Joseph M Yaffe

Joseph Yaffe is head of Skadden’s Palo Alto office. He counsels senior executives, high-net-worth individuals, public and private companies, boards of directors, private equity firms and family offices on their most complex matters. His broad practice includes advising on corporate governance, tax, securities and employment issues arising in a wide variety of compensatory arrangements. He regularly handles the executive compensation aspects of some of the world’s largest M&A transactions, spin-offs and other business combinations in a range of industries, including technology, media and entertainment, retail, medical technology and biotechnology. He often represents companies’ senior employees and has advised numerous high-profile business leaders in Silicon Valley and nationwide. Mr. Yaffe has been recognized several times by the San Francisco Daily Journal as one of the "Top 100 Lawyers in California" and one of the state’s “Top Labor and Employment Attorneys.” He also was named a 2022 Employment Law Trailblazer by The National Law Journal. He has been named an Executive Compensation MVP by Law360. In recognition of his work, he was named Best Lawyers’ 2024 and 2022 San Jose Area Corporate Governance Law Lawyer of the Year. On the strength of client feedback, Mr. Yaffe repeatedly has been named a Lawdragon 500 Leading Corporate Employment Lawyer. In addition, MergerLinks noted him as one of its Dealmakers in 2023.

J.D. University of California, Davis School of Law, 1994, Law Review; A.B., Columbia University, 1990