Our M&A lawyers are among the most experienced and effective in the world. We represent many of the world's largest publicly traded and privately held companies, as well as leading private equity firms on their most important mergers, acquisitions and takeover transactions.
2010 Review of Selected U.S. Strategic M&A Transactions
December 1, 2010
Paul, Weiss's Mergers & Acquisitions Group has published its 2010 annual survey, an analysis and comparison of the top 25 strategic transactions announced between August 1, 2009 to July 31, 2010. Key observations include:
- Certainty remained paramount among many of the transactions surveyed as deal makers continued to define their respective rights and obligations upon the occurrence of various contingencies.
- Private equity-like treatment of financing risk remained a fixture of the strategic marketplace.
- The size of reverse break fees related to financing failures increased, even as the size of traditional break fees declined.
- Cash lost favor even as credit eased.
The M&A lawyers who contributed to this study include partner Judith Thoyer, counsel Didier Malaquin and Frances Mi, and associate Daniel Levine. Invaluable assistance was provided by associate Danijela Gazibara and summer associates Noah Craven, Rory ffrench, Jennifer Lambert and Amanda Melvin.
Additional observations and a more detailed discussion of the possible reasons for the above developments are included in the survey, a PDF of which may be accessed through the link above.