Mergers & Acquisitions

  • December 19, 2025

    Hogan Lovells, Cadwalader's Divergent Paths Led To Deal

    The blockbuster combination between Hogan Lovells and Cadwalader Wickersham & Taft LLP announced this past week involves two law firms that have charted very different paths in recent years. Here, a look at what events led up to the firms joining together at the deal table.

  • December 19, 2025

    Dems Push For Scrutiny Of Compass' $1.6B Anywhere Buy

    Democratic senators urged the U.S. Department of Justice and the Federal Trade Commission to scrutinize Compass Inc.'s $1.6 billion buy of rival broker Anywhere Real Estate Inc., saying further consolidation could drive commissions higher and squeeze out remaining competitors.

  • December 19, 2025

    BigLaw And Boutiques Both Shine In 2025's Top 10 Deals

    A tight circle of elite law firms guided the way as megadeals roared back with force in 2025, while a small group of specialist and international firms also made their mark across global transactions spanning infrastructure, gaming, pharmaceuticals, artificial intelligence and energy.

  • December 19, 2025

    Taxation With Representation: Baker Botts, Morgan Lewis

    In this week's Taxation With Representation, Trump Media and Technology Group merges with fusion power company TAE Technologies, pharmaceutical company Cencora boosts its stake in cancer care company OneOncology, and Phoenix Financial partners with private equity giant Blackstone to plug billions into various credit strategies.

  • December 19, 2025

    PE Attys Get Creative As Uncertainty Dampened Deal Market

    Private equity firms and their portfolio companies sought more creative ways to complete deals in 2025 as they navigated uncertainty stemming from President Donald Trump's tariffs and other macroeconomic jitters that dampened activity for much of the year.

  • December 19, 2025

    3 Firms Advise As Sony Nabs Majority Stake In Peanuts Brand

    WildBrain has agreed to sell its 41% stake in Peanuts Holdings LLC to Sony Music Entertainment (Japan) Inc. and Sony Pictures Entertainment Inc. for C$630 million in cash, or roughly $457 million, in a deal steered by three law firms. 

  • December 19, 2025

    Biomedical Co. Gets Approval For Ch. 11 Auction In January

    Eye disease treatment developer Clearside Biomedical on Friday got permission from a Delaware bankruptcy judge for a January auction of its assets after saying it had resolved objections from shareholders and the U.S. Trustee's Office.

  • December 19, 2025

    Battery Co. Factorial To Go Public Via $1.1B SPAC Deal

    Battery technology company Factorial Inc., led by Goodwin Procter LLP, has announced plans to go public by merging with special purpose acquisition company Cartesian Growth Corp. III, advised by Greenberg Traurig LLP, in a deal that values the battery maker at $1.1 billion.

  • December 19, 2025

    Chancery Keeps Alive Electric Vehicle Co. SPAC Suit

    Most counts have gone forward in a Delaware Court of Chancery suit alleging an unfair "blank check" company take-public merger with a since-reorganized electric vehicle company that faced allegedly undisclosed supply chain problems.

  • December 19, 2025

    BioMarin Inks $4.8B Amicus Buy As Patent Litigation Resolved

    BioMarin Pharmaceutical Inc. has agreed to acquire Amicus Therapeutics for $4.8 billion, in a deal bolstered by Amicus' settlement of patent litigation that secures U.S. exclusivity for its Galafold drug until 2037, the companies said Friday.

  • December 19, 2025

    Simpson Thacher Helps KKR Buy Out Wella For $750M

    Beauty heavyweight Coty said Friday that it will sell its remaining 25.8% stake in Wella to KKR for $750 million, while keeping the right to proceeds from any further sale or initial public offering of the hair care brand.

  • December 18, 2025

    The Biggest Rulings From A Busy Year At The 1st Circ.

    The nation's smallest federal appellate panel punched above its weight in 2025, grappling with numerous suits against the Trump administration, high-profile criminal appeals, a $34 million legal fee bid and a hotly contested kickback law.

  • December 18, 2025

    Judge Wants Live Nation Antitrust Trial Limited To 5 Weeks

    A New York federal judge nudged the Justice Department and Live Nation during a hearing Thursday to limit next year's antitrust jury trial against the live entertainment giant to no more than five weeks, not the eight the government wants, although he left open the possibility for more time.

