Satisfaction with Work

• "For the sort of lawyers who value a degree of independence and can deal with the stress levels that come with very early responsibility, this firm is a very good bet." -- Junior solicitor, Corporate
• "Great calibre of work and people, stretching tasks, good morale and ethos…" -- Junior solicitor, Banking
• "Massive responsibility, running deals when associates are away. Usually treated as an associate and work directly for partners. All of which might be seen as a good and a bad thing, depending upon what you want to get out of your training contract." -- Trainee
• "Work is very interesting and the team is filled with very bright, capable people with whom it is very easy to work and to get along with. The hours and the constant availability requirement are terrible, but no different from other major City law firms." -- Junior solicitor, Private Equity
• "It goes without saying that job satisfaction varies in each seat for a trainee, as does the level of responsibility, quality of work and exposure to clients, partners and other associates. However, on the whole, Skadden makes extra effort to give its trainees stellar exposure in each seat, with as much responsibility as the situation may allow. This is done in order to provide great quality on-the-job training, and also to enable the trainees to be ready to make an informed decision on which department to qualify into at the end of the training contract, having had as broad an experience of the work done by each department as possible." -- Trainee
• "The level of responsibility I receive is unsurpassed. Right from the first day as a trainee you are expected to work alongside senior associates and partners as well as handling tasks on your own. The quality of work is the best in the business and you are often working on deals or cases that feature in the national financial press. The firm also has an open door policy and you are expected to have the confidence to communicate directly with partners and clients." -- Trainee

Quality of Work

• "Lots of client contact; high level of responsibility; broad range of work." -- Newly qualified solicitor, Corporate
• "Varied, complex and highly commercial." -- Junior solicitor, Corporate
• "The quality of the work is excellent and with competent lawyers in a close-knit team." -- Senior solicitor, Banking
• "Loads of responsibility if you (a) want it and (b) are able to handle it. Especially at a junior level you're expected to have a very broad practice, which quite often means being thrown in a deal on areas you have no previous knowledge or experience in with little support. The learning curve is seriously steep and you will become a much better lawyer by having to do your own thinking, research and problem-solving." -- Junior solicitor, Private Equity
• "High quality of work, above expectations for my PQE, provided as much interaction with clients as possible, wide range of deals (not pigeon-holed into one type)." -- Junior solicitor, Banking

Culture

• "There is a great deal of support amongst the team and across departments. Lawyers work well together across different practice areas and PQE levels. The team socialises on a regular basis and there are annual firm-wide events." -- Senior solicitor, Banking
• "Very relaxed environment, unlike any other firm I have worked for before. Everyone is just free to get on with their work. The solicitors do socialise with each other, although it really is up to them to make the effort to socialise. However Skadden does organise drinks also." -- Junior solicitor, Corporate
• "Informal working environment, trainees usually socialise together informally." -- Trainee
• "Open door policy is very effective and allows everyone in the department to learn from each other. As a junior member of the team this is extremely helpful." -- Newly qualified solicitor, Corporate
• "Occasional firm organised events, attendance at which is patchy due to work demands. Trainees will occasionally go for a drink, organised informally. I wouldn't say there is a vibrant social life but that seems to suit most people in the firm – after a day's work it is probably nicer just to go home and relax!" -- Trainee
• "Fairly flat structure so not much hierarchy (although there are some exceptions). Generally, people tend to work well together and get on." -- Senior solicitor, Tax
• "Friendly, collegiate atmosphere, no complaints." -- Mid-level solicitor, Banking
• "Very "collegiate". Teams are small which means lots of interaction with partners and senior associates. Different departments and teams within those departments interact well. Regular social events. Not hierarchical." -- Junior solicitor, Banking
• "A palpable sense of camaraderie exists between many of the associates, regardless of level, and there is a general willingness to help one another out." -- Junior solicitor, Corporate
• "The firm's culture is relaxed in that it does not feel overly hierarchical. Trainees regularly work for senior associates and partners and the working environment is very much "work hard – play hard". The trainees regularly socialise together and can often be spotted in All Bar One on a Friday evening. The trainees will also regularly go for lunch together in the office canteen. There are a number of firm organised events although most of the time it is ad hoc socialising." -- Trainee
• "I have found Skadden to have a generally young and dynamic working environment, irrespective of the actual age of the solicitors! Plenty of informal social events take place in an ad hoc manner, particularly among the trainees, with drinks on Fridays being a common occurrence. Such informal events are inter-departmental too, which says a lot about the collegiate atmosphere which is endemic to Skadden. There are some more formal events organised for trainees and for the firm as a whole, ranging from welcome drinks for trainees on secondment from Hong Kong to the Christmas party, a fourth of July party, or just drinks organised for the firm to socialise and relax together!" -- Trainee
• "Supportive environment; strong team-spirit and collaborative; minimal hierarchy; sociable." -- Junior solicitor, Banking

