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Random Internal Email of the Day: Skadden Puts the Big in Big Law

Skadden Arps Slate Meagher Flom Abovethelaw Above the Law online legal tabloid.jpgThis firm-wide email was sent out by Skadden Executive Partner Robert C. Sheehan about 15 minutes ago:

From: Robert Sheehan
Sent: Thursday, October 11, 2007 11:50 AM
To: EVERYONE EUROPE DL; EVERYONE NORTH AMERICA DL; EVERYONE PACIFIC RIM DL
Subject: Another Milestone

MEMORANDUM

October 11, 2007

TO: All Personnel

FROM: Bob Sheehan

RE: Another Milestone

Sometime in the last few days our contingent of attorneys passed the 2,000 mark. This is a remarkable achievement for any firm, but for one established not so very long ago (e.g., I was the 30th attorney here when I arrived in 1969), it is an indicator of astounding success.

Congratulations to all of us, past and present, for helping to make Skadden, Arps the success that we have become. Special thanks go to Messrs. Skadden, Arps and Slate for their decision to form the Firm on April 1, 1948 and for the decision to hire Joe Flom as their first associate later that year.

Two thousand souls, fed into the billable-hours machine that is Skadden. But accredited U.S. law schools graduate over 40,000 students a year, some of whom have souls, so there’s still room for growth.

Onward and upward, SASMF!!!

Update: We’ve just learned that Mr. Sheehan went to our alma mater, Regis High School. Deo et Patriae — et Skadden!

Comments

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1 Posted by Loyola 2L | Permalink Thursday, October 11, 2007 12:07 PM

still no job but first

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2 Posted by Anonymous | Permalink Thursday, October 11, 2007 12:07 PM

SUCK FADDEN

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3 Posted by guest | Permalink Thursday, October 11, 2007 12:09 PM

Note the express descriptions of the email distribution lists ("EVERYONE EUROPE DL; EVERYONE NORTH AMERICA DL; EVERYONE PACIFIC RIM DL").

Perhaps a response to mistaken DL use by Jonas Blank? Can anyone at Skadden confirm?

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4 Posted by guest | Permalink Thursday, October 11, 2007 12:14 PM

SKUCK FADDEN?

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5 Posted by guest | Permalink Thursday, October 11, 2007 12:14 PM

Joe Flom is my hero! I want to be a skaddenite.

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6 Posted by guest | Permalink Thursday, October 11, 2007 12:16 PM

2000 aren't being fed into the machine, Lat. Some of those are doing the feeding, and others yet are standing by with shovels.

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7 Posted by Happy Head Hunter | Permalink Thursday, October 11, 2007 12:16 PM

Please excuse me, I have 2,000 calls to make.

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8 Posted by Let the Eagle Soar | Permalink Thursday, October 11, 2007 12:18 PM

But with the attrition at that place, I'm pretty sure the number will drop below 2,000 tomorrow afternoon when a bunch of associates give notice. Will he send another email when they top 2k again?

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9 Posted by if i was your employee, the things i would do for u... | Permalink Thursday, October 11, 2007 12:28 PM

Wish I could get a job @ SKADDEN, the name that inspires fear in adversaries...

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10 Posted by guest | Permalink Thursday, October 11, 2007 12:30 PM

Skadden - high priced crappy work.

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11 Posted by Tony Montana | Permalink Thursday, October 11, 2007 12:40 PM

I do business with a number of Skaddenites...

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12 Posted by guest | Permalink Thursday, October 11, 2007 12:41 PM

No mention of Bill Meagher?

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13 Posted by Regis? | Permalink Thursday, October 11, 2007 12:42 PM

Regis, Lat? First off, are you even Catholic? Second, guess you couldn't get into Stuyvesant?

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14 Posted by guest | Permalink Thursday, October 11, 2007 12:47 PM

12:18, that's great!

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15 Posted by guest | Permalink Thursday, October 11, 2007 12:48 PM

Stuyvesant, 12:42? I guess you couldn't get into Horace Mann?

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16 Posted by guest | Permalink Thursday, October 11, 2007 12:51 PM

Horace Mann sucks. It's Stuy or Science.

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17 Posted by guest | Permalink Thursday, October 11, 2007 12:57 PM

bragging about high schools sucks.

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18 Posted by guest | Permalink Thursday, October 11, 2007 12:57 PM

Of course Lat is Catholic -- he's Filipino.

Also, he wasn't eligible for Stuyvesant, since he grew up in New Jersey:

http://www.nytimes.com/2006/01/22/technology/22njCOVER.html?_r=1&oref=slogin

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19 Posted by guest | Permalink Thursday, October 11, 2007 12:59 PM

12:57, it sucks no more than bragging generally. If you allow *some* bragging, then there is nothing wrong with bragging about high school, assuming there is something to brag about, which, with respect to the three schools thus far mentioned, there clearly is.

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20 Posted by guest | Permalink Thursday, October 11, 2007 1:05 PM

12:59--The pre-school you went to sucks ass, which is obviously why you are the way you are today.

