David Barrett Discusses 2024 Mergers & Acquisitions Expectations With Indiana Lawyer

In “M&A Attorneys Predicting Stronger 2024; Deals Could Benefit From More Stable Interest Rates, Economy,” Indiana Lawyer spoke to corporate executive partner David Barrett about his expectations for mergers and acquisitions (M&A) activity in 2024.

Barrett noted he expects things to pick up in 2024 and that most M&A professionals are cautiously encouraged about the prospects for this year’s M&A market. “I think almost universally, people are optimistic about 2024,” he said.

Barrett explained that compared to 2021, which he said was a record year across the board, and 2022, where activity slowed slightly, rising interest rates in the United States merged with macroeconomic factors cooled the market in 2023. While there are still geopolitical issues that might impact deals, Barrett said he believes interest rates will come down at some point in 2024.

Regarding artificial intelligence’s (AI) role in M&A, Barrett said he hears a lot about AI on most of the transactions he is involved with. “Everybody’s looking at it. Everybody’s thinking about it,” he noted, adding that AI has become a more integral part of due diligence for M&A transactions in a way it wasn’t even a year ago.

He predicted that there will be more legal due diligence specialists and consultants needed for deals in coming years.

The full article is available for Indiana Lawyer subscribers.