Continental Europeans have dominated the tables for the busiest M&A lawyers in the first half of 2020, according to new data from Mergermarket in which U.K. lawyers make up none of the top 30.

The news represents a marked fall for the U.K. legal industry, which has traditionally featured heavily in the rankings.

The top 30 most active lawyers for European M&A in the first half of 2020 all worked on no less than 6 deals. In comparison, the highest-ranking U.K. lawyer — DLA Piper Leeds partner Stephen Atkinson — having advised on 4 deals worth $404 million.

Lawyers in the Nordic regions and France place featured the most heavily in the European table, with White & Case Stockholm-based partner Shoan Panahi taking the top spot for advising on 13 deals worth $6 million.

He was followed in the table by Dan Moalem of Danish firm Moalem Weitemeyer Bendtsen, who advised on 12 deals worth $43 million, and Paris-based Hogan Lovells partner Stéphane Huten who took on 11 deals with a total value of $270 million.

Just one non-Continental European lawyer — Sullivan & Cromwell New York partner Stephen Kotran — was listed in the European rankings.

M&A activity across the U.K. and Europe has been sluggish, with deal volumes having fallen by 31% in the first half of 2020 compared with the same period last year, while volumes fell by 37%.

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