  • December 18, 2025

    Apollo Could Fetch $12B For Atlas Air, And More Rumors

    The past week saw no lack of chatter about potential sales, backdoor discussions, fundraises, initial public offerings and activist investor power moves.

  • December 18, 2025

    EU Approves Bakery Biz Deal With Plant Sales

    European enforcers approved Belgian food group Vandemoortele's proposed acquisition of Délifrance SA from French grain cooperative Vivescia, conditioned on the sale of two production facilities for frozen dough products.

  • December 18, 2025

    Unions Come Out Against Rail Giants' $85B Merger

    Two Teamsters unions representing a majority of organized workers at Norfolk Southern and Union Pacific came out in opposition this week to the companies' proposed $85 billion merger, arguing the deal would strangle railroads' competitive angle and drive down safety standards.

  • December 18, 2025

    Dems Urge Scrutiny Of AT&T, SpaceX Spectrum Deals

    Congressional Democrats are pushing Trump administration officials to further scrutinize AT&T and SpaceX's plans to obtain wireless spectrum licenses from the telecommunications company EchoStar.

  • December 18, 2025

    Latham, Debevoise Steer Howard Hughes' $2.1B Vantage Buy

    Texas-based Howard Hughes Holdings Inc., led by Latham & Watkins LLP, on Thursday announced plans to acquire private equity-backed specialty insurance and reinsurance company Vantage Group Holdings Ltd., advised by Debevoise & Plimpton LLP, in a $2.1 billion deal.

  • December 18, 2025

    $3.6B Hogan Lovells, Cadwalader Deal To Form Top 5 Firm

    Hogan Lovells and Cadwalader Wickersham & Taft are planning to combine, creating what the firms say will be the world's fifth-largest firm by revenue, they announced Thursday.

  • December 18, 2025

    Qualcomm Completes $2.4B Alphawave IP Acquisition

    British semiconductor technology company Alphawave IP Group PLC said Thursday that the court-backed scheme for its $2.4 billion takeover by U.S. tech giant Qualcomm Inc. has become effective.

  • December 18, 2025

    Trump Media Combining With TAE In $6B Nuclear Fusion Deal

    Trump Media and Technology Group said Thursday it has agreed to merge with TAE Technologies, a privately held fusion power company, in an all-stock deal valued at $6 billion that would create one of the first publicly traded fusion energy companies.

  • December 17, 2025

    Lawmakers Raise Concerns Over Nexstar's $6.2B Tegna Deal

    A group of Democratic lawmakers has urged federal enforcers to closely scrutinize Nexstar Media Group Inc.'s planned $6.2 billion purchase of rival broadcast company Tegna Inc. and to block the deal if they find it violates the law.

  • December 17, 2025

    2 Firms Guide $192M Northern California Bank Merger

    Northern California's Community West Bank and United Security Bank on Wednesday announced plans to merge by the middle of next year in a $192 million deal guided by Otteson Shapiro LLP and Stuart Moore Staub.

  • December 17, 2025

    10th Circ. Panel Restores $2.9M FINRA Award Against Adviser

    A Tenth Circuit panel on Wednesday reinstated a $2.9 million Financial Industry Regulatory Authority arbitration award against a financial adviser who allegedly undermined a firm she worked for, ruling that she waived any objections she had to arbitrating with the plaintiffs before FINRA.

  • December 17, 2025

    Chancery OKs $10M Fat Brands Settlement, Defers Fees

    A judge in the Delaware Chancery Court on Wednesday approved a proposed settlement resolving two long-running shareholder derivative suits against Fat Brands Inc. and its controlling stockholder, finding that the deal delivers immediate cash, targeted governance reforms and a realistic recovery in light of substantial litigation and collectibility risks, while reserving judgment on a disputed request for attorney fees.

Expert Analysis

  • How Fractional GCs Can Manage Risks Of Engagement

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    As more organizations eliminate their in-house legal departments in favor of outsourcing legal work, fractional general counsel roles offer practitioners an engaging and flexible way to practice at a high level, but they can also present legal, ethical and operational risks that must be proactively managed, say attorneys at Boies Schiller.

  • M&A Midmarket Shows Resilience Amid 2025 Challenges

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    Midmarket mergers and acquisitions showed a slight decline in volume but climbed in value for much of 2025, particularly in the private equity space, indicating that the middle market M&A environment is cautious but steady heading into 2026, say attorneys at Stoel Rives.

