CDT Roundup: 26 Deals, 11 Firms, 172 Lawyers, $12.7B

There's no surprise in the fact that global PE deals are down. With inflation, market volatility and geopolitical concerns, investors have become increasingly cautious and borrowers increasingly concerned, according to a new Mergermarket report. But there are also indications that some underlying changes are taking place in the PE pipeline. This week's CDT Roundup has more on the Mergermarket survey, as well as the usual roster of lawyers who reported deals last week.

December 6, 2022 Claire Poole & Allen Pusey

CDT Roundup: 8 Deals, 5 Firms, 74 Lawyers, $2.3B

You may remember traditional IPOs — those initial public offerings popular before the market eruption of SPACs. Are they making a comeback? Maybe. A $2 billion IPO announced this week by BKV Corp. may hold a clue to the future. But in any case, BKV's recent acquisition tear makes it worth watching. The CDT Roundup has more on that BKV deal, as well as the names of Texas lawyers who announced deals during a holiday-shortened week.

November 29, 2022 Claire Poole

Texas M&A Law Firm Rankings Q1-Q3

The Texas lawyers at 12 corporate law firms were involved as lead counsel in 20 or more M&A deals during the first nine months of 2022. Four firms were lead legal advisors in more than 60 deals. One firm saw its attorneys in Austin, Dallas and Houston hit triple digits in deal count for lead legal advisors during the first three quarters of 2022.

The Texas Lawbook has released its exclusive Corporate Deal Tracker M&A law firm rankings for Jan. 1 through Sept. 30. The mission is to document transactional work done by lawyers in the Lone Star state.

November 22, 2022 Allen Pusey & Mark Curriden

GOP Missive to ESG Practitioners: Real Threat or Political Theater?

Whatever its purpose or intent, a letter from five GOP senators to 51 lawyers involved in ESG transactions at their firms was mystifying to those who would talk about it. Sent five days in advance of the recent mid-term elections, the threatening tone of the letters was in keeping with a series of attempts to curb, through their lawyers, corporate support for environmental mandates, energy transition investments and changes in corporate governance — despite increasingly vocal and influential investor demand.

November 18, 2022 Allen Pusey

CDT Roundup: 13 Deals, 9 Firms, 81 Lawyers, $14.8B

So much attention has been given to energy and energy transition that it would be easy to overlook other business sectors that make up the Texas M&A market. Take the healthcare sector, for instance. Healthcare has become a new favorite among PE investors, according to PitchBook. This week's Roundup looks at a few of the reasons for that, as well as healthcare stats for Texas. All that, and the usual roster of lawyers involved in last week's Texas-related transactions.

November 15, 2022 Claire Poole

CDT Roundup: 25 Deals, 16 Firms, 509 Lawyers, $19B

Is the M&A market becoming a competition between "haves" and "have nots?" Maybe so, according to a recently released survey of nationwide dealmakers conducted by Dykema. Nearly two-thirds of respondents expect the U.S. M&A market to improve in the coming year. But for whom? Where companies with record amounts of cash on hand see opportunity, those who operate as borrowers see obstacles. The Roundup has more on the Dykema report, along with more than 500 names of mostly-Texas lawyers who worked on 25 deals reported last week to the Corporate Deal Tracker. It was, in that way, a record-breaking week.

November 8, 2022 Claire Poole

CDT Roundup: 15 Deals, 9 Firms, 116 Lawyers, $7.8B

With blank check IPOs and de-SPAC mergers dwindling in number, the third quarter of 2022 may have spelled the most conclusive evidence yet that the SPAC track has peaked as a quick path to public trading for companies that covet a ticker symbol. Blame it on inflation or on the quality of the targets themselves, but according to Pitchbook SPACs have proved themselves unable to sustain the enthusiastic pricing they experienced just a year ago. The CDT Roundup has those details, as well as the names of the firms and Texas lawyers who reported transactions last week.

November 1, 2022 Claire Poole

CDT Roundup: 20 Deals, 13 Firms, 253 Lawyers, $8.2B

Energy pricing may have rebounded to heights not seen in years, but that doesn't mean that industry confidence hovers alongside. Haynes Boone's latest borrowing base redetermination survey suggests that both lenders and borrowers expect current bases to remain flat — or even lower. This week's CDT Roundup explores possible reasons for the current state of caution, along with the usual review of last week's deals.

October 25, 2022 Claire Poole

CDT Roundup: 9 Deals, 9 Firms, 139 Lawyers, $3B

Energy deals are holding their own these days, even if other sectors seem to be slacking. The third quarter topped $16 billion for upstream M&A nationwide, making it the best quarter of the year in that category, according to Enverus. Claire Poole provides some perspective for that market, along with deals for the week in all sectors.

October 18, 2022 Claire Poole

Q3 M&A in Texas: A Meh Meal

Q3 M&A was a middling experience for dealmakers — in almost every respect. There were highlights, but not enough of them. Allen Pusey has the numbers. The good news: it could have been worse. In fact, it has been.

October 17, 2022 Allen Pusey