Corporate And M&A Annual Report 2018: Bumpy Ride

In the early part of 2017, it was all going so well for M&A lawyers, with international investors competing to snap up the best assets in Iberia; but then came the crisis in Catalonia, which has left investors feeling nervous

During the first half of this year, things were looking particularly good for M&A lawyers in Iberia. Energy and infrastructure assets were attracting multiple bids leading to auctions that proved to be a rich source of instructions for law firms. In addition to investors fighting over the biggest assets, smaller funds have also been taking their first plunge into the Iberian M&A market.

However, the latter part of the year saw Spain thrown into a constitutional crisis as the Catalan independence movement gathered momentum. Now the country is shrouded in uncertainty, and this state of affairs is making investors nervous. Forecasts for GDP growth have been revised down and M&A activity has slowed as deals are put on hold while potential