The American Lawyer‘s Corporate Scorecard ranks firms according to the amount of transactional work they handled in nine key areas — although in 2009′s sluggish economy, the real story was how little work firms did. M&A work was off 34 percent from an already-difficult 2008, and the volume of asset-backed securities work fell by 88 percent. The exception was bankruptcy: Forty-two firms with assets of $1 billion or more filed for Chapter 11 protection in 2009, a jump of 40 percent from 2008. Four of 2009′s filings — those of General Motors, Chrysler, CIT and Thornburg Mortgage — were among the ten largest public company filings ever.
- Bankruptcy: Ducking For Cover
CHART: Largest Bankruptcies and Emergences - Mergers and Acquisitions: A Deal Drought
CHART: Top Counsel to Principals and Investment Advisers - Private Equity: Dreaming Of Spring
CHART: Top Private Equity advisers - Equities and IPOs: Piece Offering
CHART: Top Equities and IPO advisers - Corporate Debt: Isn’t It Romantic?
CHART: Top Corporate Debt Counsel - Municipal Bonds: A Pleasant Surprise
CHART: Top Bond and Underwriter’s Counsel - Securities: A New Geometry
CHART: Top Issuer’s and Underwriter’s Counsel - Project Finance: End of an Era
CHART: Top Project Finance Counsel
CHART: Biggest Projects - REITs: Building Blocks
CHART: Top REIT Issuer’s and Underwriter’s Counsel -
OUR METHODOLOGY