Legal Services

M&A lawyers optimistic on dealmaking bounce: ‘It has definitely picked up’ 

City lawyers are seeing green shoots of recovery in M&A activity after tariff-induced uncertainty led to a slowdown in deals

Public-to-private deals could help drive M&A in the second half of the year, deal lawyers said Chris Ratcliffe/Bloomberg via Getty Images
Public-to-private deals could help drive M&A in the second half of the year, deal lawyers said Chris Ratcliffe/Bloomberg via Getty Images

M&A lawyers in the City are predicting a rebound in the deals market for the rest of the year, driven by cross-border acquisitions, mega-deals and public-to-private buyouts. 

There were 23,192 M&A deals globally in the first half of 2025, 13% lower than the same period last year, according to London Stock Exchange-owned data and trading company Refinitiv. However, total deal value grew 11% to $1.6tn in the first six months, following a number of large transactions such as Google’s proposed $32bn acquisition of cybersecurity firm Wiz.

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