Seven Paul, Weiss Lawyers Contribute to LexisNexis Report on UK Public M&A

Partners Matt Hearn, David Holdsworth, Nicole Kar, Lauren O’Brien, Dan Schuster-Woldan, Francesca Storey-Harris, and knowledge and innovation lawyer Alfred King contributed their insight to the LexisNexis “Market Standards Trend Report: Trends in UK Public M&A Deals in H1 2026.” In the report, the lawyers discuss the factors that have shaped M&A deal activity in the first half of the year. 

Broadly, the market was “bifurcated,” with deal activity largely concentrated at the lower end of the market despite a few outsized deals at the top of the market, Matt says. Dan observes that “a further interesting feature of this first half seems to be the willingness of some potential bidders to use aggressive tactics in their pursuit of target companies,” with some bidders voluntarily announcing possible offers to take their terms directly to shareholders and pressure target boards to engage. Nicole notes that key regulatory proposals and legislative changes regarding antitrust and foreign investment rules have added uncertainty to the dealmaking climate. The new EU foreign direct investment screening regulation seeks to streamline processes and enhance coordination among Member States, but despite new minimum common rules and strengthened coordination, “the significant administrative burden associated with multi-jurisdictional transactions, and ongoing legal uncertainty are unlikely to diminish,” Nicole says.

» read the report