New York, NY, February 3, 2009 — Hunton & Williams LLP advised clients on 52 announced M&A transactions valued at $136.6 billion in 2008, earning a #14 ranking for advising on U.S. announced deals in Thomson Reuters 2008 league tables. The firm also ranked #23 among legal advisors for worldwide announced deals. Hunton & Williams placed prominently in several other categories, demonstrating its strength as a leading advisor on M&A transactions across the globe. A complete list of rankings for Hunton & Williams is below:
# 2 Top European Involvement Announced by Target Industry (Consumer Staples) (tied)
#12 Any US Public Involvement Completed
#14 Any US Involvement Announced
#14 Any US Involvement Completed
#14 Any European Involvement Announced
#19 Any European Involvement Completed
#23 Worldwide Announced
The firm advised on several key deals in 2008, including:
- Altria Group in its spin-off of Philip Morris International for $113 billion
- Altria Group in its acquisition of smokeless tobacco maker UST for $11.7 billion
- Delta Air Lines in its acquisition of Northwest Airlines for $7 billion
- American General Finance in its acquisition of assets from Equity One and affiliates for $1.5 billion
Jerry Whitson, who recently was named a Dealmaker of the Week by American Lawyer, said: "We are confident that opportunities will continue to present themselves as business confidence rebuilds and markets stabilize. There are many attractive valuations for companies in acquisition mode."