Wachtell, Kirkland Are Big Q1 Winners as M&A Comeback Continues

Perennial top dealmakers Wachtell Lipton Rosen & Katz and Kirkland & Ellis led the M&A pack by handling the highest deal volume as principal legal advisers during a busy first quarter of 2021, building off the momentum from the end of last year.

Global M&A activity reached $1.1 trillion in the first three months of 2021, a 52.8% increase over the same period last year that was driven in part by a special purpose acquisition company boom. M&A activity ground to a near standstill in the first quarter of last year as the coronavirus pandemic spread.

The new figures mark ...