LawFuel.com – Legal Newswire –
CHICAGO — Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP is pleased to announce thatMichael Y. Scudder, Jr., a White House legal adviser in the George W. Bush administration, is joining the firm’s Chicago office as a litigation partner.
At the White House from 2007 through January 2009, Mr. Scudder advised the president, National Security Council and senior administration officials on defense, intelligence, legislative and litigation matters. Prior to that senior role, he provided legal advice on national security matters at the U.S. Department of Justice, where, among other initiatives, he oversaw the department’s support of the Iraqi High Tribunal through the Regime Crimes Liaison’s Office.
From 2002 to 2006, Mr. Scudder was an Assistant U.S. Attorney in the Southern District of New York, where he briefed and argued appeals in the U.S. Court ofAppeals for the Second Circuit, tried criminal cases, including murder cases and a high-profile sex tourism case, and was a member of the violent crimes and gangs unit. He served as a clerk for U.S. Supreme Court Justice Anthony M. Kennedy and graduated from Northwestern University School of Law, where he was editor-in-chief of the law review. Mr. Scudder is also a certified public accountant.
“Michael Scudder’s rich legal experience, from prosecuting criminal cases in New York to advising the president on national security matters, enhances Skadden’s efforts in serving clients on their most important litigation matters,” saidWayne W.Whalen, head of Skadden’s Chicago office.
The addition ofMr. Scudder to Skadden’s highly touted litigation teamcomes at a time of increased focus on securities and white collar crime in the fallout of the financial crisis. In December, three prominent white collar crime lawyers joined Skadden’s New YorkWhite Collar Crime Group as partners. The new partners — John Carroll, David Meister and Warren Feldman — are all veteran defense attorneys who also have experience as prosecutors.
Skadden is one of the world’s leading law firms, with more than 2,000 lawyers in 24 offices around the world. In 2008, for the eighth straight year, Skadden was named the best corporate law firm in the United States by Corporate Board Member magazine and in 2008, The American Lawyer named the firm a finalist for “Litigation Department of the Year.”
