Vault Law Resource Center

Mergers & Acquisitions

Overview

M&A attorneys represent companies that are the acquirers or the targets in acquisitions, mergers, joint ventures, minority investments, spinoffs and other similar transactions. Some attorneys in this practice area focus on either acquirers or targets, or on deals involving either public or private companies, while others work broadly across many types of transactions. Many M&A attorneys, especially at larger firms, specialize in private equity transactions, representing private equity firms in the acquisition or disposition of “portfolio companies.” The day-to-day work of M&A attorneys involves negotiating transaction terms, drafting and revising documents, performing due diligence, and overseeing compliance with applicable laws. Often M&A transactions involve specialized attorneys (finance, tax, executive compensation, etc.), and the M&A attorneys generally serve as the quarterback, supervising or organizing these specialists. Attorneys on both sides of M&A transactions are generally working toward the same goal of getting the deal completed, so often, the practice is not adversarial. M&A is deal-based, so the work can come in waves and often take place over holidays or at the end of the year. M&A attorneys generally have more opportunities to go in-house than litigators or specialist corporate attorneys, in part because they tend to be seen as more generalists, having had a hand in every part of a transaction.

Top Ranked Firms

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Practice Area Q&A’s

Q&A company Cleary Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton LLPQ&A Kimberly R. Spoerri

Kimberly R. Spoerri

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Cooley logo
Q&A Bill Roegge
Q&A Rama Padmanabhan

Bill Roegge & Rama Padmanabhan

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Q&A company Cravath, Swaine & Moore LLPQ&A Bethany A. Pfalzgraf

Bethany A. Pfalzgraf

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Davis Polk firm logoDaniel Brass

Daniel Brass

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Jones Day firm logo
Q&A Evan Kanter
Q&A Carol Starnes

Evan Kanter & Carol Starnes

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Q&A company Paul, Weiss
Q&A Scott Barshay
Q&A Laura Turano

Scott Barshay & Laura Turano

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Q&A company Sidley Austin LLPQ&A Feifei Bian

Feifei Bian

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Sullivan & Cromwell firm logoQ&A Mimi Wu

Mimi Wu

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Wachtell firm logoJenna Levine

Jenna E. Levine

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cravath logoAndrew Wark Headshot

Andrew M. Wark

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Weil LogoGavin Westerman headshot

Gavin Westerman

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The M&A practice touches on all aspects of a transaction, including recommending transaction structures, performing legal due diligence to analyze any legal risks, drafting and negotiating transaction documents, and most importantly, communicating with the client about all of this throughout the process.

— Bethany A. Pfalzgraf , Cravath, Swaine & Moore LLP

I like being able to see the tangible results of my work. M&A has very concrete outcomes in the form of transactions that may be high-profile and attract a lot of press coverage. Not every acquisition or combination ultimately turns out to be a success, of course. But over time, you hope to see lots of good results for clients. You get to watch companies grow and reshape with your help.

— Daniel Brass , Davis Polk & Wardwell LLP

I ultimately chose M&A because the deals are fast-paced and high-profile with high stakes, and they involve a lot of problem-solving, project management, creativity, and consensus-building.

— Bill Roegge , Cooley LLP

Day-to-day, we deal with purchase price adjustments, we need to translate accounting or evaluation concepts into legalese, and we need to understand company valuation because the economics of a transaction will drive the deal terms.

— Mimi Wu , Sullivan & Cromwell LLP

There are, of course, different paths— other than continuing to practice at a law firm—including transitioning to in-house roles, working on that company’s corporate transactions and often handling other legal aspects of that company’s operations.

— Evan Kanter , Jones Day

For both the lawyers and the clients, it is often an all-hands-on-deck situation. I love the energy and camaraderie that M&A deals often foster.

— Kimberly R. Spoerri , Cleary Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton LLP

Getting to build relationships with my clients and work collaboratively with them to achieve their most important goals and address their biggest challenges is very fulfilling.

— Jenna E. Levine , Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz

Our M&A lawyers are creative, commercial, smart, and 100% focused on problem-solving for our clients in a highly supportive firm environment.

— Scott Barshay , Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison LLP

Whether I am on the buy side, sell side, or negotiating a joint venture transaction, I make sure to know what my client’s interests and goals are … and what the other side’s interests and goals are. ... I enjoy the process of helping the two sides reach an agreement on mutually beneficial transaction terms.

— Feifei Bian , Sidley Austin LLP

Advice from Vault Law

Advice card Practice Area Insights: Mergers & Acquisitions

Practice Area Insights: Mergers & Acquisitions

By Vault Law Editors

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Advice card What’s Hot, or Not, in 2023

What’s Hot, or Not, in 2023

By Rebecca King-Newman

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Advice card In Demand and Emerging Practice Areas

In Demand and Emerging Practice Areas

By Peter Horvath

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