By Casey Sullivan
NEW YORK, Jan 4 (Reuters) - Among law firms worldwide New
York-based Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom advised on the
highest-value mergers and acquisition deals in 2012, according
to annual data compiled and published by Thomson Reuters.
The firm advised on 200 completed deals around the world,
worth $316 billion, compared to 201 deals worth $233 billion in
2011. It moved up from the No. 6 spot it held in 2011.
One of the biggest transactions Skadden handled was the $56
billion sale of Russian oil producer TNK-BP to the Russian-based
Rosneft Oil Company in December.
In June, the firm advised Anheuser-Busch InBev in its $20.1
billion acquisition of outstanding shares of Grupo Modelo SAB de
CV that the giant beverage maker did not already own.
The Thomson Reuters data, published annually and quarterly,
rank the world's top law firms advising on mergers and
acquisitions based on value and number of deals.
Thomson Reuters News & Insight is a unit of Thomson Reuters.
The Wall Street law firm Simpson Thacher & Bartlett, which
advised on 133 deals worth $281 billion, dropped to the No. 2
position behind Skadden. In 2011, Simpson Thacher held the No. 1
place, with $295 billion in deals, according to the data.
Among other deals, Simpson Thacher in May advised
power-management provider Eaton Corporation in its $13 billion
acquisition of Cooper Industries, a manufacturer of electronic
products.
Wall Street law firm Sullivan & Cromwell, which advised on
120 deals worth $275 billion, dropped to the No. 3 position
behind Simpson Thacher. It had ranked No. 2 last year behind
Simpson Thacher, with $273 billion in deals, according to the
data.
Worldwide merger work remained flat in 2012 at $2.6
trillion, according to the data, and law firms aggressively
sought to capture market share by recruiting partners from other
law firms.
The most active area for deals was the energy and power
sector, with 18 percent of announced transactions, a contraction
from 2011 when the sector accounted for 19.8 percent of deals.
Other industries with strong merger work included healthcare and
consumer staples, according to the data.
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