Simpson Thacher tops global M&A rankings for Q1 as activity falls

White & Case came in second, with 43 deals totalling $94.5bn, while Davis Polk & Wardwell was in third place with 24 deals worth $79.6bn.

A total of 6,718 deals worth $526.9bn have been announced so far this year. However, the M&A market has been slower in the first quarter of this year compared to the first three months of 2015, when deal value totalled $684.3bn. Corporate partners have suggested that market uncertainties including Brexit, falling oil prices and the Chinese economy are leading some companies to rethink their position.

Simpson Thacher’s dominance in the rankings has been particularly down to its involvement in two of the largest M&A transactions this year, with the firm having won a lead role in China National Chemical Corporation’s (ChemChina) $43bn acquisition of Syngenta and acted for Tyco International in its $20bn merger with Johnson Controls. Source: The Lawyer