Mr. Friedman held the position of executive partner at Skadden for 15 years (up to April 2024), championing the firm’s commitment to delivering exceptional legal services, attracting and nurturing top talent, and upholding its dedication to pro bono work and diversity, equity, and inclusion.
Throughout his tenure as executive partner, he was acknowledged by The National Law Journal as one of the most influential leaders in law firms, and Skadden was consistently recognized as the most innovative law firm in North America by the Financial Times. He has also been featured in Chambers USA: America’s Leading Lawyers for Business, The Best Lawyers in America, and the NACD Directorship 100 for his outstanding work.
His notable representations include:
- Travelers Group in its $83 billion merger with Citicorp, forming Citigroup, and in its $9 billion acquisition of Salomon Brothers;
- Citigroup Inc. in several transactions, such as the $11 billion sale of its life insurance and annuities businesses to MetLife, Inc.; a $5.8 billion acquisition of Golden State Bancorp; and a $3.7 billion sale of its asset management business to Legg Mason, Inc., which involved cash and Legg Mason’s private client and capital markets businesses;
- Nasdaq during its IPO and listing on the Nasdaq Stock Market, as well as in its $3.7 billion acquisition of the Nordic exchange operator OMX, a $1.4 billion acquisition of 25.1% of London Stock Exchange plc, and a $935 million acquisition of Instinet Group, Inc., alongside a concurrent $208 million sale of Instinet’s institutional brokerage business to Silver Lake Partners;
- Deutsche Bank AG in acquiring MortgageIT, a publicly traded REIT, and Hedge-Works, a hedge fund administrator with $10 billion in assets under management.
Mr. Friedman has also provided counsel on key transactions in the credit card sector, including First USA’s $8 billion sale to JP Morgan’s predecessor, Banc One; Paymentech Inc. during its IPO; and Citigroup in its $3 billion acquisition of the Sears credit card portfolio.
His enduring commitment to promoting inclusion and equity was recognized in 2024 with the establishment of the Eric J. Friedman & Skadden 1L Accelerate Program (1LAP) at the University of Pennsylvania Carey Law School. An article by Penn Carey Law in September 2024 highlighted 1LAP’s initiatives to support incoming students lacking personal or professional legal networks, those who are the first in their families to pursue graduate or professional education, or those facing financial constraints or limited experiences typical in the legal field.
Mr. Friedman has served on the New York State Bar Association’s Task Force on Advancing Diversity, contributing to its report that offers a roadmap for organizations to enhance their DEI initiatives following the Supreme Court’s 2023 decision on affirmative action. In 2020, he played a key role in launching the Law Firm Antiracism Alliance, a coalition of over 300 law firms globally collaborating with legal services organizations to combat systemic racism in the legal profession. He received the Diversity & Inclusion Champion Award from the New York City Bar Association in 2012.
Additionally, he was honored with the 2022 Pro Bono Champion award from Pro Bono Partnership for the firm’s commitment to pro bono service under his leadership, the 2020 Servant of Justice Award from The Legal Aid Society of New York for his significant contributions to New York City’s legal community, and the AJC’s 2016 Learned Hand Award, which honors distinguished attorneys whose work reflects the integrity and humanitarian values epitomized by Judge Hand. Mr. Friedman is also an active board member for several organizations, including the Mount Sinai Health System, the University of Pennsylvania Carey Law School, and the Leadership Council on Legal Diversity, where he will assume the chair position in 2025. He previously served on the board of the University of Michigan’s Ross School of Business for 15 years.
