A&L Goodbody (ALG) has been ranked the top Irish law firm for mergers and acquisitions (M&A) for the first half of 2021.

Mergermarket, which compiles and publishes information on M&A deals, put ALG top in terms of the volume and value of transactions.

The firm also ranked 17th across Europe and the Middle East for value, as deals in which it was involved were worth €51 billion.

Upturn to continue

ALG’s Richard Grey (head of M&A, pictured) said that the firm expected increased M&A activity to continue throughout the rest of 2021, as confidence continued to return to global and domestic economies.

“Consistent with the dominant activity drivers of the first half of 2021, we see this activity being driven by continued high levels of private-equity activity and public-company transactions,” he said, adding that high levels of deal-making were expected in the technology, financial services, and healthcare sectors.

Prominent deals led by ALG's M&A team during 2021 included advising NatWest on the wind-down of Ulster Bank, and advising CVC Capital Partners on its partnership with Six Nations Rugby.