Mergers & Acquisitions

  • December 22, 2025

    5 Firms Build $8.4B Clearwater Analytics Take-Private

    Investment management platform Clearwater Analytics has announced plans to go private after agreeing to be bought by a consortium of investors led by private equity giants Permira and Warburg Pincus in a deal valued at roughly $8.4 billion that was built by five law firms.

  • December 22, 2025

    Davis Polk-Led Cintas Lobs $5.2B Takeover Bid At UniFirst

    Uniform maker Cintas Corp., led by Davis Polk & Wardwell LLP, on Monday revealed that it has submitted a takeover proposal to workwear company UniFirst's board of directors in a deal that would value it at roughly $5.2 billion.

  • December 22, 2025

    4 Firms Guide Champion Iron's $290M Bid For Rana Gruber

    Australian mining company Champion Iron Ltd. said Monday that it will buy Norwegian rival Rana Gruber ASA for 2.93 billion Norwegian kroner ($290 million) to create a global, high-grade iron ore producer.

  • December 22, 2025

    Weil Helps UK Energy Biz Buy Gulf Coast Oil Co. For $3.2B

    Harbour Energy PLC, a producer of oil and gas in the North Sea, said on Monday that it will buy LLOG Exploration for $3.2 billion in a move to give it access to the Gulf of Mexico's rich oil reserves.

  • December 19, 2025

    Iowa Appeals Schwab Antitrust Deal After Objections

    Iowa's attorney general has appealed to the Fifth Circuit a Texas federal judge's final approval of a settlement ending an antitrust class action suit over The Charles Schwab Corp.'s merger with TD Ameritrade, following the Hawkeye State's previous objection claiming the deal offered class members insufficient relief.

  • December 19, 2025

    Rail Giants Pitch $85B Deal To Transportation Regulators

    Union Pacific Corp. and Norfolk Southern Corp. submitted the required application for their planned $85 billion merger on Friday, telling regulators the rail networks have few overlaps and that a combined system will allow freight to move faster and more efficiently across the country.

  • December 19, 2025

    Hogan Lovells, Cadwalader's Divergent Paths Led To Deal

    The blockbuster combination between Hogan Lovells and Cadwalader Wickersham & Taft LLP announced this past week involves two law firms that have charted very different paths in recent years. Here, a look at what events led up to the firms joining together at the deal table.

  • December 19, 2025

    Dems Push For Scrutiny Of Compass' $1.6B Anywhere Buy

    Democratic senators urged the U.S. Department of Justice and the Federal Trade Commission to scrutinize Compass Inc.'s $1.6 billion buy of rival broker Anywhere Real Estate Inc., saying further consolidation could drive commissions higher and squeeze out remaining competitors.

  • December 19, 2025

    BigLaw And Boutiques Both Shine In 2025's Top 10 Deals

    A tight circle of elite law firms guided the way as megadeals roared back with force in 2025, while a small group of specialist and international firms also made their mark across global transactions spanning infrastructure, gaming, pharmaceuticals, artificial intelligence and energy.

  • December 19, 2025

    Taxation With Representation: Baker Botts, Morgan Lewis

    In this week's Taxation With Representation, Trump Media and Technology Group merges with fusion power company TAE Technologies, pharmaceutical company Cencora boosts its stake in cancer care company OneOncology, and Phoenix Financial partners with private equity giant Blackstone to plug billions into various credit strategies.

  • December 19, 2025

    PE Attys Get Creative As Uncertainty Dampened Deal Market

    Private equity firms and their portfolio companies sought more creative ways to complete deals in 2025 as they navigated uncertainty stemming from President Donald Trump's tariffs and other macroeconomic jitters that dampened activity for much of the year.

  • December 19, 2025

    3 Firms Advise As Sony Nabs Majority Stake In Peanuts Brand

    WildBrain has agreed to sell its 41% stake in Peanuts Holdings LLC to Sony Music Entertainment (Japan) Inc. and Sony Pictures Entertainment Inc. for C$630 million in cash, or roughly $457 million, in a deal steered by three law firms. 

  • December 19, 2025

    Biomedical Co. Gets Approval For Ch. 11 Auction In January

    Eye disease treatment developer Clearside Biomedical on Friday got permission from a Delaware bankruptcy judge for a January auction of its assets after saying it had resolved objections from shareholders and the U.S. Trustee's Office.

