An in-depth analysis of five years of merger and acquisition (M&A) data by Law.com International raises questions about the collective effectiveness of ‘best friends’ network of Slaughter and May. Including other European top-notch firms such as Hengeler, De Brauw, Uria, Bredin Prat and BonelliErede, the data revealed how frequently the members of this renowned European network work together on announced M&A deals. It was found that only a small percentage of the deals involve more than one of these legal giants.
Although the data shows that the ‘best friends’ network managed to handle $288 billion worth of deals in 2022, which allowed it to take the top spot in Europe’s leading legal advisers by M&A deal value, outranking high-profile law firms like Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer, Clifford Chance, Latham & Watkins and others. It is important to note that Slaughter and May’s best friends collectively outstrip second placed Freshfields by more than $100 billion.
However, due to undisclosed details in the paywalled article, the precise characteristics and intricacies of the network’s collaborations remain largely undisclosed.
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