United States
Located in eight major cities across the country — Boston, Chicago, Houston, Los Angeles, New York, Palo Alto, Washington, D.C. and Wilmington — our U.S.-based attorneys advise our clients on many of their most important and complex matters.
Our attorneys across our corporate, litigation and regulatory practices work together to advise on industry-specific matters, focusing on issues unique to each sector, including accounting, communications, energy and infrastructure, environmental, health care, insurance, media and entertainment, and real estate.
Explore Opportunities
Our Summer Associate Program — one of the most comprehensive available — drives our hiring efforts. And while we want to know what kind of lawyer you will be, we also realize you want to know what we can do to help get you there.
Program Overview
- Full programs are offered in: Boston, Chicago, Hong Kong, Houston, London, Los Angeles, New York, Palo Alto, Tokyo, Toronto, Washington, D.C. and Wilmington.
- Skadden hired 204 summer associates in 2024.
- Our flexible program provides opportunities to learn first-hand about our extensive range of practices.
- Summer associates gain experience comparable to that of junior associates, including attending client meetings, traveling to client locations and assisting senior attorneys in addressing client needs.
- Summer associates working on corporate projects can expect exposure to drafting and negotiation sessions, while those in litigation will gain familiarity with depositions and court proceedings.
- Participants receive formal evaluations and reviews, and our attorneys provide informal feedback through every day work experiences.
- In some offices, summer associates share office space with practicing lawyers, which offers additional opportunities for professional development.
- In 2023, our summer associates contributed more than 6,400 hours working on more than 195 pro bono matters.
- Of course, we hold numerous social events outside the office to help you become acquainted with your colleagues throughout the office.
- The annual salary for this position is expected to be $225,000. Summer associates are paid on a semi-monthly basis during employment. Visit Associate Salary Information for compensation details.
Training & Mentoring
Summer associates work in different areas of law, strengthening lawyering skills and gaining insight into the firm in general. The training received during the summer lays the foundation for Skadden’s professional development efforts. Below are a few examples of workshops and presentations that may be offered throughout the summer.
- Contract writing
- Writing strategies
- M&A negotiation workshop
- Banking training
- Complex litigation & trials training
- Capital markets workshop
- Practice area presentations
- Diversity, equity and inclusion seminars
- Financial literacy
- Research and knowledge management
- Writing strategies and coaching
- Collaboration and communication
To ensure personalized attention and support, summer associates are paired with mentors. The program specifics differ slightly from office to office, but each program shares the same philosophy ─ an ample support network is essential to your growth and success.
Informal feedback is given throughout the everyday work experience, and we provide formal feedback in mid-summer and exit meetings. Summer associates also have the opportunity to complete self-assessments as well as optional upward reviews.
At Skadden, excellent lawyering goes hand-in-hand with fostering a diverse, equitable and inclusive culture. Our Skadden 1L Scholars Program attracts the best and the brightest legal talent, including candidates whose life experiences, demonstrated interests and achievements can help enhance the firm’s commitment to diversity and client service. Available across all our U.S. offices, as well as in London and Toronto, the program provides a meaningful way for Skadden to partner with our clients and alumni on increasing diversity in the legal profession's talent pipeline and to raise the profile of diversity and inclusion as a priority on law school campuses. This paid internship is comprised of law firm, corporate in-house and public interest exposure.
Since the program's inception in 2012, it has always been a goal to offer the ultimate first summer experience with broad exposure, even beyond big law. Our unique program offers 1Ls the ultimate career development opportunity by leveraging the resources and networks that only a global law firm like Skadden can provide. To date, Skadden has welcomed more than 380 1L Scholars and nearly half have returned to the firm as associates. In 2024, we hired 47 1L Scholars from more than a dozen top law schools around the country.
The 2025 1L Scholars application opens December 16, 2024. Applications are due by January 21, 2025 for the U.S. and London offices, and by January 25, 2025 for the Toronto office. The annual salary for this position is expected to be $225,000. 1L Scholars are paid on a semi-monthly basis during employment. Visit Associate Salary Information for compensation details.
While Skadden’s new associate class primarily consists of its prior summer associates, we recruit third-year law students and LL.M. students for post-graduate employment for specific practice areas. Students may register to interview through their schools’ career services office if we are participating in one of their interview programs, or applications may be submitted directly to us online. Applications should include a resume, transcript and cover letter indicating the practice area(s) of interest indicating the preferred office location and practice area(s) of interest.
When new associates join the firm, they typically attend a retreat in New York and participate in our full-time Associates’ Comprehensive Education (ACE) program, which provides Skadden-specific legal- and business-skills training across the firm’s practice areas as well as a multi-session writing course. At the conclusion of the program, the new associates join their practice areas.
