Corporate counsel singled out McGuireWoods as a leading law firm for M&A in a new survey conducted by BTI Consulting Group, calling the firm a “powerhouse” for private company deals and straightforward transactions and a “standout” for deals attracting regulatory scrutiny.
The report, “The BTI M&A Outlook 2022: A Whole New World of M&A,” looks ahead at the post-pandemic deal market and identifies the law firms corporate counsel consider best suited to handle their needs. The findings are based on interviews conducted with top legal decision-makers at large corporations with $1 billion or more in revenue.
McGuireWoods was one of only six firms identified as a “powerhouse” for advising clients in private M&A transactions and one of only eight rated as the best for straightforward mergers. According to BTI’s report, clients turn to as few as two law firms to handle these types of deals.
McGuireWoods consistently ranks among the leaders in U.S. and global M&A deals — including private equity transactions — in league tables published by Bloomberg and Refinitiv. The firm’s M&A practice has earned nationwide recognition from Chambers USA and The Legal 500. The firm’s significant deals in 2021 include advising Teledyne Technologies Inc. in its merger agreement to acquire FLIR Systems Inc. in a cash and stock transaction valued at approximately $8 billion.
“We are proud of our reputation as a go-to firm for M&A deals and grateful to receive such positive feedback from our clients,” said Richard W. Viola, deputy managing partner of McGuireWoods’ corporate practice.
Corporate counsel expect the M&A market to return to near full capacity by October 2021 and remain at peak levels through next year, according to BTI’s report. The number of companies pursuing transactions will hit a record high, BTI projects.
“These companies are going to be aggressive as they seek to improve their market positions, create scale, drive new product development and take advantage of perceived lower valuations,” the BTI report notes. “The pandemic had made companies less patient in building their profits and stock price. They see mergers and acquisitions as the fastest route to better performance.”