Simpson Thacher, Latham Lead Europe Dealmakers as Activity Drops

European M&A activity dropped by 40% year over year, as the market shows signs of leveling out after a record-breaking stretch.

Deals reached $214.7 billion in Europe in the first quarter of 2022, down from $356.6 billion same time last year, according to Bloomberg data. That’s still nearly 14% higher than in the first quarter of 2020, just before mergers and acquisitions skyrocketed.

The decline outpaces a more than 16% dip in global M&A activity, which fell to $1 trillion in the first three months of the year.

Big Law firms and European dealmakers are trying to navigate an increasingly ...