Hours

• "The hours can be demanding, but it comes with the territory and is to be expected." -- Senior solicitor, Banking
• "You are more in control of your own time than at a Magic Circle firm, but equally more responsible for producing results…" -- Junior solicitor, Private Equity
• "No concept of face-time; work hard/play hard attitude; Firm sensitive to individuals needs." -- Junior solicitor, Banking
• "Very flexible; hours sometimes unpredictable but this is the nature of the job and the department." -- Newly qualified solicitor, Corporate
• "Joining a firm like Skadden you expect to work long hours although the firm actively promotes having a work-life balance. Hours depend on department, for example in corporate they are far more unpredictable and variable, whereas in litigation they are more or less consistent. My typical working hours will be 9.00am to 6.30pm. There is no culture of having to get in early or stay late, but rather you work around getting your assigned work done. My hours have been much as expected." -- Trainee
• "Hours can be brutal, but I don't think that they are necessarily worse than at a Magic Circle firm." -- Senior solicitor, Tax
• "The hours are occasionally eye-watering but generally if anything better than the Magic Circle. Quality of work product is paramount rather than number of hours spent chained to a desk. There is also a fair amount of unspoken leeway regarding working from home where this does not interfere with the deal. Part-time is very rare on the attorney side and I would think it unlikely to be an option for anyone below a certain (high) level of seniority." -- Junior solicitor, Corporate
• "I probably work about 50-60 hours each week, sometimes a lot more, and sometimes it can be less. This is less than I had expected to work, in reality, but the credit crunch probably had a helping hand in that! I think the frustrating part can be just knowing that you're always on call. But that can be the same at any corporate firm in London. What I will say for Skadden is that there is a general understanding that you should not be at your desk when you do not have to be; there is no face-time requirement." -- Trainee

Pay

• (London 2010)
• 1st year trainee: £40,000
• 2nd year trainee: £43,000
• Newly qualified: £94,000

Interviews & Assessments

• "Extremely difficult, particularly in the current environment." -- Mid-level solicitor, Banking
• "The interview process involves meeting partners and the associates. The interview process is very selective." -- Senior solicitor, Banking
• "I just had one short interview at which the partner did most of the talking. A good, no nonsense process." -- Trainee
• "I applied for a vacation scheme at Skadden four years ago and the assessment procedure for that involved an open-day and group meeting. For my training contract I was interviewed by two partners. I understand now that the process for applying for either involves a formal interview as well as a group exercise." -- Trainee
• "Two informal (get to know you) interviews with partners. I do not recall any technical questions thrown at me!" -- Junior solicitor, Corporate
• "2 rounds with 2 different partners each time, first round discussing CV and deal experience, more getting a feel for who you are. Second round was quite technical, black letter corporate law questions." -- Junior solicitor, Private Equity
• "Had three interviews – first one was quite tough." -- Senior solicitor, Tax
• "Skadden clearly operates a 'gateway' model, where it is very hard to get a Training Contract or to transfer from other firms on qualification, but once in they try hard to train you and keep you. Hence every qualifying trainee has been offered a qualification position to date." -- Trainee
• "I did a vacation scheme at Skadden which meant part of my training contract application was at an earlier stage. For this I submitted an application form, and was then invited to an open day. Off the back of this I received a vacation scheme offer. After the scheme, I came back to Skadden and had an interview with two partners, and completed a commercial awareness written test, based on a scenario where the aim was to spot issues. I remember the interview being very relaxed, and it focussed on how I viewed the firm and how it compared to others, in particular with regards to training. Many questions were also asked about what I did outside of university study, which was refreshing!" -- Trainee

Sample Questions

• "My favourite interview question in any interview I have ever had: "You seem very confident. Do you think you know when you are wrong?"" -- Junior solicitor, Corporate