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Global M&A is at record levels. Private equity deals, too. And tech is leading the way. Though energy is still king in Texas, technology (and PE investments in technology) are setting the pace for the kind of year people may remember when there's a new election for king. More on that and all the deals from a three-day work week in the CDT Roundup.
Historically, Texas dealmaking has run on energy. But dealmaking, in turn, runs on optimism. And if the new Dykema Survey of M&A dealmakers is any measure, there will be much to celebrate this time next year. The CDT Roundup looks at the survey's surprising results as well the deals involving Texas lawyers last week. There were plenty of them.
Joel Mack is a rare find in Big Law. He started at Latham & Watkins 35 years ago, and 35 years later, he's still there. His LinkedIn job list is as short as a 24-year-old associate: college, law school, Latham. But his client list reads like a stock exchange, and his deal résumé like a history of environmental law. Nushin Huq tells his story and reveals the quiet passion for service that keeps him flying high.
Big and bad is not always good, as evidenced by some of the recent down-sizing, realigning and unloading taking place among the elite corporations: think GE, AT&T, etc. So, who's next in Texas? Meanwhile, a new Haynes and Boone survey suggests that increased oil patch optimism has bankers likely to increase borrowing bases. All that and $26.7 billion in deals are part of this week's Roundup.
Last week the Corporate Deal Tracker posted 2021 M&A law firm rankings for Texas-led deals through Sept. 30. This week CDT ranks firms for their participation in deals whether or not their deals were Texas-led.
A Dallas REIT specializing in data centers announced that it is being acquired by a consortium led by KKR and Global Infrastructure Partners. Kirkland's Texas offices were in the thick of the deal.
In the first three quarters of 2021, there were well more than 600 M&A transactions involving Texas corporate lawyers — most of them led by Texas corporate lawyers. In the latest rankings from the Lawbook's Corporate Deal Tracker database, the top 10 Texas-based offices and Texas-based firms gobbled up more than two-thirds of the transactions reported to The Lawbook. At the top, as they have been for nearly a decade, are Kirkland & Ellis and Vinson & Elkins. But there are also a few surprising new names on the list. The Lawbook has them all.
More than a few recent deals are highlighting two things: the return of $80 oil and the importance of the Haynesville natural gas play. The Lawbook's Claire Poole takes a look at why the East Texas/northern Louisiana play is so hot of late. And, as always, there's our regular review of last week's M&A and CapM transactions.
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