| Recommended firms |
| Tier 1 |
| Allen & Overy Luxembourg |
| Arendt & Medernach |
| Bonn Schmitt Steichen |
| Elvinger Hoss & Prussen |
| Linklaters Loesch |
| Tier 2 |
| Kremer Associés & Clifford Chance |
Luxembourg's M&A market was dominated by one merger this year as steel manufacturer Mittal took over Arcelor for €26 billion ($33 billion).
Deals involving the Benelux region (Belgium, the Netherlands and Luxembourg) announced in the first nine months of 2006 rose by more than 50% compared to the same period last year. The number of completed deals, however, fell by 64% as the top law firms turned their attention to Mittal.
Mittal's hostile bid for Arcelor in January proved controversial, prompting new national legislation.
The new law requires any shareholder who acquires a third of a Luxembourg company's voting stock to make an offer to the minority shareholders, and protects a management's right to defend its company against hostile bids without consulting shareholders.
Arcelor yielded to an improved Mittal bid in June, after an attempt to merge with Russian-owned Severstal under less favourable terms provoked a backlash from shareholders. Mittal is expected to own a 43% stake in Arcelor by the end of the second quarter in 2007, uniting the world's biggest producer of steel by volume with the world's most profitable.
Law firms Bonn Schmitt Steichen and Elvinger Hoss & Prussen acted for Mittal and Arcelor respectively.
International law firms, however, continue to dominate the Benelux M&A market, with Allen & Overy making almost twice as many deals between January and September 2006 as its nearest rival, Linklaters.