Skadden is on the hunt for lawyers who want to carve their own path, as its bold brochure proclaims. Read on to find out if carving out a career at this renowned firm is right for you.
OUR PLATFORM 50+ practices | 21 offices | 4 continents
HEADLINE-MAKING MATTERS Representing over 50% of the Fortune 250
DIVERSITY CHAMPIONS 13 years of perfect scores in the Corporate Equality Index
MAKING AN IMPACT Over 2 million pro bono hours in 10 years
CAREER OPTIONS Limitless opportunities
The experience gained and impact made at Skadden will create ripple effects that will last your entire career. Let’s begin to carve your path.
WHAT MAKES SKADDEN UNIQUE?
IT CAN BE HARD TO DECIDE WHERE TO TRAIN. THERE ARE NUMEROUS STRONG LAW FIRMS IN LONDON, FROM SMALL BOUTIQUES TO GLOBAL FULL-SERVICE FIRMS, MANY OF WHICH PROMOTE THEMSELVES IN SIMILAR WAYS. WHAT MAKES SKADDEN DIFFERENT?
We’re one of the largest and most prestigious law firms in the world. With more than 1,700 lawyers across 21 offices, we pride ourselves on delivering solutions to the world’s most complex and high-value cases and transactions. Despite our size, we operate as tight-knit teams on work of all kinds, with our associates and trainees sitting at the centre of their matters and not on the fringes, meaning no day here is routine. Though the work can be challenging, it also is rewarding, with closer access to senior colleagues and a more personalised training experience than other large firms can provide. We believe this offers our attorneys a superior development experience, and it is deeply important to us that those opportunities begin from the moment Skadden trainees walk through the door. We are unique, and we recognise that you are, too. Our diverse culture means we have no “type” here. Skadden began as a scrappy upstart, competing with the older “white shoe” firms in New York, and we continue to cherish that outsider culture even as
we have grown to our current size. Diversity, equity and inclusion have been core Skadden values since the founding of our firm. The shared passion for these principles makes this a special place to work. You’ll find an eclectic mix of lawyers at Skadden, but all of us share a common thread that binds us as a team: a desire to innovate, excel and deliver extraordinary client service. A training contract at Skadden provides you with an opportunity to carve your own career path. Our platform — an international firm with unrivalled experience in our practice areas — will serve as a springboard for your professional life. During your training contract, our attorneys and structured training programme will be there to help you every step of the way. Take a closer look at our recruiting and training materials to see for yourself what makes us stand out from the crowd.
“Diversity, equity and inclusion have been core Skadden values since the founding of our firm. The shared passion for these principles makes this a special place to work.”
NAME Greg Norman
POSITION Graduate Recruitment Partner
PRACTICE Investment Management
GRADUATE RECRUITMENT TIMELINE
Application Process SEPTEMBER – DECEMBER › Online application › Applications screened on a rolling basis
Vacation Placements SPRING AND SUMMER SCHEMES › Undertake substantive work assignments › Experience the firm’s culture › Gain exposure in up to two practice groups › Receive training contract interview
Telephone Interview DECEMBER AND JANUARY Telephone interview
Assessment Days JANUARY AND FEBRUARY › Interview with partners and associates › Group exercise — hypothetical business case study › Panel Q&A discussion › Written exercise
with the graduate recruitment team
VACATION PLACEMENTS 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 also provides insight into the firm’s culture and atmosphere. Each student is paired with an associate supervisor and trainee liaison who identify substantive and suitable assignments. Our vacation placement students are offered the option to practise either in a single area or to divide their time between two practice areas, thereby gaining greater exposure to our work. Students participate in training
workshops focused on current matters, which aid their professional development and provide invaluable perspective from Skadden lawyers. Social events, such as cooking classes, dinners and shuffleboard evenings, allow vacation students to interact with each other and Skadden lawyers on a more informal level. Our two-week placements are offered in the spring and summer. We remunerate vacation placement students £500 per week to assist with expenses. Undergraduate candidates need to have reached the penultimate year of their law degree studies or the final year for a non-law degree.
