• #1 Ranked M&A Law Firm Kirkland & Ellis Tells PrivCo: "Kirkland is honored to be recognized as the top law firm for private technology company M&A deals in 2012 [by PrivCo]....reflective of our substantial experience and deep relationships in the sector."
  • #3 Ranked Jones Day Tells PrivCo: "We are delighted to see our name among the leaders on [PrivCo's] list "driven by our "commitment to the technology industry and emerging companies."
  • #12 Ranked Foley & Lardner Tells PrivCo: "[We] offer clients a combination of world class intellectual property, regulatory and M&A capabilities....for both buyers and sellers of tech businesses."
  • #18 Ranked Clifford Chance Tells PrivCo: "We're pleased to be recognized by PrivCo as one of the leading firms advising on private technology company M&A transactions...the technology sector continues to be a fundamental driver of both U.S. domestic and cross-border M&A."

 

February 13, 2012 12:00 pm ET - PrivCo reveals its Exclusive Top 20 Ranking of the most sought out M&A Law Firms for Private Tech M&A deals in 2012. Topping the list as the #1 Law Firm in private tech M&A deals was Chicago-based international law firm Kirkland & Ellis. Ranked just behind Kirkland Ellis were Weil, Gotshal & Manges (Ranked #2) & Jones Day (Ranked #3).

A Kirkland & Ellis spokesperson remarked:"Kirkland is honored to be recognized as the top law firm for private technology company M&A deals in 2012 [by PrivCo], a rating reflective of our substantial experience and deep relationships in the sector."

 

Top 20 Law Firms For Private Technology M&A Acquisitions In 2012: PrivCo Rankings

(Ranked By Number Of Private Tech Company Acquisitions Firm Advised On)

Rank Law Firm Advisory History

See Kirkland & Ellis' Full Private Co.

Advisory History, Including M&A Data

In PrivCo's 2012 Private Tech Company

M&A Report

See Weil, Gotshal & Manges' Full Private Co.

See Jones Day's Full Private Co.

See Davis Polk & Wardwell's Full Private Co.

 

See Fenwick & West's Full Private Co.

See O'Melveny & Myers' Full Private Co.

See Cleary Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton's

See Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati's

See Greenberg & Traurig's Full Private Co.

See Goodwin Procter's Full Private Co.

Alston & Bird's Full Private Co.

Advisory History, Including M&A Data

In PrivCo's 2012 Private Tech Company

M&A Report

See Foley & Lardner's Full Private Co.

Advisory History, Including M&A Data

In PrivCo's 2012 Private Tech Company

M&A Report

See Hogan Lovells' Full Private Co.

Advisory History, Including M&A Data

In PrivCo's 2012 Private Tech Company

M&A Report

See DLA Piper's Full Private Co.

Advisory History, Including M&A Data

In PrivCo's 2012 Private Tech Company

M&A Report

See Latham & Watkins' Full Private Co.

Advisory History, Including M&A Data

In PrivCo's 2012 Private Tech Company

M&A Report

See Shearman & Sterling's Full Private Co.

Advisory History, Including M&A Data

In PrivCo's 2012 Private Tech Company

M&A Report

See Simpson Thacher & Bartlett's

Full Private Co. Advisory History,

Including M&A Data In PrivCo's2012

Private Tech Company M&A Report

See Clifford Chance's Full Private Co.

Advisory History, Including M&A Data

In PrivCo's 2012 Private Tech Company

M&A Report

See Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom's

Full Private Co. Advisory History, Including

M&A Data In PrivCo's 2012 Private Tech

Company M&A Report

See Morrison & Foerster's Full Private Co.

Advisory History, Including M&A Data

In PrivCo's 2012 Private Tech Company

M&A Report

 

"We are delighted to see our name among the leaders on [PrivCo's Top Private Tech M&A Law Firms] list. Our appearance is driven by having great clients, our global platform and our commitment to the technology industry and emerging companies," Daniel Mitz, the Silicon Valley based Jones Day M&A Partner, told PrivCo. Miltz is also the Regional Coordinator for Jones Day's California transactions practice.

Foley & Lardner's spokesperson Ashley Hutchinson remarked: "Foley & Lardner LLP offers clients a combination of world class intellectual property, regulatory and mergers and acquisitions capabilities...Foley seeks to maximize value and manage risk for both buyers and sellers of tech businesses."

These rankings are all part of PrivCo's Annual Private Tech Company M&A Research Report: "The Top 100 Acquirers Of U.S. Private Tech Companies In 2012". This comprehensive, 350-plus page report not only includes key financial metrics on the 100 most active buyers of private tech companies, but also includes important industry summarizing analytics such as: Top Tech Sectors For Acquisitions, Top Investment Banks & Law Firms Sought Out For Tech M&A, Top U.S. Metro Areas For Both M&A Targets & Buyers, and even hard to find data on topics like the usage of "Acq-Hires".

 
2012 PRIVATE TECH M&A LAW FIRM TRENDS
 
(1) NEW YORK-BASED LAW FIRMS DOMINATED THE TOP 20 WITH 6 FIRMS MAKING THE LIST: Weil, Gotshal & Manges (Ranked #2), Davis Polk & Wardwell (#4), Cleary Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton (#7), Shearman & Sterling (#16), Simpson Thacher & Bartlett (#17) & Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom (#19).This trend is reflected in our data on most active acquirers of private tech companies, top cities for acquisition targets, and top private equity acquirers for private tech companies, where New York ranked in the Top 3 as well.
 
"New York's emergence as the current fastest growing tech hub in the U.S. has been a driving factor behind U.S. private tech company M&A transactions shifting in favor of New York-based law firms over their traditional West Coast rivals," said PrivCo Founder & CEO Sam Hamadeh in a statement."Combined with their proximity to Wall Street and New York's roster of active private equity firms, NYC's burgeoning tech startup scene is helping NYC-based law firms become the M&A law firms of choice for privately-held tech company acquisitions."
 
Silicon Valley, the perennial center of the U.S. tech industry, was second behind New York for the number of law firms in the Top 20 list: Fenwick & West (Ranked #5), Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati (#8), and Morrison & Foerster (#20).
 
 
(2)U.K.-BASED LAW FIRMS EMERGING AS PLAYERS IN U.S. PRIVATE TECH M&A: Hogan Lovells (Ranked #13), DLA Piper (#14) and Clifford Chance (#18). These law firms' entry into the Top 20 Law Firms for U.S. private tech company acquisitions shows that their U.S. branches are gaining increasing clout in the private technology and venture-backed company deals ecosystem.
 
"We're pleased to be recognized by PrivCo as one of the leading firms advising on private technology company M&A transactions," said Rob Masella, a U.S. Corporate Partner for Clifford Chance in New York, and also co-head of the firm's global Technology, Media & Telecommunications sector. "In our view, the technology sector continues to be a fundamental driver of both U.S. domestic and cross-border M&A."
 
 
 
 
 
 

(Essential reading and reference for: Investment Bankers, Corporate Law Firms, Venture Capital Firms, Private Equity Firms, Accounting Firms, M&A Advisors, Business Brokers, Market Research Firms, Tech Industry Analysts, Competitive Intelligence Professionals, Fairness Opinion Issuers, and Business Valuation/Appraisal Professionals)

 

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