Gowling WLG led all law firms for the number of Canadian M&A deals announced in the first half of 2020 according to league tables[1] published by Refinitiv and Bloomberg.

Both Refinitiv (formerly Thomson Reuters) and Bloomberg credited Gowling WLG with 43 Canadian M&A deals, almost triple the deal numbers used to determine the firm's rankings for the first quarter. They also credited the firm with the most Canadian mid-market M&A[2] transactions of any law firm. Additionally, Refinitiv ranked Gowling WLG in the top 25 law firms for global mid-market transactions.

The firm's recent high profile mandates include:

  • Smart glasses pioneer North Inc.'s acquisition by Google
  • Zijin Mining's proposed acquisition of Guyana Goldfields, valuing the target at $323 million
  • SEGRO plc's £202.5-million acquisition of Perivale Park, a 34-acre urban warehouse estate in West London
  • Machine learning startup Inductiv Inc.'s acquisition by Apple Inc. to improve data used in Siri
  • Blackstone Real Estate's £4.66-billion acquisition of iQ Student Accommodation, the largest private real estate transaction in UK history

These transactions, numbers and rankings are impressive, especially considering the economic impact of the coronavirus pandemic.

Quarter after quarter, Gowling WLG builds on its reputation as an extraordinarily active M&A powerhouse. Combining legal knowledge and business acumen, members of the firm's M&A practice serve as trusted advisers to a range of international clients – both publicly traded and privately held – across all major industry sectors.

[1] Refinitiv: Global Mergers & Acquisitions Review First Half 2020 and Global Mid-Market M&A Review First Half 2020; Bloomberg: Global M&A Market Review Legal Rankings 1H 2020 and Global M&A Mid-Market Review Legal Rankings 1H 2020.

[2] Mid-market M&A deals are defined as transactions valued at up to US$500 million or those with no announced value.