Perhaps there can be too much of a good thing? Several M&A leaders have said recently that while the work is welcome, their people are overworked and short staffed, especially in the associate ranks. The industries providing all that work run the gamut.

Last week saw three deals north of $4 billion, and one over $9 billion. Pharma continues to be a driver for mergers and acquisitions work, but so was a large deal by an investor consortium for a human resources services firm in China. As work arrangements, and the attitudes of workers, change, HR services certainly seem like a relevant sector to be in.