Litigation arising out of or during mergers and acquisitions seems set to increase in the UK and continental Europe, although such activity is expected to remain at a level below that of the market leader in the field – the US.
This conclusion is drawn from a recent survey commissioned by leading London law firm Herbert Smith. One hundred business people from a range of commercial sectors with major responsibility for the conduct of M&A deals in their companies were questioned in July and August 2002 about their perceptions of the present and future role of litigation in the world of M&A. Among the individuals who gave their views, 86 were from the UK’s Ftse 250 companies, including 46 from the Ftse 100.