Learn more about professional development opportunities and attorney benefits at Skadden. The starting base salary for this position is expected to be $225,000 annually. Actual salary will be determined based on prior legal experience and other job-related factors, consistent with applicable law. Visit Associate Salary Information for compensation details.
Former judicial clerks play a vital role throughout the firm, particularly in our litigation-based practices, which consistently rank among the best in the industry.
Our litigators are based in our offices across the world and represent clients in federal and state trial and appellate courts, before administrative tribunals, and in arbitrations, mediations and other dispute resolution procedures. We frequently are involved in the most complex cases, handling high-profile matters across a broad range of litigation disciplines.
At Skadden, we recognize and highly value the practical experience judicial clerks gain from working within the court system and closely with their judges. As a result, we’ve recruited and hired judicial clerks from the U.S. Supreme Court, every federal appellate court and many federal district courts throughout the country, as well as from the highest appellate court in various states.
The starting base salary for this position is expected to be between $225,000 to $260,000 annually. Actual salary will be determined based on prior legal experience and other job-related factors, consistent with applicable law. Associates who clerk for one year are treated as members of their graduating classes for seniority and salary purposes. Skadden also provides a starting bonus for judicial clerks. Visit Associate Salary Information for compensation details.
Associates who clerk for one year are treated as members of their graduating classes for seniority and salary purposes. Those who clerk more than one year or have prior experience are treated on a case-by-case basis. Skadden also provides a starting bonus for judicial clerks.
In addition to supporting summer associates who wish to pursue clerkships before joining the firm as associates, we actively recruit judicial clerks who did not participate in our Summer Associate Program. Those clerks should apply directly using our online application. Candidates should include a transcript, resume and letter indicating the office location and practice area(s) in which they are interested.
Learn more about professional development opportunities and attorney compensation and benefits at Skadden.
Why Skadden?
Hear from attorneys and summer associates on the most meaningful aspects of our programs, initiatives we undertake to support our attorneys and promote our core values, and what drove candidates to ultimately choose Skadden.
Frequently Asked Questions
We encourage you to visit our website later on this winter for more information regarding our 2026 Summer Associate Program application.
We value having a class comprised of law students from around the country; therefore, the firm actively recruits at more than 40 law schools through direct write-in applications, on-campus interviews and job fair interview programs.
Students invited back to our offices for full round interviews will meet with partners and associates from areas and backgrounds in which they express interest. To help us learn more about candidates, we ask those interviewing in our U.S. offices to complete a brief online assessment, administered by Suited, to see how your goals and values align with ours. Students will also have the opportunity to speak with past participants of the summer program. Each office has its own Hiring Committee, which meets regularly to discuss the pool of candidates.
If there are any specific questions or subjects students would like to discuss over the course of their meetings, they are encouraged to let us know. Students who receive offers are welcomed and encouraged to contact the firm to schedule meetings with additional attorneys to address any remaining questions.
Students may only apply to one Skadden office for 1L Scholar positions. Rising 2Ls applying for Summer Associate positions may apply to multiple Skadden offices. Opportunities for 2Ls to split with two Skadden offices are considered on a case by case basis.
The application period for 1L Scholar positions typically opens in early December and closes in early January.
The following materials are required to complete an application: online application, resume, undergraduate and law school transcripts (unofficial), and a written essay response. Students invited for a full round of interviews will be asked to take an online assessment administered by Suited.
1L Scholars work on both client and pro bono-oriented assignments while at the firm. Those interested in also gaining corporate in-house exposure may express an interest in a rotation during the application process. Past corporate in-house law department rotations have included our clients in the financial services, technology, pharmaceutical, sports, media and entertainment, and commercial sectors, among others.
Yes. We appreciate students with continued interest in the firm and they are strongly encouraged to re-apply for 2L Summer Associate positions.
While clerks are welcome to apply year-round, clerks interested in joining the firm in the fall should apply in the winter prior.
Associates who clerk for one year are treated as members of their graduating classes for seniority and salary purposes. Those who clerk more than one year or have prior experience are treated on a case-by-case basis. Skadden also provides a starting bonus for judicial clerks.
While Skadden’s new associate class primarily consists of its prior summer associates, we recruit third-year law students and LL.M. students for post-graduate employment for specific practice areas. Students may register to interview through their schools’ career services office if we are participating in one of their interview programs, or applications may be submitted directly online.
Contact Us
Contact a recruiter if you have a question about the application process or if you are interested in learning more about a specific opportunity.
Chicago
Chicago, IL 60606
Houston
Houston, TX 77002
Los Angeles
Suite 200N
Los Angeles, CA 90067
Washington, D.C.
Washington, DC 20005
Wilmington
920 N. King St.
Wilmington, DE 19801