S&C global head of M&A Frank Aquila and co-head of the Firm’s corporate governance practice Melissa Sawyer examine M&A trends in 2020 and reflect on what to expect this year in a recent article in The M&A Lawyer. The authors note that COVID-19 brought M&A activity to “a screeching halt” in the early part of 2020, with M&A activity picking up over the summer and intensifying in the fall. The authors discuss the shift in the overall M&A landscape throughout 2020, including the impact of COVID-19 on shareholder activism, broken deal litigation, SPACs, trade policy, ESG, and political and regulatory regimes.
Recent positive news about the effectiveness of COVID-19 vaccines may suggest a light at the end of the tunnel. “In the end,” they write, “although the impacts of the pandemic, trade wars and continued geopolitical shifts will certainly persist as we enter 2021, such factors as promising COVID-19 vaccines, increased connectivity, and work-from-home flexibility as deal work rebounds provide a sense of hope and optimism as we embark on the new year.”