Homestore.com Inc. was simply trying to prep for an initial public offering when it merged in May with a complementary real estate listing service, giving Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati a double helping of corporate work this year.
Merging in preparation for an offering, as Homestore.com did, is just one of the strategic trends underlying the hefty load of M&A deals during the first half of the year, according to partners at the Palo Alto firm. Competitive factors within specific industries have also fueled the swelling number of deals — mostly Internet-related — that are keeping Bay Area corporate securities lawyers very busy.