PGDL/SQE in London 2024/2025 Full Skadden sponsorship and maintenance grant
Qualification 2028 › New Associates Retreat in New York › Formal mentor and associate training programme
Training Contract Offers APRIL AND JULY Training contract offers are made shortly after each vacation scheme
Training Contract Starts 2026 › Rotate between four seats, six months per seat › Work with small teams on top-tier work › Share office with associates for on-the-job training and mentoring › Receive feedback and a performance review at the end of each seat › May apply for seats in Skadden’s New York, Hong Kong or Brussels offices
REMUNERATION AND BENEFITS PACKAGE
HOW TO APPLY Please complete our online form at: skadden.com/UKgraduaterecruitment 2024 Vacation Placements and 2026 Training Contract Application deadline: 10 December 2023
Skadden provides its trainee solicitors with a highly competitive salary and benefits package. The package includes: › First-year salary: £58,000 › Second-year salary: £63,000 › PGDL/SQE course and exam fees paid
› PGDL maintenance grant: £12,500 › SQE maintenance grant: £15,000 › Discretionary year-end bonus › Private medical insurance › Travel insurance › Life insurance › Disability insurance › Technology allowance › Cycle scheme › Interest-free season ticket loan for rail/tube travel
For additional queries, please contact the Graduate Recruitment Team: graduate.recruitment.uk@skadden.com
› Gym membership › Pension scheme Newly qualified associates currently receive a salary of £165,000, plus discretionary year-end bonus.
MY CAREER PATH DEVELOPED QUITE NATURALLY.
I STARTED OFF AS A CRIMINAL DEFENCE LAWYER, SPECIALISING IN FINANCIAL CRIME. AS CRIMINAL CASES INVOLVING BUSINESS BECAME GLOBAL AND MORE COMPLEX, I BEGAN FOCUSING ON INVESTIGATIONS.
One of the qualities I most enjoy about my practice is the international nature of my work and the opportunities that provides to collaborate with clients and lawyers from different countries. I also enjoy the diverse subject matter — one minute I can be dealing with oil and gas, and in the next, engineering and finance. The most difficult aspect of my work is that I’m often advising a client in crisis who has no experience with large investigations, let alone ones involving criminal allegations. The priority for me is to instill trust and calm as quickly as possible. The need to manage the potentially extraordinary costs, particularly in a global investigation, can
be a challenge for clients. Recently, the rise of whistleblower cases and the pros and cons of self- reporting an issue to a regulator or prosecutor has also become a widespread concern. For someone starting their career here, I would say Skadden is a place that takes pride in its supportive culture. On that front, as a parent, my advice is that if you want to have children, don’t delay your personal and family goals. Your career will take care of itself, and you have to take a leap of faith that the business you work for will support you. I truly believe Skadden gives attorneys the platform to do this.
NAME Elizabeth Robertson
POSITION Partner
PRACTICE Government Enforcement & White Collar Crime
“For someone starting their career here, I would say Skadden is a place that takes pride in its supportive culture.”
SUBSTANTIVE RESPONSIBILITY FROM THE START
I APPLIED TO SKADDEN BECAUSE OF ITS REPUTATION AS A LEADING MULTINATIONAL FIRM ACROSS BOTH TRANSACTIONAL AND CONTENTIOUS PRACTICES IN LONDON, AS WELL AS ITS TRADITION OF HAVING A SMALLER TRAINEE COHORT.
I knew that this combination would give me exposure to more responsibility working on interesting matters at an early stage of my career, which is key to any junior lawyer’s development. My training and subsequent qualification in the corporate team at Skadden have confirmed this. I’d recommend Skadden to any applicant who wants to push themselves to learn and advance as a lawyer. My experience with the application process for a vacation scheme at Skadden was relatively unusual. After graduating with a non-law degree, I enlisted in the South Korean army as part of my national service and was deployed overseas during application season. Skadden was one of the few law firms which offered flexibility and
accommodated my circumstances during the process. This exemplified the firm’s commitment to hiring great candidates from a diverse range of backgrounds and experiences. There’s no set ‘mould’ for Skadden lawyers. I’ve worked on numerous interesting and high-profile transactions while at Skadden, including multibillion dollar divestments in beauty companies as well as smaller investments in a series of fintech start-ups. Even as a trainee or junior associate, you’re always a core member of Skadden deal teams, working closely with the partners and clients, and there are plenty of opportunities for substantive legal work. At Skadden, you will learn from some of the best lawyers in London and the world.