  • December 19, 2025

    Battery Co. Factorial To Go Public Via $1.1B SPAC Deal

    Battery technology company Factorial Inc., led by Goodwin Procter LLP, has announced plans to go public by merging with special purpose acquisition company Cartesian Growth Corp. III, advised by Greenberg Traurig LLP, in a deal that values the battery maker at $1.1 billion.

  • December 19, 2025

    Chancery Keeps Alive Electric Vehicle Co. SPAC Suit

    Most counts have gone forward in a Delaware Court of Chancery suit alleging an unfair "blank check" company take-public merger with a since-reorganized electric vehicle company that faced allegedly undisclosed supply chain problems.

  • December 19, 2025

    BioMarin Inks $4.8B Amicus Buy As Patent Litigation Resolved

    BioMarin Pharmaceutical Inc. has agreed to acquire Amicus Therapeutics for $4.8 billion, in a deal bolstered by Amicus' settlement of patent litigation that secures U.S. exclusivity for its Galafold drug until 2037, the companies said Friday.

  • December 19, 2025

    Simpson Thacher Helps KKR Buy Out Wella For $750M

    Beauty heavyweight Coty said Friday that it will sell its remaining 25.8% stake in Wella to KKR for $750 million while keeping the right to proceeds from any further sale or initial public offering of the hair care brand.

  • December 18, 2025

    The Biggest Rulings From A Busy Year At The 1st Circ.

    The nation's smallest federal appellate panel punched above its weight in 2025, grappling with numerous suits against the Trump administration, high-profile criminal appeals, a $34 million legal fee bid and a hotly contested kickback law.

  • December 18, 2025

    Judge Wants Live Nation Antitrust Trial Limited To 5 Weeks

    A New York federal judge nudged the Justice Department and Live Nation during a hearing Thursday to limit next year's antitrust jury trial against the live entertainment giant to no more than five weeks, not the eight the government wants, although he left open the possibility for more time.

  • December 18, 2025

    Apollo Could Fetch $12B For Atlas Air, And More Rumors

    The past week saw no lack of chatter about potential sales, backdoor discussions, fundraises, initial public offerings and activist investor power moves.

  • December 18, 2025

    EU Approves Bakery Biz Deal With Plant Sales

    European enforcers approved Belgian food group Vandemoortele's proposed acquisition of Délifrance SA from French grain cooperative Vivescia, conditioned on the sale of two production facilities for frozen dough products.

  • December 18, 2025

    Unions Come Out Against Rail Giants' $85B Merger

    Two Teamsters unions representing a majority of organized workers at Norfolk Southern and Union Pacific came out in opposition this week to the companies' proposed $85 billion merger, arguing the deal would strangle railroads' competitive angle and drive down safety standards.

  • December 18, 2025

    Dems Urge Scrutiny Of AT&T, SpaceX Spectrum Deals

    Congressional Democrats are pushing Trump administration officials to further scrutinize AT&T and SpaceX's plans to obtain wireless spectrum licenses from the telecommunications company EchoStar.

  • December 18, 2025

    Latham, Debevoise Steer Howard Hughes' $2.1B Vantage Buy

    Texas-based Howard Hughes Holdings Inc., led by Latham & Watkins LLP, on Thursday announced plans to acquire private equity-backed specialty insurance and reinsurance company Vantage Group Holdings Ltd., advised by Debevoise & Plimpton LLP, in a $2.1 billion deal.

  • December 18, 2025

    $3.6B Hogan Lovells, Cadwalader Deal To Form Top 5 Firm

    Hogan Lovells and Cadwalader Wickersham & Taft are planning to combine, creating what the firms say will be the world's fifth-largest firm by revenue, they announced Thursday.

Expert Analysis

  • Opinion

    DOJ's HPE-Juniper Settlement Will Help US Compete

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    The U.S. Department of Justice settlement with Hewlett Packard Enterprise clears the purchase of Juniper Networks in a deal that positions the U.S. as a leader in secure, scalable networking and critical digital infrastructure by requiring the divestiture of a WiFi network business geared toward small firms, says John Shu at Taipei Medical University.

