NEW YORK - February 23, 2011 - Skadden, Arps, Slate,
Meagher & Flom LLP announced today with profound sadness that Joseph H.
Flom passed away this morning. He was 87 years old.
Mr. Flom joined Skadden, Arps as the firm's first
associate in 1948. Over the course of a singularly distinguished law career, he
fundamentally transformed the practice of corporate law, while guiding Skadden
from a four-lawyer firm to a global law firm with 2,000 attorneys and scores of
practice areas.
"It is an understatement to say Joe was an
individual without equal. He was a most trusted adviser, beloved and respected
partner and mentor, faithful friend and formidable adversary," said
Skadden, Arps Executive Partner Eric J. Friedman. "Joe led significant
change in the practice of corporate law during a storied career, and he was
among the first to drive mergers and acquisitions to the top of corporate
agendas. With a steady hand and clear vision, he guided the firm's development,
never wavering from his principles of unparalleled legal advice, loyalty to his
colleagues and peers, and social responsibility."
Robert C. Sheehan, Skadden's executive partner from 1994
to 2009, said, "Joe was an original. The architect of the modern day
M&A law practice, he was the consummate deal attorney - smart, strategic, tireless.
He and Skadden, Arps were at the forefront when other major law firms began to
recognize that the transactional work he pioneered was indispensable to
corporate clients seeking growth, diversification and new markets. Joe was
simply the best of the best."
One of the world's most highly lauded attorneys during a
career spanning more than six decades, he was named one of the "lawyers of
the century" by The American Lawyer in 1999. The publication cited
Mr. Flom's leading role in "many of the biggest proxy fights of the
seventies and eighties. At the same time, he had a vision for his law firm that
turned Skadden ... an upstart even in the 1960s - into the largest legal business
in the world."
In 2004, he received lifetime achievement awards from
Chambers and Partners and The American Lawyer magazine.
Mr. Flom was a dedicated humanitarian, supporting
education and equal opportunity in the legal profession, and likely would have
wanted to be remembered most for his philanthropic work. He was particularly
gratified by the enduring work of the Skadden Fellowship Foundation, of which
he was the founding trustee. The Foundation awards more than 25 fellowships
annually to graduating law students and outgoing judicial clerks to support
their public interest endeavors. Over the course of each two-year fellowship,
the participants create and pursue their own projects at public interest
organizations. The 2011 Class of Fellows brings to 620 the number of
academically outstanding young attorneys the Foundation has funded to work
full-time for pro bono organizations.
In April 2008, Mr. Flom led the firm's development of the
Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom Honors Program in Legal Studies at
City College of New York, an initiative designed to increase diversity in the
legal profession.
In 1998, Harvard Law School established the Joseph Flom
Professor of Law and Business, endowed by Skadden and its partners.
Mr. Flom, along with his first wife, Claire, who
predeceased him in 2007, supported the Gateway School in New York - founded by
Claire - for children with learning disabilities. They also supported cancer
research at the Mount Sinai-NYU Medical Center Health System, among other
institutions and causes.
More recently, he and his wife Judi provided significant
financial support for the widely praised "Play Me, I'm Yours" public
installation of 60 pianos in all five boroughs of New York City for several
weeks last summer.
Born on December 21, 1923, in Baltimore and raised in
Brooklyn, Mr. Flom attended Townsend Harris High School and City College of New
York. After serving in the U. S. Army, he attended Harvard Law School on the
G.I. Bill, graduating in 1948. At Harvard, he was an editor of the Harvard
Law Review. He served on numerous corporate boards and was a trustee
of the Carroll and Milton Petrie Foundation.
Mr. Flom is survived by his wife Judi, sons Jason and
Peter, and daughter Nancy Laing, as well as six grandchildren and two great
grandchildren.
The family is holding a private remembrance.
In lieu of flowers, contributions may be made to the
Skadden Fellowship Foundation for the support of new projects undertaken by
former Skadden Fellows. The address is: Skadden Fellowship Foundation, Four
Times Square, Room 29/218, New York, N.Y. 10036.
For additional information on Joe Flom, please click here.
CONTACT
Brendan
Intindola
Marketing & Communications
212.735.2125
brendan.intindola@skadden.com