NQ Salary
£177,000 + discretionary bonus
TC Salary
£58,000 / £63,000 (year 1 / year 2)
Annual Intake
c.20 per year (London), September intake
Seats
4 seats
This profile is compiled from publicly available sources and may not reflect the latest changes. Always check the firm's official careers page for current deadlines, application processes, and programme details.
Skadden opened its London office in 1988. Chambers UK 2027 ranks the office Band 1 for commercial arbitration and Legal 500 puts it in the top tier for international arbitration, and the firm says more than two-thirds of its London partners are recommended as leaders in their field in Chambers UK.
The training contract
Generated by Folio · folioapp.co.uk · 21 October 2026
Folio is independent and not affiliated with any firm listed. Salary and deadline information is approximate. Always verify with the firm's official graduate recruitment page.
Trainees rank every available seat, and seats are allocated in pairs: first and second together, then third and fourth
Spring & Summer Vacation Schemes
Closes 10 Dec 2026
Opens 1 September each year · Closes 10 December on the application portal (the firm's own page still says 1 December) · Reviewed as they arrive, decided after the deadline
Training Contract (via vacation scheme only)
Closes 10 Dec 2026
Awarded through the vacation scheme, the final stage of the firm's five-stage process · Closes 10 December on the application portal (the firm's own page still says 1 December)
Assessment processes change annually. Always check the firm's website for current details.
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Method
Five stages on the firm's page: application, an online psychometric and essential competencies assessment administered by Suited (over 100 factors across personality, values and competencies), an online written exercise, a video interview with two lawyers, then the vacation scheme.
Tests
The Justice First Skadden Trainee Program, set up by the London office in 2020 and administered by the Legal Education Foundation's Justice First Fellowship, for prospective trainees interested in social welfare law.
No application window is published. Contact the graduate recruitment team.
A paid February half-term placement for Year 12 students at schools and colleges in and around London that partner with Causeway Education. Training workshops, insight sessions on legal and non-legal roles, and shadowing Skadden lawyers, with travel and food covered.
Runs in February half-term. Places go through partner schools, so there is no open application.
Independent Resource
Folio is an independent student project and is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or officially connected to Skadden. All information is compiled from publicly available sources and may not reflect the most current data. Salary and deadline figures are approximate, based on prior recruitment cycles. Always check the firm's official graduate recruitment page for confirmed details.