After Donald Trump won the presidential election, dealmakers at corporations—and the Big Law lawyers that represent them—were optimistic about the prospects for increased corporate mergers and acquisitions.

But the first two months of 2025 have fallen far short of expectations. Not only have deal tallies been lower than hoped, they are the lowest in five years.

On this episode of our podcast, On The Merits, Bloomberg Law's Mahira Dayal talks about what this slowdown means for law firms. Also, Hogan Lovells partner Mahvesh Qureshi discusses the current M&A environment and what it will take to get deals moving in the coming months. Qureshi leads the firm's Corporate and Finance group for the Americas, is a member of their global board, as well as a member of the firm’s Global Tech M&A leadership team.

Do you have feedback on this episode of On The Merits? Give us a call and leave a voicemail at 703-341-3690.