  • Series

    Playing Baseball Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    Playing baseball in college, and now Wiffle ball in a local league, has taught me that teamwork, mental endurance and emotional intelligence are not only important to success in the sport, but also to success as a trial attorney, says Kevan Dorsey at Swift Currie.

  • Building Better Earnouts In The Current M&A Climate

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    In the face of market uncertainty, we've seen a continued reliance on earnouts in M&A deals so far this year, but to reduce the risk of related litigation, it's important to use objective standards, apply company metrics cautiously and ensure short time periods, among other best practices, say attorneys at White & Case.

  • Series

    Law School's Missed Lessons: Skillful Persuasion

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    In many ways, law school teaches us how to argue, but when the ultimate goal is to get your client what they want, being persuasive through preparation and humility is the more likely key to success, says Michael Friedland at Friedland Cianfrani.

  • A Look At Trump 2.0 Antitrust Enforcement So Far

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    The first six months of President Donald Trump's second administration were marked by aggressive antitrust enforcement tempered by traditional structural remedies for mergers, but other unprecedented actions, like the firing of Federal Trade Commission Democrats, will likely stoke heated discussion ahead, says Richard Dagen at Axinn.

  • Litigation Inspiration: How To Respond After A Loss

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    Every litigator loses a case now and then, and the sting of that loss can become a medicine that strengthens or a poison that corrodes, depending on how the attorney responds, says Bennett Rawicki at Hilgers Graben.

  • The Metamorphosis Of The Major Questions Doctrine

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    The so-called major questions doctrine arose as a counterweight to Chevron deference over the past few decades, but invocations of the doctrine have persisted in the year since Chevron was overturned, suggesting it still has a role to play in reining in agency overreach, say attorneys at Crowell & Moring.

  • Biotech Collaborations Can Ease Uncertainty Amid FDA Shift

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    As concerns persist that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration's reduced headcount will impede developments at already-strapped biotech companies, licensing and partnership transactions can provide the necessary funding and pathways to advance innovative products, say attorneys at Troutman.

  • Series

    Playing Mah-Jongg Makes Me A Better Mediator

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    Mah-jongg rewards patience, pattern recognition, adaptability and keen observation, all skills that are invaluable to my role as a mediator, and to all mediating parties, says Marina Corodemus.

  • Business Court Bill Furthers Texas' Pro-Corporate Strategy

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    The Texas Legislature's recent bill to enhance corporate protections and expand access to the Texas Business Court by refining its jurisdictional standards is just the latest step in the state's playbook for becoming the new center of corporate America, say attorneys at Katten.

  • FTC Staff Cuts Unlikely To Curb Antitrust Enforcement Agenda

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    While Federal Trade Commission Chair Andrew Ferguson's recent commitment to reducing agency staff may seem at odds with the Trump administration's commitment to antitrust enforcement, a closer analysis shows that such reductions have little chance of derailing the president's efforts, say attorneys at Squire Patton.

  • Series

    Law School's Missed Lessons: Navigating Client Trauma

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    Law schools don't train students to handle repeated exposure to clients' traumatic experiences, but for litigators practicing in areas like civil rights and personal injury, success depends on the ability to view cases clinically and to recognize when you may need to seek help, says Katie Bennett at Robins Kaplan.

  • Opinion

    4 Former Justices Would Likely Frown On Litigation Funding

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    As courts increasingly confront cases involving hidden litigation finance contracts, the jurisprudence of four former U.S. Supreme Court justices establishes a constitutional framework that risks erosion by undisclosed financial interests, says Roland Eisenhuth at the American Property Casualty Insurance Association.

  • Takeaways From EU's Review Of Merger Control Guidelines

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    The European Commission’s newly launched consultation on the European Union’s merger guidelines will explore whether and how merger control should consider key policy objectives, such as innovation, investment incentives and security, say lawyers at Latham.

  • How Attys Can Use AI To Surface Narratives In E-Discovery

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    E-discovery has reached a turning point where document review is no longer just about procedural tasks like identifying relevance and redacting privilege — rather, generative artificial intelligence tools now allow attorneys to draw connections, extract meaning and tell a coherent story, says Rose Jones at Hilgers Graben.

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