“Even as a trainee or junior associate, you’re always a core member of Skadden deal teams, working closely with the partners and clients, and there are plenty of opportunities for substantive legal work.”
NAME Stephen Lee
POSITION Associate
PRACTICE Corporate
DIVERSITY, EQUITY & INCLUSION
AT SKADDEN, WE’VE ALWAYS EMBRACED THE IDEA THAT DIVERSITY, EQUITY AND INCLUSION (DEI) ONLY MAKE US STRONGER. OUR DEI STRATEGY THEREFORE PRIORITISES CAREER DEVELOPMENT WITHIN OUR ATTORNEY TALENT PIPELINE WHILE SEEKING TO FOSTER A DEEP SENSE OF INCLUSION AND BELONGING.
From our in-house DEI management team and our global and local diversity committees to our best-in-class approaches to recruiting and development, training and programming, our internal support structures position us to cultivate diversity and foster an equitable and inclusive workplace. Our initiatives and outreach help us maintain a diverse team of high-performing attorneys throughout our ranks and uphold a culture of inclusion that is tightly woven into the fabric of our firm. Our firm-sponsored affinity networks play an integral part in our efforts, helping to facilitate relationship-building among attorneys and inform and enrich the broader Skadden community. Prospective candidates will have opportunities to meet with our affinity groups during a range of webinars throughout the graduate recruitment process.
OUR AFFINITY NETWORKS IN LONDON: Women’s Initiative Network Asian, Middle Eastern and North African Black Lawyers for Diversity LGBTQ+ FAM (Parents)
PRO BONO MAKING AN IMPACT AT SKADDEN Skadden views pro bono service as a professional responsibility. While recognising that such representations are a personal endeavour, the firm actively encourages its attorneys and trainee solicitors to participate. The London office has a rich tradition of pro bono work across a broad spectrum of issues and practice areas, including but not limited to housing, domestic violence, family law, immigration, welfare benefits and public
Our policies encourage attorneys to contribute to the firm’s commitment to the public interest. Accordingly, attorneys are asked to perform at least 60 hours of pro bono work a year, with all hours spent on pro bono counted as chargeable for all purposes. Accordingly, over 2 million hours of pro bono work have been completed by Skadden attorneys in the past 10 years. These efforts make Skadden one of the leading pro bono service providers globally. RECENT STATISTICS In 2022, attorneys and professional staff in the London office spent almost 13,000 hours on pro bono work, with 93% of London-based attorneys working on pro bono matters. Firmwide, over 180,000 hours were spent on pro bono by lawyers, summer associates and professional staff.
Over 2 million hours of pro bono work have been completed by Skadden attorneys in the past 10 years.
international law. COMMITMENT
Skadden’s commitment to pro bono service runs deep. The firm has pledged to dedicate 3-5% of its billable hours to pro bono matters, with the firm meeting or exceeding that goal every year.
M&A Team of the Year IFLR EUROPE AWARDS 2023
Best International Tax Team TOLLEY’S TAXATION AWARDS 2023
Ranked Tier 1 for International Arbitration THE LEGAL 500 UK 2023
Ranked Tier 1 for M&A IFLR 1000 2022
Named Best at Restructuring & Insolvency and Antitrust & Competition WOMEN IN BUSINESS LAW AWARDS 2023
Selected for five Practice Group of the Year awards LAW360 2023
Ranked No. 1 for tax VAULT ’S 2024 BEST LAW FIRM RANKING, 14TH YEAR IN A ROW
Ranked third for announced UK deals by value in H1 2023 BLOOMBERG
Named a top 10 firm for pro bono work in the UK LAW.COM INTERNATIONAL
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