Summary: Skadden has moved back into the top spot for mergers and acquisitions in 2014 after finishing seventh in 2013.
Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP has moved to the top of the legal rankings in the mergers & acquisitions category in 2014, according to a report from The Wall Street Journal.
The firm advised on 221 deals for a combined $511 billion, according to data from Dealogic.
Skadden ranked seventh in 2013 for mergers and acquisitions, but jumped six spots during the tax inversion boom. It was the best year for mergers and acquisitions since 2007.
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Skadden was able to jump past Cleary Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton LLP, Simpson Thacher & Bartlett LLP, and Sullivan & Cromwell LLP.
One of the deals Skadden advised on involved Covidien PLC, a pharmaceutical company. It was sold to Medtronic Inc for $43 billion. The deal allowed Medtronic to move its headquarters to Ireland from Minneapolis.
Skadden also advised Pfizer Inc. in its failed attempt to acquire AstraZeneca PLC. The deal was slated for $120 billion and would have been the largest of 2014 if it had gone through.
The firm advised Valeant Pharmaceuticals International Inc. in its failed bid for Allergan Inc. Allergan wound up coming to terms to sell itself to Actavis PLC for $66 billion. Actavis also agreed to purchase Forest Labs Inc. in a $25 billion deal with Skadden working as the antitrust counsel for Actavis.
To read more about Pfizer, click here.
Time Warner Cable Inc. was advised by Skadden in its takeover discussions with Comcast Corp in a $45 billion deal. The deal has yet to be finalized even though it was announced in February. Both Comcast and Skadden are waiting for regulatory clearance for the deal to be finalized.
Skadden was also in the top spot of the mergers and acquisitions category back in 2012. In 2012, the firm advised on $317 billion in deals.
Davis Polk & Wardwell LLP dropped to tenth on the list after sitting in second last year. Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz dropped to six from three.
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