Corporate Deal Tracker: Jones Day and V&E Fight for Top M&A Honors

© 2016 The Texas Lawbook.By Natalie Posgate (Oct. 27) – By all accounts, corporate transactional lawyers in Texas are busier than ever. But the heavy workload has not yet translated to the wave of new mergers and acquisitions that many legal experts are predicting. While total deal count remains mired in mediocrity, competition among Texas lawyers and firms to represent buyers and sellers in M&A has gotten even stiffer. New data from The Texas Lawbook’s Corporate Deal Tracker shows that Texas-based attorneys worked on 7.7 percent fewer mergers, acquisitions, divestitures and joint ventures in the third quarter than they did a year ago. In addition, the value of the deals they handled dropped 53 percent. Overall, M&A deal count during the first three quarters of 2016 is 5 percent higher than it was during the same time period in 2015. The Corporate Deal Tracker shows that energy M&A remains flat while other sectors, including technology, manufacturing and food & beverage, have witnessed a surge in mergers and acquisitions. This trend is also impacting the law firm league tables. Perennial powerhouse Vinson & Elkins handled nearly 50 percent more corporate transactions (M&A and securities offerings combined) than every other law firm…