Skadden

Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher and Flom rode the tidal wave of takeovers in the 1970s and '80s to become the most profitable law firm in the world. At its peak, partners there earned an average of over $1 million a year. Unabashedly competitive and zealously private, Skadden, as the firm is known, was different from leading firms of previous eras: they had reflected the might and luster of their clients, but Skadden became a big business in its own right, with global.