Driven by a mix of private equity interest, family office investments and strategic consolidations across multiple sectors, dealmaking was strong in 2024, particularly in Texas, revealing resilience even as the year closed amid tightening credit and unexpected headwinds. Two lawyers stood out in that Texas M&A landscape, each making their mark in distinct ways: Gibson Dunn’s Michael Piazza and Simpson Thacher’s Shamus Crosby.
M&A Newsmaker: Katten’s David Washburn and the Anatomy of a Deal
David Washburn always felt “hardwired” to become a lawyer despite his father and others trying to sway him down different paths while growing up. “In what I now understand to be my dad’s attempt to induce me to take another path, he gave me a copy of Gray’s Anatomy when I started high school. The book bored me to tears,” he said, noting it as a moment that further pushed him to pursue law.
CDT Exclusive Data: 2024 Top M&A Dealmakers in Texas
There are some new leaders atop the 2024 M&A scoreboard. Most of the regulars are there, as well as some fresh faces, according to The Texas Lawbook’s exclusive Corporate Deal Tracker. The CDT has two separate rankings for Texas-led transactions — deal count and deal value. Lawyers on both lists had an extraordinary 2024.
M&A Newsmaker: Sidley’s Sara Garcia Duran Closes Deals and Opens Doors
Sara Garcia Duran never considered becoming a lawyer until she was asked to make a decision while on a student trip in high school. She thought about being a politician, but that option didn’t sound terribly appealing. “I’ll go join the lawyers,” Duran said.
The M&A-focused partner at Sidley is pleased with her choice. Duran recently gave The Texas Lawbook an in-depth look into her journey and her experience as a woman working as a Texas dealmaker.
Exclusive CDT Data — Kirkland, Gibson, V&E, Haynes Boone and Latham Top 2024 Texas-Led M&A Rankings
Mergers and acquisitions practices at nearly all law firms operating in Texas thrived in 2024. Eight law firms in Texas saw their M&A lawyers lead buyers, sellers and targets in 50 percent more M&A deals last year than they did in 2023, according to exclusive new data from The Texas Lawbook’s Corporate Deal Tracker. Nine other law firms witnessed a 10 percent or more increase in leading the principals in M&A activity in 2024, CDT data shows. But no law firm’s Texas deal lawyers were busier in 2024 than those at Kirkland & Ellis.
DOJ Sues to Block HPE’s $14B Acquisition of Juniper Networks
The U.S. Department of Justice filed suit in Northern California Thursday seeking to block the $14 billion acquisition of Juniper Networks by Texas-based Hewlett Packard Enterprise Company. Although investigated and recommended during the Biden Administration, the lawsuit is the first major regulatory litigation by the incoming Trump Administration.
M&A in 2024: A Big Bite for Small Deals
The roster of M&A deals in 2024 suggests that we should be thankful for small things. Or, at least, small deals, according to the Corporate Deal Tracker.
From Energy to Technology: The Evolving Landscape of Texas-Related Billion-Dollar Deals
Last year, there were 135 Texas-related deals (one that involves a party headquartered in Texas or advised by Texas-based lawyers) submitted to The Texas Lawbook‘s exclusive Corporate Deal Tracker that reached or broke the $1 billion barrier — some of them by a lot. The deals had an aggregate value of $627.2 billion, slightly below 2023 but much higher than in 2021, the record year of rebounding from the pandemic, against which many firms have measured the market in recent years.
Top Deals of 2024: When AI Met M&A (and Everything Else)
This is our list, a roster of transactions that caught our attention this year among the more than 2,000 Texas-related transactions submitted to the Corporate Deal Tracker in 2024. These “Texas-related” deals are transactions that involve either Texas-headquartered parties, Texas-based lawyers or, better yet, both.
How Texas M&A Lawyers Are Preparing for 2025
Now that the new year is here, many Texas M&A lawyers are preparing for potential developments in the upcoming year and identifying their focus areas. Many law firms are optimistic about the deal space in 2025, anticipating increased activity; however, they also plan to closely monitor how the new presidential administration may affect deals and their clients.