CDT Roundup: 14 Deals, 6 Firms, 92 Lawyers, $2.5B

Clay Brett arrived in May at the Houston offices of Baker Botts with a deep résumé: partner and GC at a private investment firm, Willkie and Bracewell alum. Since then he's been busy. Very busy. In a Q&A with the Lawbook's Claire Poole, Brett describes his decision to join Baker Botts, the bifurcated presence (long and short) of private equity in the energy spaces and dealmaking the energy storage space. That, along with the usual list of deals and fundings reported by Texas lawyers last week.

September 6, 2023 Claire Poole

CDT Roundup: 17 Deals, 13 Firms, 202 Lawyers, $12.2B

The heat is on in Texas, in more ways than one. It's no secret that record summer temperatures have tested the durability of the state's electric grid; but lesser known is its growing dependence on alternative energy transmissions to meet this year's extraordinary demand. Wind and solar, however, are only as dependable as the ability to store the energy they produce, and the CDT Roundup this week looks at the growing number of deals involving utility-scale battery storage sector which have, if you'll pardon the expression, become very hot.

August 29, 2023 Claire Poole

CDT Roundup: 19 Deals, 13 Firms, 213 Lawyers, $11.5B

Who are the leading law firms in global M&A? Not necessarily who you thought they were. This week's CDT Roundup features the top-ranked M&A firms in a recent PitchBook list for Q2. There's that, and the usual listing of Texas deals reported last week, led by three deals of more than $1 billion, including a $7.2 billion bolt-on acquisition by Energy Transfer.

August 23, 2023 Claire Poole

CDT Roundup: 19 Deals, 13 Firms, 184 Lawyers, $9.7B

Of course, having noted the continued primacy of the energy industry in Texas dealmaking of late, we hit a week when there are none. Moreover, capital markets came roaring back last week with a dozen deals reported, the most reported for a single week in more than two years. Claire Poole takes a closer look at those deals and the lawyers behind them this week in the CDT Roundup.

August 15, 2023 Claire Poole

CDT Roundup: 13 Deals, 12 Firms, 118 Lawyers, $5.2B

In March and April, the market for M&A looked pretty thin. A few high-profile bank failures and strong employment figures fed worries about the future. That pessimism seems to have passed, according to Texas dealmakers consulted by the CDT Roundup. We have their forecasts for the coming months, as well as the usual listing of deals and dealmakers reporting last week.

August 8, 2023 Claire Poole

CDT Roundup: 15 Deals, 13 Firms, 19 Lawyers, $21B

According to a recent report by PitchBook, private equity deals are a mixed bag of late: deal count up a wisp from Q1; deal value down double-digits. Is that terrible? Maybe not. The Roundup looked at the numbers from PitchBook and there are a few surprises and maybe a little perspective; that, along with the usual run-down of the week's M&A deals.

August 1, 2023 Claire Poole & Allen Pusey

CDT Roundup: 18 Deals, 14 Firms, 130 Lawyers, $4B

Texas dealmakers don't do pessimism. There's no point. Downtimes provoke creativity. Uptimes demand energy. And even during times of lean money markets, Texas seems to maintain an ample supply of both. As we move past a mediocre first half in 2023, the CDT Roundup looks at sources of optimism for what's coming — with the assistance of a new report from Intralinks. And, course, there are the names of the Texas lawyers behind 18 deals reported last week.

July 25, 2023 Claire Poole & Allen Pusey

CDT Roundup: 13 Deals, 9 Firms, 81 Lawyers, $8.3B

U.S. buyout and exit deals are seeing double-digit year-over-year declines, fundraising is shrinking and acquisition finance markets have stiffened in the face of interest rate uncertainty, according to Mergermarket. Against that backdrop comes a survey of 100 PE firm executives who are among those searching for places to place an estimated $1.1 trillion in dry-powder cash. In this week’s CDT Roundup, Claire Poole discusses what they see on the investment horizon after 12-18 months of investor caution, along with the names of lawyers involved in last week’s 13 M&A and funding deals.

July 18, 2023 Claire Poole

CDT Roundup: 16 Deals, 12 Firms, 172 Lawyers, $5.4B

A new report from Refinitiv suggests that bankers are hurting these days. Investment banking fees are down during the first six months of 2023 — off 18 percent from 2022, year-over-year, and the lowest since 2016. Advisory fees from M&A fared even worse. The culprits include U.S. involved M&A, which has been lagging in both volume and value. The Lawbook's Claire Poole looks at the underlying stats, including a few sectors that have thrived, even during the current lag — and, of course, the usual roll call of deals reported by Texas lawyers last week.

July 11, 2023 Claire Poole

CDT Roundup: 16 Deals, 10 Firms, 105 Lawyers, $6.9B

In addition to warmer temperatures, the end of spring brings us the end of Q2/H1, and a good time to check on the mid-year status of dealmaking. This week is our roundup of what the CDT Roundup has been reporting for the past six months. That, and a roster of lawyers involved in the 11 M&A/Funding deals and five CapM transactions reported last week.

July 4, 2023 Claire Poole & Allen Pusey