Skadden to launch Abu Dhabi office in Middle East.
Skadden Arps Slate Meagher & Flom is establishing its inaugural office in the Middle East, selecting Abu Dhabi as the location for its regional entry. To lead the opening of the Abu Dhabi office, Skadden has recruited corporate partner Michael Hilton from Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer, as reported by sources knowledgeable about the situation.
Hilton, a prominent figure in mergers and acquisitions, previously served as Freshfields’ managing partner for the Middle East and North Africa until his recent replacement last month.
As of February 2011, Skadden had a total of 432 partners globally. By December 2016, this number had decreased to 381 partners. In contrast to some law firms that have adopted a two-tier partnership structure comprising equity and non-equity partners, Skadden operates under a single-tier partnership model, where all partners are equity partners and collectively own the firm.
By January 2020, the number of partners had further declined to 349.
Among the distinguished partners are:
Stephen C. Robinson, who previously served as a federal district court judge in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York and as the U.S. attorney for the District of Connecticut.
Patrick B. Fitzgerald, who held the position of U.S. attorney for the Northern District of Illinois and served as special counsel for the Department of Justice, overseeing the investigation into the Valerie Plame Affair.
Fred T. Goldberg, Jr., who was the commissioner of Internal Revenue from 1989 to 1992 and served as the assistant secretary for tax policy in the Department of the Treasury in 1992.
Mark N. Kaplan, who was the former CEO of Drexel Burnham Lambert and Engelhard.
Michael Leiter, who previously directed the National Counterterrorism Center.