Money Talks: Is Skadden Just Another Firm?

A little noticed casualty of the 2006/2007 salary wars has been Skadden's distinction as the only New York firm (besides Wachtell) paying above market salaries to its associate classes. For many years, Skadden's base salary scale had treated each class year of associates as though they were in the next most senior class year in another other peer firm: thus a Skadden third year would get the same base salary a Simpson Thacher fourth year, and so on. No more, it seems.