Magic circle dominates 2007 Thomson European M&A league

The magic circle have this year all but sewn up the European M&A market between them off the back of the $193bn Rio Tinto, $99bn ABN Amro and $19bn Boots KKR megadeals, reported service provider Thomson Financial's latest fourth quarter league tables. Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer has retained the top spot by year end (also coming in first in the third quarter results) by advising on 312 European deals with a total value of $526bn. A total of 261 deals with a value of $507bn, the majority of Freshfields' deals, have already completed, also placing it in pole position for European deals completed. The next five spots in the table of European deals announced in the last year go to Allen & Overy (A&O), Slaughter and May, Skadden Arps Slate Meagher & Flom, Linklaters and Clifford Chance, with total deal volumes ranging from a record $498bn (in the case of A&O) to $364bn (in the case of Clifford Chance).

Magic circle dominates 2007 Thomson European M&A league thelawyer.com Sat, Jan 5, 2008