Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom (UK) LLP - True Picture

Firm profile

Since opening our London office in 1988, Skadden has established itself as a major player in the London legal market. The firm offers a fully integrated UK, European and US practice operating from our London base and composed of some of London’s top-ranked lawyers.

Our clients, which we counsel on cross-border European and global matters, include major corporates, financial institutions and governments. Skadden’s global platform allows our lawyers in London to quickly marshall relevant experience across practices and offices.

More than two-thirds of our London partners are recommended as leaders in their field in Chambers UK, and the firm is highly regarded in each of its practice areas. Skadden is regularly ranked highly for ‘legal expertise’ in the Financial Times European “Innovative Lawyers” report.

Main areas of work

Skadden’s London office advises on M&A, capital markets, private equity, banking and finance, corporate restructuring, investment management, tax, insurance, government enforcement and white collar crime, international litigation and arbitration, EU competition, financial regulatory, employment, and IP, IT, data protection and cybersecurity.

Training opportunities

The firm seeks to recruit a small number of high-calibre graduates from any discipline to join their highly successful London office as trainee solicitors. The firm is looking for candidates who combine intellectual ability with enthusiasm, creativity and a demonstrable ability to rise to a challenge and to work well with others towards a common goal.

The firm can offer you the chance to develop your career in a uniquely rewarding and professional environment. You will join a close-knit but diverse team in which you will be given ample opportunity to work on complex matters, almost all with an international aspect, whilst benefiting from highly personalised training and supervision in an informal and friendly environment. Your training contract will be divided into four six month seats where you will be able to experience a diverse range of practice areas. The firm also offers the opportunity for second year trainees to be seconded to our Hong Kong, New York or Brussels office for a six month seat.

Vacation schemes

Skadden’s training contracts are offered to students who participate in our vacation placement programme, which provides participants with firsthand experience working on actual global transactions. The programme offers the opportunity for law and non-law students to experience the culture and working environment of the firm through vacation schemes. Placements are paid (£500 per week) and take place during Spring and over the course of the summer. The deadline for applications is 1 December for placements in 2024.

Other benefits

Life insurance, private health insurance, private medical insurance, travel insurance, gym membership, employee assistance programme and technology allowance, cycle scheme.

Diversity, inclusion and wellbeing:
Diversity and inclusion are fundamental to our success as a global law firm, giving us a wealth of different perspectives from which to address our clients’ most pressing issues across a wide spectrum of industries, geographies and cultures. We strive to develop initiatives at Skadden to specifically address diversity and inclusion goals — including for recruiting, professional development, attorney retention and advancement, and cross-cultural awareness — while also continually inculcating inclusion principles into the fabric of the firm.
This infrastructure includes our global and local Diversity & Inclusion Committees; the unwavering, visible imprimatur of firm leadership; full-time administrative staff; and mechanisms for input and feedback from our personnel. Most importantly, our diversity and inclusion efforts help foster a community at Skadden that is built on the idea that similarities and differences are a source of our strength.
Our affinity networks provide a platform for leadership development for attorneys with diverse backgrounds.
Skadden assumes an active stance on the effort outside the firm, working with leading organisations and our clients to advance D&I within the legal profession. The firm and individual leaders serve in senior roles with organisations such as the Leadership Council on Legal Diversity, the Institute for Inclusion in the Legal Profession and the Women in Law Empowerment Forum, as well as recognised bar associations and women, LGBTQ+ and minority organisations that demonstrate impact in the Americas, Europe and Asia.

Website

https://www.skadden.com/careers/attorneys/law-students-and-graduates/united-kingdom