Skadden Who? BigLaw Little-Known Among U.K. Law Students

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Skadden Who? BigLaw Little-Known Among U.K. Law Students

Posted Dec 3, 2007, 12:12 pm CST
By Martha Neil

Mention "Skadden" to students at prestigious U.S. law schools, and most if not all will recognize a reference to what many would consider one of the nation's most successful corporate law firms. But among their British counterparts, a surprising number will draw a blank.

Although many American law students would consider a job at a BigLaw firm like Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom the acme of associate ambition, those in the U.K. look to London's elite Magic Circle law firms for comparable top-flight legal job opportunities, reports the Lawyer. Many U.K. law students, in fact, can barely name a single U.S. law firm.

So, although major U.S. firms have been working for years to establish greater name recognition among the upper-crust British law graduates they seek to recruit, there is still room for improvement. One approach that works: merging with a well-known U.K. firm. Among American firms that haven't done so, offering special associate training opportunities is a common tactic.

"I think, certainly, we don't have a strong brand recognition among students," admits John Adebiyi, a London partner at Skadden who is in charge of graduate recruitment. "It's a constant fight to raise our profile."

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