Joseph M. Yaffe


Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom • Palo Alto


Joseph Yaffe has spent 30 years in labor and employment law and currently serves as the managing partner of Skadden's Palo Alto office.


He has established a robust practice, offering counsel to a diverse range of clients including Silicon Valley's senior executives, boards of directors and high-net-worth individuals. His expertise is particularly notable in executive compensation and benefits, where he has played a pivotal role in some of the most significant technology deals. 


Notably, Yaffe was instrumental in software company Splunk's monumental $28 billion acquisition by Cisco Systems, marking the largest technology deal of 2023 and Cisco's biggest acquisition to date. 


"I represented the CEO in connection with his appointment at Splunk and we then represented the company in its sale, all of which was rewarding to help drive from start to finish," he said.


Yaffe also provided his legal acumen to Juniper Networks during its $14 billion acquisition by Hewlett Packard Enterprise. Other recent work includes advising Scopely, Inc. in its $4.9 billion acquisition by Savvy Gaming Group, a subsidiary of the Public Investment Fund of Saudi Arabia, showcasing Yaffe's ability to navigate high-profile acquisitions with creativity and precision.


Yaffe's contribution to Apartment Income REIT Corp.'s $10 billion going-private acquisition by Blackstone Real Estate Partners X is another testament to his skill, especially considering the prior advisory role he played in a spin-off transaction for AIR, a long-standing client. 


He noted each of those matters raised unique technical and operational issues that required creativity and relentless attention to detail to work through.


"For each of them, executive compensation issues were paramount to the transaction's success, involved issues of first impression and the dedication of a team that understood the underlying business concerns and issues to be resolved," Yaffe said. "Skadden's executive compensation team was uniquely situated to provide high value advice that resulted in a successful outcome on all of them."


When asked about trends, Yaffe said he continues to see a competitive talent market where winning the war for sophisticated and effective senior leadership is critical to his clients' success. 


"We are heavily engaged in advising numerous CEOs and founders of AI companies as they work to ensure they have the talent to compete in that fast-growing sector," he said. "We expect that the focus on attracting and retaining top-tier talent to AI and adjacent AI companies will continue."