Deals Down by a Third or More Among U.S., U.K. Firms

Data released Thursday shows that U.K. and U.S. firms touched a third fewer M&A deals in the first quarter of 2008 than a year earlier. At several top firms M&A dropped by half as compared to the first quarter of 2007: Latham & Watkins went from 81 to 41 deals; Skadden from 69 to 32; and Sullivan & Cromwell from 44 to 26. Wachtell did not even make MergerMarket’s global top 20.