The most active legal and financial advisers in Yorkshire and the Humber's mergers and acquisition (M&A) sector in the first half of 2021 have been revealed in a new report by Experian Market IQ, which also looks at the fortunes of the dealmaking sector during the period.
According to the report, Clarion Solicitors led the volume ranking with 24 qualifying deals, followed by Schofield Sweeney (18) and Squire Patton Boggs (17). Gateley and Gordons made up the top five.
Squire Patton Boggs topped the legal value rankings, having provided advice on deals for an aggregate consideration of £288m. Walker Morris was in second place with Osborne Clarke, Eversheds Sutherland and Addleshaw Goddard in third, fourth and fifth respectively.
K3 Capital Group was the most active financial adviser so far in 2021 having advised on 17 transactions - just ahead of BHP Corporate Finance and RSM on 14 and 13 deals, respectively. PwC and Grant Thornton made up the top five.
RBC Capital Markets was the lead financial adviser by value, advising on a single transaction for £423m – acting for Pinnacle Renewable Energy in its acquisition by Drax. Moelis, Rothschild, Deloitte and Alantra made up the top five.
Experian said growth in deal activity within the Yorkshire and Humber region continued well into the second quarter of 2021.
Deal volumes, which were up almost 20 per cent in Q1, reached 337 in the first half of 2021 - a 34 per cent increase on a year-on-year basis. This was the second highest number announced for the first six months within the last decade (second only to the 344 transactions recorded in the first half of 2019).
The positivity in deal numbers was reflected in transaction values which rose to just more than £1.7bn (up from £1.6bn in the corresponding period last year). Yorkshire and Humber-based companies were involved in 10 per cent of all UK deals in H1 2021 and contributed 1 per cent to their total value.
