M&A Newsmaker: A Wild, Busy Week for Brittany Sakowitz

The first week April was a busy one for Kirkland & Ellis' Brittany Sakowitz. The Houston M&A and PE partner led or co-led three separate deals. "[It] was an exciting one ... Three important clients, signing three different types of transactions and in three different industries, all in the same week." After pausing to catch her breath, Sakowitz caught up with The Texas Lawbook to discuss her career, M&A and her predictions for the rest the year.

April 28, 2025 Nick Peck

CDT Roundup: Deals Still Lagging Versus Last Year at This Time

For the week ending April 19, there were 11 transactions for $8.1 billion. The deals included nine acquisitions involving a home design group, a portfolio of lifestyle brands, a pair of data center operations, a pair of power stations, a pure-play FPGA chip developer, an IPO and several investments in upstream producers. That and more in this week's edition of CDT Roundup.

April 21, 2025 Nick Peck

M&A Newsmaker: Term Sheet to Triumph, Pillsbury’s Andy Smetana Fuels Startup Successes

Andy Smetana took what he considers an unconventional path to transactional law. After graduating from Boston University School of Law, he sensed that the conditions weren't favorable for dealmaking. He patiently worked as a litigator while waiting for corporate and market opportunities to improve. Once they did, Smetana quickly transitioned into the transactional sector and has not looked back since, he told The Texas Lawbook.

April 7, 2025 Nick Peck

M&A Newsmaker: Michael King and His Crowning Achievements at Latham

Drawn by Latham & Watkins' dominance in oil and gas transactions and its legal reputation he described as akin to playing for the New York Yankees, Michael King joined its Houston office as a partner in 2012. Over 13 years at Latham, King has been involved in a number of notable energy deals and more. He recently discussed his path to becoming a lawyer, his deep experience in the O&G sector and his expectations for the rest of the year with The Texas Lawbook.

March 31, 2025 Nick Peck

CDT Roundup: Deadline for Submitting Deals for M&A Rankings is Next Week

In this edition of CDT Roundup for the week ending March 29, there were 21 Texas-related transactions valued at a total $8.2 billion. The week prior had seen 19 deals for $6.5 billion. It was the third straight week of volume uptick since the 2025 low of seven deals for $2.2 billion for the week that ended March 8. This time last year, there were 12 deals for $9.3 billion. Also, The Texas Lawbook has new 2025 quarterly deadlines for deal submissions to qualify for its quarterly and annual firm and lawyer deal rankings. Firms and lawyers who wish to be considered for the first quarter and year-end Lawbook leaderboards for M&A and CapM must submit all of their first-quarter deals by April 7 at 5 p.m.

March 31, 2025 Nick Peck

Texas Transaction Trailblazers: Michael Piazza Led in Deals, Shamus Crosby in Dollars

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.

March 13, 2025 Nick Peck

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. 

February 27, 2025 Nick Peck

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.

February 17, 2025 Nick Peck

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.

February 10, 2025 Mark Curriden & Christi Trammell

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.

January 30, 2025 Allen Pusey