  • Del. Dispatch: Key 2025 Corporate Cases And Trends To Know

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    The Delaware corporate legal landscape saw notable changes in 2025, spurred by amendments to the Delaware General Corporation Law, ubiquitous artificial intelligence fervor, boardroom discussion around DExit, record shareholder activism activity and an arguably more expansive view of potential Caremark liability, say attorneys at Fried Frank.

  • Series

    Nature Photography Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    Nature photography reminds me to focus on what is in front of me and to slow down to achieve success, and, in embracing the value of viewing situations through different lenses, offers skills transferable to the practice of law, says Brian Willett at Saul Ewing.

  • 2025 Brought A New Paradigm For Federal Banking Regulation

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    A series of thematic shifts defined banking regulation in 2025, including a fundamental reform of prudential supervision, a strategic easing of capital constraints, steps to streamline merger reviews, and a new framework for fair access and entrants seeking to offer banking services, say attorneys at Simpson Thacher.

  • What 2025 Transpo And Logistics Legal Trends Mean For 2026

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    2025 was challenging for the transportation and logistics sector, with emergent trends including dramatic federal policy shifts, developments in tort risk, and a host of mergers and acquisitions — but a review of these themes offers a useful playbook for where the industry is headed in 2026, says Jonathan Todd at Benesch.

  • Series

    Law School's Missed Lessons: Practical Problem Solving

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    Issue-spotting skills are well honed in law school, but practicing attorneys must also identify clients’ problems and true goals, and then be able to provide solutions, says Mary Kate Hogan at Quarles & Brady.

  • Learning From 2025 FCA Trends Targeting PE In Healthcare

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    False Claims Act enforcement trends and legislative developments from this year signal intensifying state and federal scrutiny of private equity's growing footprint in healthcare, and the urgency of compliance, says Lisa Re at Arnold & Porter.

  • Opinion

    A Uniform Federal Rule Would Curb Gen AI Missteps In Court

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    To address the patchwork of courts’ standing orders on generative artificial intelligence, curbing abuses and relieving the burden on judges, the federal judiciary should consider amending its civil procedure rules to require litigants to certify they’ve reviewed legal filings for accuracy, say attorneys at Shook Hardy.

  • Netflix Caps 2025 M&A Deals That Will Test Antitrust Strategy

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    The 2025 media consolidation trend culminated in Netflix's $82.7 billion Warner Bros. Discovery announcement, but the Antitrust Division of the U.S. Department of Justice is likely to question whether remedies short of blocking the deal could credibly preserve competition, says Brian Pandya at Duane Morris.

  • Series

    The Law Firm Merger Diaries: Integrating Practice Groups

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    Enacting unified leadership and consistent client service standards ensures law firm practice groups connect and collaborate around shared goals, turning a law firm merger into a platform for growth rather than a period of disruption, says Brian Catlett at Fennemore Craig.

  • Opinion

    Supreme Court Term Limits Would Carry Hidden Risk

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    While proposals for limiting the terms of U.S. Supreme Court justices are popular, a steady stream of relatively young, highly marketable ex-justices with unique knowledge and influence entering the marketplace of law and politics could create new problems, say Michael Broyde at Emory University and Hayden Hall at the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the District of Delaware.

  • Series

    Knitting Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    Stretching my skills as a knitter makes me a better antitrust attorney by challenging me to recalibrate after wrong turns, not rush outcomes, and trust that I can teach myself the skills to tackle new and difficult projects — even when I don’t have a pattern to work from, says Kara Kuritz at V&E.

  • Series

    The Biz Court Digest: Welcome To Miami

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    After nearly 20 years in operation, the Miami Complex Business Litigation Division is a pioneer upon which other jurisdictions in the state have been modeled, adopting many innovations to keep its cases running more efficiently and staffing experienced judges who are accustomed to hearing business disputes, say attorneys at King & Spalding.

  • What Law Firm Liability Risks In 2025 Signal For Year To Come

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    Trends and statistics reveal that law firms of all sizes and practice areas remained attractive litigation targets this year, so firms must take concrete steps to avoid professional liability risks in the year to come, say Douglas Richmond and Andrew Ricke at Lockton Companies.

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