Skadden

Skad-acadabra! This New York-headquartered corporate powerhouse magics up opportunities for ambitious associates…

About the Firm

Ask any junior at Skadden why they chose the firm and you’ll likely come across a version of: “I chose Skadden because my understanding was that the name would get you far…” – and they aren’t wrong. Since its inception in the mid-20th century, Skadden has formed a formidable reputation and birthed a host of notable alumni from White House counsels to SEC chairmen, to news anchors and CEOs. It should come as no surprise that the firm’s reputation is anchored in the strength of its practices – something our sister guide Chambers USA gives credence to.

Nationwide, the firm is ranked amongst the best in antitrust, corporate/M&A, employee benefits & executive compensation, energy (electricity), political law, product liability & mass torts, REITs, securities litigation, securities regulation, sports law, tax (controversy), and tax (corporate & finance). Chambers Global gives the firm further flowers across 13 different multi-jurisdictional practices, including putting Skadden in the top band for its global corporate/M&A practice.

“…impressed by the professionalism, drive, and the types of projects people are working on.”

You’ll see how, then, that juniors were “impressed by the professionalism, drive, and the types of projects people are working on.” Aside from the excellence of work on display, interviewees were also enamored by the fact that “people are invested in juniors gaining meaningful and substantive experience – it’s a place where you can grow as an attorney.” Finally, and ultimately, though the cliché goes, “I just really loved the people – I know that’s the standard answer but there really is truth to that with Skadden!”

Summer Program

Summer at Skadden follows the industry trend of being “definitely more fun than being an attorney!” blending dinners, boat trips, and other extracurricular activities with “compelling” work. The firm operates an open summer system, where associates can try any kind of practice either in a litigious or a corporate group. “It wasn’t hard to ask people for the work, and to get on interesting matters,” juniors told us, “Attorneys really tried to bring us into the fold; we did research projects, diligence, and got to sit in on and shadow calls, take notes.”

For many, summer is “a hodgepodge of trying assignments in different groups,” and while “there’s always a cap on what you’re exposed to” as a summer, “they do a good job putting you in the room with more senior people, so you can imagine what your trajectory might look like.” One associate did caution that “people who were more committed to a group” tended to be prioritized on selection, so while “you should try things out to determine what to do, you should also be selective.”

Strategy & Future

In the past year, Skadden has moved towards a two-tier partnership, reflecting a growing trend in the industry. When it comes to the firm’s strategy, multiple associates noted that AI was a key part of it. “We are definitely utilizing AI and trying to incorporate it to make certain workstreams more efficient,” one associate told us. It’s something that has been reflected in the firm’s move to give attorneys access to Harvey. “That’s made a big difference to our efficiency,” said one source, adding: “We have access and training – I feel well trained to use it.”

The Work

Upon joining the firm, most newbies utilize the connections they made as summers to help get onto matters. Most groups also have some form of centralized staffing where associates can go to if they are short on work. Different groups have different set-ups but in some groups, work can go through a staffing partner or staffing group. One associate told us that outside of formal staffing, though “it’s helpful to gain early exposure and build relationships with partners, it can lead to disproportionate staffing.” Thankfully for most associates however, at Skadden it’s a best-of-both-worlds scenario.

Career Development

All our interviewees were positive about the firm’s approach to training, which takes the form of both mandatory and optional sessions across practices. Those in corporate practices go through training on things like marking up SEC filings or stock purchase agreements in a “classroom format, then you have a case study where you go through it together,” sources explained.

On the formal side, the firm also brings in outside speakers (“We have a law professor from Columbia come in and give international tax lectures,”), and pairs newbies up with two mentors (one partner and one counsel or associate) for their first three years at the firm. Juniors also praised the informal mentoring at the firm: “They’re always candid with you,” one newbie told us, with another noting that “you trade feedback upwards too,” so it works well as a training relationship. Skadden also has a shadowing program where associates can credit hours “for things like attending conferences and going to court.”

With Skadden’s change in partnership model, the associates we spoke with all cautioned that “the path to equity partnership is much harder now… it’s so far in the future that it’s not realistic to think about until you’re a few years in...”

Associates were full of praise for the firm’s “healthy secondment program” where you can spend a good number of months working in-house. Those with government ambitions will also be pleased to know that “a lot of people in our office worked at the IRS or the Treasury Department in DC, so it’s a huge revolving door; the amount of connection Skadden has to the federal government is quite large,” a local associate told us. On the in-house side, there’s also “a huge alumni base.”

Hours & Compensation

Everyone we heard from was satisfied with the 1,800 billable hour target, which included an unlimited bucket of pro bono hours, up to 100 hours for time spent shadowing senior attorneys (for first- to third-year associates) and other learning and development activities, and up to 50 hours for recruitment activities. Despite the up and down nature of hours across practices, “between billable pro bono and other non-billablesyou can be well above the target.” As one junior put it, associates can find themselves “drinking out of a firehose” if they’re not careful (it is Biglaw after all) but partners do encourage a healthy work-life balance for associates. “I had a great partner mentor,” one newbie explained, “who instilled in me that it’s really important to take time off, so we are encouraged to be smart about it.” Of course, “if I was on a big trial I wouldn’t take PTO, obviously, but I’ve never felt like I was punished for taking PTO; you do view Skadden as a place that invests in its people so there is that culture of assisting each other.”

Ultimately, associates echoed the sentiment that “compensation is clear, predictable and good, but it can be tough when sometimes you’re working at 150% capacity.” For their efforts, associates are compensated at market rate.

Culture

The culture at Skadden varies slightly by practice and office, but there was a common thread that people at the firm are “professional and competent, but also human beings… maybe a little less buttoned up? Even partners feel approachable,” one source mused.

On the social side, “there isn’t a ton of pressure unless something is on the calendar,” but “if there is something in the calendar, there’s an expectation to participate,” one insider noted. The frequency of social events is something that shifts very much by office; for example, associates in New York were on a similar page feeling that they “don’t want the firm to be your social life,” and that is reflected in the frequency of events, but in Palo Alto “it’s pretty social.” Overall, “group morale has been top of mind” for the firm: “They want to make sure people feel supported and that they can get to know each other.” Skadden has associate committees across the offices to sponsor events, and there are budgets for mentoring activities.

Associates are expected to be in the office four days a week, though each group enforces the expectation differently: “Some groups are more relaxed, like M&A, if you’re not on a transaction or on a really busy deal.” Generally, “people appreciate it when you’re in,” said a source: “You get a lot of facetime and communication is genuinely easier, because if you knock on a door it cuts down an hour-long email communication to a ten-minute chat.”

Pro Bono

“It’s an incredibly useful tool for philanthropic reasons.”

According to sources, one significant reason for choosing Skadden was the firm’s excellent pro bono reputation: “It’s something they really prize.” As mentioned above, associates can count all hours spent on pro bono towards their billable targets, as long as it's appropriately balanced with client-billable work. The firm also has “great coordinators” who help associates get staffed on pro bono matters.

For newbies, we heard “it’s an incredibly useful tool for philanthropic reasons, but it’s also an investment for attorneys to get real hands-on experience.” With no limit on how much they can take on, in some instances, we heard of juniors doing up to 500 hours of pro bono. “All my supervisors do it too,” said a source, demonstrating the involvement at all levels of the firm.

Opportunities available to associates include volunteering at legal aid clinics, as well as corporate-aligned opportunities such as helping non-profits with incorporation. Ultimately, “you don’t have to stick to the kind of work you do in your practice, so that’s really cool!” associates praised.

Skadden is recognized as a Strong Performer for Pro Bono in our 2026 associate satisfaction survey.