What is striking about an M&A-focused deal table of independent law firms in Europe is the dominance of the Slaughter and May best friends network. Sitting at the top of the table of deals announced in the 12 months to 30 September, 2007, based on value, is Slaughters’ Italy ally Bonelli Erede Pappalardo, edging Slaughters’ Dutch friend De Brauw Blackstone Westbroek into a close-run second place. Spain’s Uria Menendez came an equally close third, making it a Slaughters sweep for the medal positions. Another member of the Slaughters’ network, Germany’s Hengeler Mueller, appears in fifth place, behind the Netherlands’ NautaDutilh.
A glance at the country league tables, this time based on the volume of deals, reveals the same story. Bredin Prat takes the top spot among the Parisian advisers; Hengeler Mueller leads the pack in Germany and Uria Menendez is first in Spain. Bonelli breaks the pattern by coming in second to Chiomenti, although the former narrowly outpaces Chiomenti on the value of the deals it advised on this year.
