Atty. Kenton J. King
Kenton J. King is the partner in charge of Skadden’s Palo Alto office.
Profile Summary
About Kenton J. King at a glance
Kenton J. King is a business, m&a, and securities attorney based in Palo Alto, California, practicing at Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP. Admitted to practice in California, The State Bar of California. Educated at University of California Berkeley (J.D., 1987) and Stanford University (BA). Recognitions include Best Lawyers in America — Corporate Law (2026), Best Lawyers in America — Mergers and Acquisitions Law (2026), and Best Lawyers in America — Securities / Capital Markets Law (2026). Serands clients in Palo Alto, CA and the surrounding metropolitan area.
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About
- Kenton J. King is the partner in charge of Skadden’s Palo Alto office
- He serves on the firm’s top governing body, the Policy Committee
- Mr. King represents clients in a broad range of corporate and securities law matters, including corporate governance, cross-border mergers and acquisitions, joint ventures, investment and capital markets transactions and restructurings
- In the United States, Mr. King concentrates on corporate governance and mergers and acquisitions, as well as equity financing, licensing and strategic partnering transactions in the information technology and biotechnology industries
- Mr. King’s M&A practice encompasses friendly and unsolicited transactions and includes advising companies and boards of directors on governance matters and shareholder activism
- He has handled some of the largest-ever technology deals, including representing Yahoo!
- Inc. in Microsoft Corporation’s unsolicited $45 billion acquisition proposal
- Ascend Communications, Inc. in its $20 billion acquisition by Lucent Technologies, Inc
- and Compaq Computer Corporation in its $25 billion merger with Hewlett-Packard Company
- On the international front, Mr. King has represented numerous U.S. and Japanese corporations in connection with cross-border transactions
- He also has advised U.S. corporations on acquisitions and joint ventures in multiple jurisdictions in Europe and Asia
- He was resident in Skadden’s Tokyo office in the early 1990s and worked for several years in the Tokyo headquarters of one of Japan’s largest integrated trading companies
- Mr. King was named by the Daily Journal as one of the “Top 10 Lawyers of the Decade” in 2010 and has appeared repeatedly on the Daily Journal’s annual list of the “100 Most Influential Lawyers in California.” The Recorder also has recognized him as an Attorney of the Year and California Lawyer named him one of the top corporate and M&A lawyers in the state (in a group of only nine attorneys listed)
- In 2013, he received a Client Choice award in the M&A category from International Law Office and Lexology
- Mr. King has been recognized in Chambers Global
- Chambers USA
- The Legal 500 U.S
- The International Who’s Who of Business Lawyers
- The Best Lawyers in America
- IFLR1000
- the PLC Cross-border Mergers and Acquisitions Handbook
- and Lawdragon 500 Leading Lawyers in America
- To view a list of Mr. King's representative transactions, please click here
Practice Areas Explained
Kenton J. King's Areas of Practice
Each practice area below reflects the types of cases Kenton J. King handles, with a brief overview of what that area of law covers.
Business attorneys advise founders and growing companies on entity formation, contracts, financing, M&A, and dispute resolution.
Kenton J. King is one of 501,317 business attorneys indexed nationally. Browse business attorneys in California →
Kenton J. King is one of 49,731 m&a attorneys indexed nationally. Browse m&a attorneys in California →
Kenton J. King is one of 64,529 securities attorneys indexed nationally. Browse securities attorneys in California →
Jurisdictional Context
Why local counsel matters in California
Practicing law in California. Legal matters in California are governed by state-specific rules of civil and criminal procedure, statutes of limitations, and substantive law. Cases originating in Palo Alto are typically filed in the local municipal court or the appropriate California state district court, depending on subject matter and amount in controversy. An attorney licensed in California brings working knowledge of local procedural deadlines, judicial practices in this andnue, and the substantive law that applies to cases brought here. Out-of-state attorneys generally cannot represent clients in California courts without local counsel or pro hac vice admission.
Looking for additional California attorneys? Browse all attorneys in Palo Alto or all attorneys in California.
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