Clifford Chance is proud to announce that the firm has been named MENA M&A Legal Adviser of the Year at the prestigious Mergermarket European M&A Awards 2022. The awards recognize excellence in financial and legal advisors in M&A transactions in Europe, the Middle East and Africa, based on ranking data as well as contributions from an independent jury. The Mergermarket European M&A Awards recognise the best legal and financial advisors in the region for their creative advice on complex transactions. The awards recognise the achievements of Europe`s top negotiators and recognise innovative consultancy work on some of the region`s most transformative deals over the past year. An M&A Award from Mergermarket is a true recognition of an exceptional year. The firm won four of the six shortlisted awards and was shortlisted in all but two legal categories. Earlier this year, Arthur Cox also topped Mergermarket`s official 2021 ranking of Irish M&A legal advisors by deal volume for the fourth consecutive year. During the reporting period (Q4 2020 to Q3 2021), Sorainen advised 46 qualified transactions in the Central and Eastern Europe (CEEC) region with a total value of €4.407 billion. It`s an impressive achievement that Sorainen, a relatively small law firm with just four offices in the region, has done very well, competing with global legal market players such as DLA Piper (48 deals) and CMS (45 deals) for price.

In the Central and Eastern Europe region alone, DLA Piper has six offices in major regional markets, with 14 CMS. “This gain is a significant recognition for the entire Baltic Sea region, which has grown much faster than other European regions in recent years, with the transaction market also growing. We are very grateful to our clients for entrusting us with their strategic business development and sales operations, which doubled in number last year compared to 2020,” said Laimonas Skibarka, Managing Partner of Sorainen. The Mergermarket European M&A Awards recognise advisors who have played a leading role in transactions in Europe over the past year. Companies are nominated for these awards based on Mergermarket ranking analysis, and only the best companies in terms of deal volume and value are selected. The winners are selected by a jury composed of board members of leading banks and investment firms, as well as leading academics and lawyers. “We are proud that Schoenherr`s strong market position has been recognized,” said Roman Perner, co-head of Schoenherr`s M&A practice, who accepted the award on his behalf. “This award reflects the exceptional work of our corporate and M&A teams who have supported some of the most impactful and challenging deals in the country over the past year.” Back to London for the first time since 2019. Mergermarket`s European M&A Awards brought together high-level negotiators from across the region for a gala dinner in a black tie.

Our rigorous evaluation process is unique. This starts with the analysis of our market-leading rankings, followed by the announcement of the shortlist and review by a panel of experts. There is only one winner per category, which means that an M&A Award from Mergermarket is a true recognition of an exceptional year. Congratulations to the winners of this year`s Mergermarket European M&A Awards, which took place last night, 30 March 2022 in London. The awards recognize excellence in financial and legal advisors in M&A transactions. Winners will be determined based on Mergermarket`s rankings and applications from an independent jury. Clifford Chance has been operating in the MENA region for nearly 50 years and has built its reputation as the go-to firm for large-scale, complex, innovative and unique, as well as strategically important and sensitive M&A transactions over decades. “We are delighted to have been recognised as the best M&A legal team in Australia at these awards, which recognise not only the value and volume of transactions, but also the work that goes into them,” said Tom Story, Head of Allen`s Corporate practice.

Mergermarket has named Latham & Watkins European M&A Legal Adviser of the Year and European Private Equity Legal Adviser of the Year at its European M&A Awards 2022. Latham ranked among the top performers in Mergermarket`s 2021 rankings in terms of deal count and value for European M&A, advising 322 deals worth more than $219 billion. The company also ranked No. 1 in private equity both in deal value for European exits and number of deals for European buyouts. White & Case also advised Oatly, the leading fast-growing manufacturer of plant-based beverages, yogurts and ice cream, and its shareholders on the $200 million equity investment by a group of investors led by Blackstone Growth that included Oprah Winfrey, former Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz and the entertainment company founded by Jay-Z. Roc Nation. Mergermarket has awarded global law firm White & Case LLP the title of M&A Legal Advisor of the Year 2020 among commercial law firms in Sweden. Allens` M&A team continues to advise on Australia`s largest and most complex public and private M&A transactions, demonstrating the team`s strength as one of Australia`s leading law firms. Recognized for its ability to combine cutting-edge technical expertise with industry knowledge, the team aims to place clients in the strongest position in executing their strategy. Fiscal Year 22 included some of the most well-known transactions on which the firm advised: The awards recognise Australia`s best M&A deals in FY22 and reflect Mergermarket`s ranking in terms of deal value and volume, as well as the value companies provide for transaction processes, customer service and creative solutions to complex situations. Last night, Sorainen became the first Baltic law firm to win the title of “Central and Eastern Europe M&A Legal Adviser of the Year” at the prestigious Mergermarket Europe M&A Awards. At the awards ceremony, Sorainen was also named M&A Legal Counsel of the Year in the Baltics.

The company also recently advised two of the largest oil and gas M&A transactions in the region (Saudi Aramco`s sale of a 49% stake in Aramco Oil Pipelines valued at $12.4 billion and the sale of a 49% stake in Aramco Gas Pipelines valued at $15.5 billion); and the acquisition of a majority stake in Egyptian SODIC by an Aldar ADQ consortium. Director of Public Relations and Communications – Europe and Middle East Advising on your largest and most extensive cross-border transactions Cian McCourt, Partner and Head of Corporate and M&A, said: “2021 was a year of remarkable M&A activity in Ireland and internationally. We are delighted to receive this award, which recognizes the quality and breadth of our team`s work to support our clients across a range of mandates and sectors. The winners of the Mergermarket Awards will be selected based on the value and number of transactions viewed, as well as a decision by the award jury. The jury, composed of independent experts from leading private equity funds, international law firms and Mergermarket, assesses the strategic importance, complexity and innovation of international transactions. From offices in Abu Dhabi, Dubai and Casablanca, as well as with Abuhimed Alsheikh Alhagbani Law Firm (AS&H) in collaboration with Clifford Chance in Saudi Arabia, the firm recently advised some of the most groundbreaking transactions in the MENA region, including the largest M&A deal ever in the Middle East (FIP`s sale of its $69 billion stake in SABIC). and the largest M&A transaction ever in the UAE (sale of AD Power to TAQA valued at $20 billion). Among Schoenherr`s most notable M&A transactions during the period were Starwood Capital Group`s public offering for CA Immo, Cerba HealthCare`s acquisition of Lifebrain Group from Investindustrial, and Sanofi`s acquisition of Origrimm Biotechnology. The full list of winners is available on Mergermarket. Congratulations to the companies that won the awards: Vijay Chugati, M&A Partner, added, “As always, we are grateful to our clients for sharing their key opportunities and challenges with us, and proud that our teams are working with our clients to execute their strategy.” Global Communications Director – Culture and Citizenship Another high-profile transaction example is the recent acquisition of 29.6% of the shares of Beijer Ref, a leading global wholesaler of refrigerators and air conditioning listed on the large-cap Nasdaq Stockholm segment.