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21 Posted by anonymous | Permalink Thursday, October 11, 2007 1:15 PM

C'mon 12:18...its October, that 2000 will stick until after bonuses.

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22 Posted by 12:59 | Permalink Thursday, October 11, 2007 1:23 PM

1:05, judging by the lack of imagination in your trolling, I don't suppose that pre-school is that distant of a memory for you.

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23 Posted by guest | Permalink Thursday, October 11, 2007 1:26 PM

12:51, Horace Mann sucks? Are you kidding me? That is the most ridiculous statement I have heard all week. Well done.

I hope when you finish your 1L year, and eventually move on to practice, you don't make such baseless assertions in a court of law, or in front of clients or co-workers for that matter. It probably won't bode well for your career.

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24 Posted by Death Star Undead | Permalink Thursday, October 11, 2007 1:29 PM

Soon to be 2001...

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25 Posted by guest | Permalink Thursday, October 11, 2007 1:32 PM

Where's the celebratory lemonade?

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26 Posted by 12:51 | Permalink Thursday, October 11, 2007 1:35 PM

1:26, Come your stomach. First, Horace Mann does not suck. The anger and sincerity I did not feel while writing no doubt appeared while you were reading. So, I repeat, Horace Mann does not suck. I am merely playing public school advocate, tongue firmly in cheek. (I'm a Science grad myself).

Second, I'm not an 1L. Nor am I a 2L or a 3L. I'm an associate at a V50, and my career is going along pretty good so far, due perhaps, in no small part, that I haven't yet uttered the word "sucks" in any professional situation. That's what blog comments are for.

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27 Posted by 12:51/Idiot | Permalink Thursday, October 11, 2007 1:38 PM

Sorry, that should read "calm"

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28 Posted by Anonymous | Permalink Thursday, October 11, 2007 1:43 PM

Well done, Skadden. Maybe soon you'll have enough money to teach your executive partners what "e.g." means and why its use here was incorrect.

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29 Posted by Guy who hates Skadden | Permalink Thursday, October 11, 2007 1:49 PM

When I mention Skadden Arp, I like to pronounce the second name as if I were a seal. Aaarrp aaaarp aaaarp.

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30 Posted by guest | Permalink Thursday, October 11, 2007 1:50 PM

1:43 ... the use of e.g. here is correct (i.e., you are incorrect).

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31 Posted by JB | Permalink Thursday, October 11, 2007 1:55 PM

I love it that he said the milestone was reached "sometime in the last few days," suggesting that with all the comings and goings they can't be exactly sure whose arrival got them to 2,000.

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32 Posted by 12:57 | Permalink Thursday, October 11, 2007 1:56 PM

fair enough, 12:59!

my dad can beat up your dad.

i have 20/10 vision.

at home, i have an atomic clock that i'll bet keeps better time than any of your chintzy timepieces.

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33 Posted by guest | Permalink Thursday, October 11, 2007 2:00 PM

1:50 is right re the usage of e.g. Although the usage in this email is a bit awkward (I had to do a double-take), it's grammatically sound.

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34 Posted by guest | Permalink Thursday, October 11, 2007 2:02 PM

Ok, everyone get the e.g., i.e., QED, IUD, and LMNOP stuff out of the way.

Personally, I say e.g. is more appropriate than i.e. here, but the use of e.g. still makes me feel a little "icky" for some reason. That is a technical term in the usage world, I believe.

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35 Posted by 12:59 | Permalink Thursday, October 11, 2007 2:03 PM

12:57,

(1) Your dad can almost certainly beat my dad, since my dad smokes 3 packs and has a foot in the grave.

(2) I also have 20/10 vision, or, in any case, I had it before law school.

(3) My wife got me a sick Movado desk clock, eat your heart out.

/what's an atomic clock?

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36 Posted by Fed Law Clerk | Permalink Thursday, October 11, 2007 2:04 PM


A little grammer lesson...

When you mean “for example,” use e.g. It is an abbreviation for the Latin phrase exempli gratia. When you mean “that is,” use “i.e.” It is an abbreviation for the Latin phrase id est. Either can be used to clarify a preceding statement, the first by example, the second by restating the idea more clearly or expanding upon it. Because these uses are so similar, the two abbreviations are easily confused. If you just stick with good old English “for example” and “that is” you won’t give anyone a chance to sneer at you. If you insist on using the abbreviation, perhaps “example given” will remind you to use “e.g.,” while “in effect” suggests “I.E.”

Since e.g. indicates a partial list, it is redundant to add “etc.” at the end of a list introduced by this abbreviation

~Holar!

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37 Posted by guest | Permalink Thursday, October 11, 2007 2:07 PM

Thanks for the grammar lesson "Fed Law Clerk." I think of most of us already knew that.

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38 Posted by guest | Permalink Thursday, October 11, 2007 2:08 PM

a little spelling lesson: there is no "e" in "grammar."

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39 Posted by guest | Permalink Thursday, October 11, 2007 2:09 PM

And please don't point out the typos is that last post. I acknowledge them, and I offer the excuse of typing quickly.

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40 Posted by guest | Permalink Thursday, October 11, 2007 2:10 PM

a little spelling lesson: there is no "e" in "grammar."

