Shearman & Sterling won three 2018 IFLR Americas Awards on May 17. Most notably, the global M&A group won the prestigious “M&A Team of the Year” award recognizing the high caliber of our integrated domestic and cross-border practice.  We also received the “Equity Deal of the Year” for our work advising Vista Oil & Gas on its IPO and the “M&A Deal of the Year” for our work advising GE on the combination of its oil and gas business with Baker Hughes. These awards are based on in-depth research and interviews from a variety of sources, including clients, financing advisers, bankers and peers. 

The M&A Team of the Year award recognizes the full picture of our work across numerous deals and geographies for the year and is presented to the team that works on the most innovative deals – those applying new legal structures; deals that overcame new regulatory hurdles; and regional firsts that adapt technology to local regulation. In winning this award, the firm was recognized for the complexity and intricacy of our M&A work, as well as the impact on the market. In 2017, the Shearman & Sterling M&A team advised on 306 transactions valued at $553.8 billion, including such noteworthy deals as:

• CVS Health’s $69 billion acquisition of health insurance company Aetna, an industry-transforming transaction that is expected to provide more integrated and efficient healthcare services for consumers and health professionals
• Altice USA’s announced separation of Altice USA from Altice N.V. The separation will enable each business to focus more on their distinct opportunities for value creation and ensure more transparency for investors.
• Liberty Global’s split-off of Liberty Latin America, ensuring that this new company will have access to the capital and resources necessary to achieve superior financial and strategic growth
• SOMPO Holdings’ $6.3 billion acquisition of insurer and reinsurer Endurance Specialty Holdings, further strengthening SOMPO's property and casualty insurance capabilities
• Novartis’ $3.9 billion acquisition of radiopharmaceutical company Advanced Accelerator Applications, introducing a new technology platform to Novartis to provide an innovative approach to treating cancer
• Textron’s $810 million sale of its Tools and Test Business to Emerson, creating a global $1 billion professional tools business with the broadest offering for mechanical, electrical and plumbing contractors
• Unibail-Rodamco’s $25 billion acquisition of Westfield Corporation, creating a global property leader with a presence in many of the world’s most attractive retail markets and cities

The Equity Deal of the Year recognizes our work in connection with the initial public offering of Vista Oil & Gas. This was the first Special Purpose Acquisition Company (SPAC) IPO in Latin America and the first oil and gas E&P-focused listing in Mexico. The Mexican IPO raised $650 million, and Vista Oil & Gas is now listed on the Bolsa de Mexico, the main stock exchange in Mexico. 

The M&A Deal of the Year recognizes our work advising GE on its agreement with Baker Hughes to combine GE’s oil and gas business with Baker Hughes to create a world-leading oilfield technology provider with a unique mix of service and equipment capabilities. Baker Hughes, a GE company (BHGE), is the first and only company to bring together industry-leading equipment, services and digital solutions across the entire spectrum of oil and gas development.

The firm was also shortlisted for “Deal of Year” for Debt and Equity-Linked, Equity, High-Yield, Project Finance and Restructuring; “Law Firm of the Year” for Equity, Debt and Equity-Linked and High-Yield; and “Americas Firm of the Year.”

The Team