client work, but actually enjoyed being in the office and seeing each other.”
“Everyone is extremely gregarious and outgoing. We all like each other here, and I have made some good friends here.”
“Everybody is very social, well-adjusted, and easy to get along with in a way that other firms don’t appear to be.”
Diversity, Inclusion & Wellbeing
|
81% |
|
reported diverse staffing on teams/cases/matters |
The view from the firm: Attorney and professional staff well-being is a firm priority. Skadden is committed to creating a culture and tone that supports mental health and overall well-being. Our Live Well/Work Well platform offers robust resources and training that focuses on four spheres: emotional, financial, physical and social. Skadden continues to be a signatory to the ABA Well-Being Pledge highlighting our dedication to improving well-being not only within the firm but across the legal industry. Select initiatives include:
- A robust well-being onboarding program for new associates including expert-led sessions in all our four spheres of focus: physical, emotional, financial and social.
- Confidential access to Lyra, a mental health and well-being platform with intelligent matching technology and concierge support. The platform quickly connects members to an exclusive network of evidence-based providers.
- Virtual global workshops and seminar series, including Mental Health Awareness, Substance Use Awareness, Work & Family Month and Sleep Awareness.
- Behavioral Health First Aid Training for managers and leaders to raise mental health awareness and provide guidance on handling mental health related challenges.
- A Leading Lawyers series facilitated by psychologists supporting junior and mid-level attorneys learning to proactively manage mental health and well-being challenges throughout their career and developing skills as future leaders in the legal profession.
- Ongoing virtual Mindful Mondays program and keynote sessions from leading experts in the fields of mindfulness, neuroscience, meditation and self-compassion. To foster a deeper awareness across the Firm of the science behind mindfulness and the benefits of practice, we developed and launched a Mindfulness Champions program. This program aims to cultivate a global mindfulness community amongst all Skadden offices. Champions attend trainings where they practice mindfulness and learn how it can be applied to different aspects of their lives — personal, professional, community and beyond.
Pro Bono
|
128.5 |
99% |
|
average pro bono |
agreed the firm is committed to pro bono |
Pro bono highlights: Skadden’s Immigration Project (immigration); Legal Services NYC (eviction protection); The Innocence Project (wrongful conviction); The Bronx Defenders (responsible policing/government misconduct); Skadden’s Los Angeles and Palo Alto Impact Project (cyber-crimes, hate crimes, and sex crimes – LegalRights+C8 and Obligations).
Sustainability & CSR
The view from the firm: At Skadden, we are committed to helping mitigate the severe consequences of climate change by decreasing the impact of our global operations and partnering with our clients, vendors and communities to support positive change in sustainability practices. Additionally, we are dedicated to providing pro bono legal services to nonprofit organizations leading the effort to protect the planet. Skadden aims for a 50% reduction in our carbon footprint (Scopes 1 and 2) by 2030. We intend to reach this goal by remaining actively engaged in sustainability efforts and working closely with experts to develop new approaches to limiting our leading sources of emissions, including electricity usage, air travel and paper use. We also will continue to partner with our attorneys, professional staff, clients, communities and fellow law firms to effect change outside our firm, through both public and pro bono service.