Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP and Affiliates
5 lawyers · Established 1948 · City of Toronto
One of 2,345 law firms listed in Toronto, and one of 764 handling Business & Corporate Law.
About Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP and Affiliates
Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP traces its roots to New York City, where Marshall Skadden, John Slate, and Les Arps opened the firm's doors in 1948. Joseph Flom joined that year as the firm's first associate, and William Meagher became a partner in 1959. Meagher's name was added to the letterhead in 1960 to form the name the firm still carries today.
The firm has grown considerably since then. It now operates 21 offices across the Americas, Europe, Asia, and the Middle East, with about 1,700 attorneys working in more than 50 practice areas. Its Toronto office, on Bay Street in the city's financial district, concentrates on cross-border work: mergers and acquisitions, capital markets, leveraged and project financing, and corporate governance, along with related litigation, tax, banking, and restructuring matters for clients doing business between Canada and the United States.
Because Skadden is a U.S. firm, the lawyers in Toronto are admitted to the New York bar and licensed in Ontario as Foreign Legal Consultants rather than as Ontario lawyers, so the office practices U.S. law and doesn't advise on Canadian law itself. Associates who join in Toronto skip the traditional Ontario articling year and instead go through the same new-associate training in New York as their U.S. colleagues.
Practice areas
Milestones & recognition
- The firm was founded in New York in 1948 by Marshall Skadden, John Slate, and Les Arps, with Joseph Flom joining that same year as its first associate.
- William Meagher became a partner in 1959, and in 1960 the firm added Meagher's name to the letterhead to form its current name, Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom.
- The firm opened its second office, in Boston, in 1973, and later opened in Tokyo in 1987, its first office outside North America.
- Today the firm operates 21 offices across the Americas, Europe, Asia, and the Middle East, with about 1,700 attorneys practicing in more than 50 areas of law.
- The Toronto office, at 222 Bay Street, is staffed by lawyers admitted to the New York bar and licensed as Foreign Legal Consultants in Ontario, reflecting the office's focus on U.S. cross-border work.
Good to know
Wheelchair accessibleLawyers 5
David P. Armstrong
Partner, Head of Toronto Office
Business & Corporate Law
Michael J. Hong
Partner, Capital Markets (New York and Toronto)
Business & Corporate Law
Riccardo A. Leofanti
Partner
Business & Corporate Law
Shaylyn Harper
Associate, Capital Markets
Business & Corporate Law
Sotiri Varlokostas
Associate, Energy and Infrastructure Projects
Business & Corporate Law
This firm’s lawyers at a glance
- Law schools
- Columbia Law School, Harvard Law School, Osgoode Hall Law School, University of Toronto 4 of 5 lawyers
Who handles what
The neighbourhood
Skadden's Toronto office sits at 222 Bay Street, in the Toronto-Dominion Centre complex in the heart of the city's Financial District. That tower was completed in 1992 as the fourth and final building added to the TD Centre, and it incorporates the site of the old Toronto Stock Exchange Building. For an office built around capital markets and M&A work, it's a fitting block: this stretch of Bay Street has anchored Canadian corporate finance for decades.
The Financial District around it is where Canada's major banks, brokerages, and many corporate head offices are concentrated, alongside the country's biggest law and accounting firms. Skadden's Toronto team is small by comparison, a handful of lawyers whose work is limited to the U.S. side of cross-border deals rather than a full-service Canadian practice.
Frequently asked questions
- What kind of work does Skadden's Toronto office handle?
- The Toronto office concentrates on cross-border corporate work: mergers and acquisitions, capital markets, leveraged and project financing, and corporate governance, along with related litigation, tax, banking, and restructuring matters for clients doing business between Canada and the United States.
- Can lawyers at Skadden's Toronto office advise on Canadian law?
- No. The lawyers there are admitted to the New York bar and licensed in Ontario as Foreign Legal Consultants, and the office practices U.S. law rather than advising on Canadian law.
- Where is Skadden's Toronto office located?
- The office is at 222 Bay Street, Suite 1750, in the Toronto-Dominion Centre, in the city's Financial District.
- How big is Skadden as a firm?
- Skadden operates 21 offices across the Americas, Europe, Asia, and the Middle East, with about 1,700 attorneys working in more than 50 practice areas.
- When was Skadden founded, and where does its name come from?
- The firm was founded in New York City in 1948 by Marshall Skadden, John Slate, and Les Arps. Joseph Flom joined that year as the first associate. William Meagher became a partner in 1959, and Meagher's name was added to the letterhead in 1960 to form the firm's current name.
- Does Skadden's Toronto office handle personal matters like wills, real estate closings, or family law?
- No. The office's practice is built around institutional and corporate work, mainly cross-border M&A and finance, rather than personal legal services.
Where to find them
222 Bay Street, Suite 1750, Toronto, ON M5K 1J5 · 416-777-4700
Similar firms in City of Toronto
McMillan LLP is a large, full-service Canadian business law firm with offices in Vancouver, Calgary, Toronto, Ottawa and Montreal. It has close to 300 lawyers and about 100 law clerks and paralegals, working across do…
Business & Corporate Law
Construction Law
Civil Litigation & Dispute Resolution
Bankruptcy & Insolvency
Lacy Naster LLP is a Toronto litigation boutique founded by Michael Lacy and Jay Naster. The firm practices in administrative, regulatory, securities, competition, and criminal law, and its lawyers are regularly retai…
Criminal Defence
Administrative & Regulatory LawBusiness & Corporate Law
Tax Law
Grinhaus Law Firm is a boutique, business-focused law firm in Toronto that handles corporate and commercial law, tax and estate structuring, real estate, and areas like Web3 and blockchain advisory. It also facilitate…
Business & Corporate LawTax Law
Real Estate Law
Wills, Estates & TrustsListing compiled from the firm’s public website in August 2026. Verify licence status in the Law Society of Ontario directory ↗