For once the cheesy sporting metaphor is apt – almost every City partner agrees 2007 has been a year of two halves. While the first six months saw firms busier than ever, working on deals including the first-ever take-private of a FTSE 100 company and the E70bn (£50bn) bidding war for ABN Amro, the summer’s credit crunch means firms are seeing out the year in very different style.
The year began with a series of major deals and in March, the start of the battle to acquire ABN Amro. A raft of UK law firms won roles, including Linklaters and Slaughter and May for the acquirer, Royal Bank of Scotland, and Allen & Overy for the Dutch bank. Clifford Chance (CC) advised Barclays on its failed bid.
