The latest TTR Data ranking, which analyzes the period from January 1 to September 30, 2024, shows that Cuatrecasas and Morais Leitão are leading the M&A market among top law firms and legal advisors in Portugal. The ranking covers M&A, venture capital, private equity, and asset acquisition transactions. Cuatrecasas leads in terms of total deal value, with approximately €1.592.38 billion, while Morais Leitão ranks first by the number of transactions, with 24 deals.

During the first nine months of the year, 387 transactions were completed in Portugal, according to the ranking, amounting to a total of €8.462 billion. Among the sectors, M&A stood out with 172 transactions (€2.899 billion), followed by asset acquisition with 90 transactions (€2.929 billion), venture capital with 85 transactions (€568 million), and private equity with 41 transactions (€2.083 billion). TTR points out that the M&A market in Portugal saw a significant downturn in 2024, with a 22.74% decrease in the total aggregate transaction value. The number of deals also dropped by 23.67%, with a total of 387 transactions completed.

Leading firms and advisors

In terms of law firms leading in M&A, private equity, venture capital, and asset acquisitions, Cuatrecasas led with €1.592.38 billion in value, followed by PLMJ, with €1.447.20 billion, and Vieira de Almeida, closing the top 3 with €1.087.49 billion. Regarding the number of transactions, Morais Leitão led with 24 deals, Garrigues followed with 22 deals, and CCA Law Firm and PLMJ both with 21 deals each.

In terms of individual dealmakers, the report shows Diogo Perestrelo from PLMJ, topping the list with five transactions, totaling €999.80 million. The dealmaker with the highest number of transactions was Domingos Cruz, managing partner at CCA Law Firm, with 18 deals. Other notable dealmakers include Luís Roquette Geraldes from Morais Leitão and Paulo Bandeira from SRS Legal.

In the M&A, private equity, venture capital, and asset acquisition sectors, notable rising star dealmakers include professionals from PLMJ, Cuatrecasas, Deloitte Legal, VdA and CS’ Associados. Francisco Martins Caetano, senior associate at Cuatrecasas, and Sofia Alves, associate at Cuatrecasas, ranked first with a total transaction value of €900 million. When looking at the number of transactions, the top rising star dealmaker was Joana Bugia, principal associate at CCA Law Firm, with 16 deals.

Private equity, venture capital, equity capital

In private equity, the standout firms were Cuatrecasas and Deloitte Legal, each with €900 million in transaction value, followed by VdA with €692 million. In terms of the number of deals, PLMJ led with eight, followed by Garrigues with five deals.

In venture capital, the leading firms by deal value were Morais Leitão (€270.86 million), CCA Law Firm (€114.42 million), and SRS Legal (€110.29 million). By number of transactions, CCA Law Firm ranked first with 20 deals, followed by Morais Leitão (12 deals) and SRS Legal (11 deals).

In equity capital markets, Pérez-Llorca was the only standout firm with one deal. Manuel Cordeiro Ferreira, a partner, was the sole dealmaker highlighted for this transaction. Inês Dias Lopes was recognized as a rising star dealmaker in this area.

Source: Iberian Lawyer - Spain