Slaughters top the M&A league tables

Slaughter and May has jumped nine places to take the number one spot in the M&A league tables for the first quarter of 2005.

According to the statistics published by Thomson today (4 April) the City firm topped the UK table for announced deals after advising on 10 deals totalling $2.5bn. Gibson Dunn & Crutcher, which ranked 41st in last year’s UK table for announced deals, has leapfrogged all the magic circle firms into second place.

Meanwhile, Allen & Overy (A&O), which came sixth in last year’s UK table for completed deals moved up to first place after acting on 19 deals, totalling a whopping $6bn.

Skadden Arps Slate Meagher & Flom, Clifford Chance and Dewey Ballantine, which finished second fourth and ninth in the first quarter tables for 2004, are missing from this quarter’s top 10 worldwide announced deals.