By Michael Shari
LEGAL ADVISERS
GLOBAL
Simpson Thacher & Bartlett
Advising companies on 154 M&A deals worth $294.5 billion, Simpson was ranked number one by Thomson Reuters in 2011. It advised Petrohawk Energy on its $15.1 billion sale to BHP Billiton.
NORTH AMERICA
Simpson Thacher & Bartlett
Ranking in first place among legal advisers in North America, Simpson advised clients on 133 deals worth $201.4 billion in the US alone last year, according to Thomson Reuters.
WESTERN EUROPE
Linklaters
Linklaters rose from seventh to first place in 2011 for European M&A. Last year it advised on 232 deals in Western Europe with a value of $210.6 billion, according to Thomson Reuters.
ASIA
Linklaters
Ranking in first place in Asia last year, Linklaters advised companies on 44 M&A deals worth $37.9 billion. The firm has an 11.3% market share in Asia, according to Thomson Reuters.
CENTRAL & EASTERN EUROPE
Dewey & LeBoeuf
In Eastern Europe’s biggest M&A deal last year, New York firm Dewey & LeBoeuf advised Spartan Capital Holdings on its $6.2 billion acquisition of Polish telecom company Polkomtel.
LATIN AMERICA
Cleary Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton
Cleary Gottlieb is working with Latin American companies on deals in Europe and north of the Rio Grande, says partner Chantal Kordula in New York.
MIDDLE EAST & AFRICA
Linklaters
Even though the Arab Spring made negotiating deals more challenging than ever, Linklaters actually opened a new office in Abu Dhabi last year.
Best Investment Banks 2012
