Joining the M&A Party

Many thanks to the M&A Law Prof Blog for inviting me to be a contributor.  A devoted reader, I am very flattered to be among such fabulous company.  Hopefully there will be much to blog about in the M&A world.  At least according to the March 2010 issue of Bloomberg Markets Magazine, a recent survey of M&A professionals indicates that almost all expect a resurgence in M&A activity in 2010.  Of course, no one expects a quick return to the dizzying heights of 2007, but hopefully 2010 will beat the dismal 2009 numbers.  Given my interest in comparative law and outbound M&A deals, I was happy to see that the Asia-Pacific region is expected to be the leading hot spot for M&A activity in 2010.  Asian companies have been quite active in cross-border M&A activity in this first quarter, see for example the recent $10.5 billion bid by Bharti Airtel, an Indian telecom company, for Zain’s African assets.  I think that these types of South-South deals, and their political/legal challenges, will continue to be a major feature of M&A news in 2010.  I'll try to keep our readers updated on the legal angles of these and other hot M&A stories.

-AA