Legal 500 editors Georgina Stanley and Ben Wheway break down the firms which fare best for corporate and M&A around the world
DLA Piper and Eversheds Sutherland have more top-tier corporate and M&A rankings in the UK Legal 500 than any other firms. Continue reading “The Legal 500 View: Kind of a big deal: The top L500 firms for corporate/M&A”
White & Case’s high-profile private equity head Ian Bagshaw is set to leave the firm in June to pursue other opportunities outside of law.
The White & Case partnership was informed of Bagshaw’s departure in an internal announcement this morning (16 April). In a LinkedIn post published today, Bagshaw said: ‘After seven years at each of Eversheds, Clifford Chance, Linklaters and White & Case, I have decided that my race in big law has now been run. Continue reading “‘My race in big law has been run’: White & Case private equity veteran Bagshaw to depart this summer”
Another blistering week of deal announcements has seen corporate advisers tasked with a diverse selection of mandates, from the much-anticipated £3bn initial public offering of Darktrace to a $12bn disposal by Aramco and an unusual joint offer for Globalworth Real Estate Investments valued at €1.6bn.
The proposed listing on the London Stock Exchange of British cybersecurity start-up Darktrace has elicited much market speculation, coming as it does after the IPO of food delivery company Deliveroo, which many have termed disastrous. Continue reading “Dealwatch: Advisers secure Darktrace float and $12bn Aramco sale as Globalworth proves hot property”
The special purpose acquisition company (SPAC) frenzy and coronavirus have continued to drive the market in recent days, with transatlantic corporate teams steering the multibillion-dollar Cazoo and Arrival deals, while an agreement for the acquisition of Covid-19 vaccines has proved a shot in the arm for Slaughter and May and Covington.
The Cazoo de-SPAC heralded key mandates for Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer, Kirkland & Ellis, Slaughters and Cravath, Swaine & Moore. The deal will see the UK online car retailer and AJAX I, a publicly-traded SPAC, merge to form a company with an enterprise value of $7bn. The combined company will retain the Cazoo brand and will be listed on the New York Stock Exchange. Continue reading “Dealwatch: Cazoo and Arrival fuel SPAC bonanza as Slaughters leads on Covid vaccine deal”
As the City marks the one-year anniversary of the first coronavirus lockdown, elite playmakers continue to do deals from their living rooms, with a sizeable National Grid acquisition and Deliveroo’s multibillion-pound initial public offering making headlines in recent days.
Last week (18 March) FTSE 100 utility National Grid emerged as the winner of a competitive auction to acquire Western Power Distribution (WPD), the UK’s largest electricity distribution business, from PPL Corporation for an equity value of £7.8bn. Continue reading “Dealwatch: Transatlantic teams energise £8bn National Grid acquisition as Freshfields and Latham dine in on Deliveroo IPO”
City business has had cause to take heart in recent days with a clear display of political will behind an overhaul of UK listing rules that could see London shake off its Brexit and pandemic woes and reassert itself as global financial hub.
Proposals set out in the UK Listing Review, led by Lord Hill, will particularly pique the interest of anyone tracking the special purpose acquisition company (SPAC) market. Indeed, the ubiquity of those deals has made them difficult to miss. There has been much talk of London jumping on the bandwagon in a fit of FOMO as other listing destinations, especially the US and Amsterdam, pile into that frothy market with gusto. However, to say that London has been lagging competitors in the US, Europe and Asia for too long is an understatement, and any shake-up to expedite parity with peers hasn’t come a moment too soon. Continue reading “Comment: Hope floats for City listing overhaul but American audacity is vital”
Private equity heavyweights gained major mandates as the bidding war for Signature Aviation took a riveting twist, while the US-driven special purpose acquisition companies (SPAC) craze looks set to take off outside the States.
Kirkland & Ellis, Slaughter and May, Cleary Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton and Linklaters acted on the proposed take-private of Signature Aviation by a consortium – Brown Bidco – including Blackstone, Cascade and Global Infrastructure Partners (GIP). Continue reading “Dealwatch: Elite firms land $4.7bn Signature Aviation deal as Euro SPAC market expects to fly”
‘What has happened to us?’ An M&A veteran shakes his head incredulously, having uttered the now ubiquitous phrase: ‘stay safe’ to conclude a Zoom call with Legal Business.
This time last year, rainmakers could hardly have imagined being forced into a neverending merry-go-round of video conferencing, let alone ending each conversation with something reminiscent of a BBC Crimewatch catchphrase. Continue reading “Global 100 European M&A focus: Riding a black swan”
In the conspicuous absence of the traditional round of festive parties, advisers have instead busied themselves with getting a host of deals across the line ahead of the Christmas break.
As the pandemic continues to rage on, Coronavirus-driven transactions show no sign of abating, with a €1.8bn financing package for tourism company TUI and the $1bn merger of hospitality companies Ennismore and Accor characterising the current deal market. Continue reading “Dealwatch: Advisers wrapped up in flurry of deals in final push before Christmas”
As has become customary in recent months, the deal market last week was characterised as being noticeably coronavirus driven – particularly in the tech, software, high street restructuring and strategic acquisitions spheres.
Nielsen’s $2.7bn spin-off of its Global Connect business – which provides research data to consumer goods companies – is another timely example of companies extracting value from their businesses by selling off non-core assets. In an effort to focus on its media arm and reduce debt, Nielsen is selling Global Connect to private equity firm Advent and James Peck, a former CEO of credit reporting company TransUnion. Continue reading “Dealwatch: strategic acquisitions, disposals and restructuring moves dominate as firms continue advice on Covid-19 fallout”