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41 Posted by guest | Permalink Thursday, October 11, 2007 2:18 PM

Thanks for the grammar lesson "Fed Law Clerk." I think of most of us already knew that.

Posted by: Anonymous | October 11, 2007 02:07 PM

Well, 1:43pm got it wrong.

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42 Posted by guest | Permalink Thursday, October 11, 2007 2:26 PM

You all are idiots

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43 Posted by guest | Permalink Thursday, October 11, 2007 2:27 PM

One mistake does not justify a treatise.

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44 Posted by guest | Permalink Thursday, October 11, 2007 2:48 PM

Instead of fighting over e.g., I would say the entire parenthetical is unnecessary, since in the next paragraph he gives the date (April Fools Day -- ha) the firm was established.

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45 Posted by guest | Permalink Thursday, October 11, 2007 2:49 PM

2:27 - I have that embroidered on a pillow.

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46 Posted by guest | Permalink Thursday, October 11, 2007 2:52 PM

Lat, thanks for the worthwhile update!

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47 Posted by V5 | Permalink Thursday, October 11, 2007 3:09 PM

12:51:

You would think that, as a Science grad, you would know the difference between "good" and "well." Guess that's why you're only V50, huh?

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48 Posted by guest | Permalink Thursday, October 11, 2007 3:29 PM

V5, I know the difference well enough, but I choose not to employ it in colloquial writing.

Second, when folks who are not aceholes go out to look for jobs, they consider factors other than how high on the V their job will put them.

And to quote Eco, "Ma gavte la nata."

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49 Posted by guest | Permalink Thursday, October 11, 2007 3:34 PM

You go, 3:29.

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50 Posted by Horace Mann Sucks | Permalink Thursday, October 11, 2007 3:48 PM

Horace Mann does suck. Just face it, HM is the ass crack of the Hill-Top Schools. It is not even on the hill top.

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51 Posted by Nasty, Brutish and Short | Permalink Thursday, October 11, 2007 4:12 PM

I think they should have showered the 2,000th person with a balloon drop when they walked in the door. Or maybe a two minute shopping spree frenzy like for the millionth shopper through the checkout line at Piggly Wiggly.

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52 Posted by guest | Permalink Thursday, October 11, 2007 5:18 PM

Latham has 2100 now.
http://www.lw.com/AboutLatham.aspx?page=About

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53 Posted by Anonymous | Permalink Thursday, October 11, 2007 6:00 PM

1:50, your command of "e.g." and "i.e." is nearly complete, you just need to learn when neither is necessary. Consider the options: "This is a remarkable achievement for any firm, but for one established not so very long ago (e.g., I was the 30th attorney here when I arrived in 1969)." This is saying that an example of the firm's youth is that he was the 30th attorney. It's not an example of it, but rather directly saying how young the firm is. So how about: "This is a remarkable achievement for any firm, but for one established not so very long ago (I was the 30th attorney here when I arrived in 1969)." Much better, huh? In other words, you don't need Latin terms in every other sentence to be a good writer. Hope this helps.

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54 Posted by guest | Permalink Thursday, October 11, 2007 6:23 PM

Still laughing at 1:49 . . . .

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55 Posted by guest | Permalink Thursday, October 11, 2007 7:57 PM

Dear 6:00, Not to flagellate a deceased equine but you have missed the point of my comment (i.e., you are wrong again). You stated that the use of "e.g." was 'incorrect'. Thus, the issue is whether the use of "e.g." was "incorrect" and not whether it was "necessary." I do not dispute that there are stylistic choices that may be made in forming a sentence. Instead, as I correctly stated earlier, the author's use of "e.g." was technically correct.

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56 Posted by guest | Permalink Thursday, October 11, 2007 8:26 PM

Some of you people could spend days nitpicking the number of hairs on a gnat's ass.

Forget missing the forest for the trees; you’ve missed the trees for the leaves.

I am sure it beats drafting special interrogatories and motions to compel, though.

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57 Posted by Bronx Science | Permalink Friday, October 12, 2007 11:07 AM

BOTh Stuyvesant and Bronx Science are free. Comparing them to Horace Mann is ridulous. However, lets compare. They're both better than Horace Mann and the only reason a kid would go to Horace Mann, other than being a snobby prick is that he/she couldn't get in to Suy or Bronx Science. And by the way, when I attended Bronx Science, many kids there chose Science over Stuyvesant (even though they got in to both)--however, this was more likely based on geographical reasons plus the old Stuyvesant building was a shithole (not that Science is wonderful or in a wonderful area). Bronx Science is certainly on a par with Stuyvesant and both are superior to Horace Mann. Ask any admission officer at any leading university.

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58 Posted by guest | Permalink Friday, October 12, 2007 11:34 AM

But now that Stuyvesant has its beautiful new building, I'd think that more people pick Stuy over Bronx Science. Isn't the cutoff score to go to Stuy higher than it is for Bronx?

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59 Posted by Engineer | Permalink Friday, October 12, 2007 11:35 AM

No love for Brooklyn Tech?

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