Davis Polk’s Corporate Department and Davis Polk Chair and Managing Partner Neil Barr took home top honors at the American Lawyer’s 2026 Industry Awards. Davis Polk won “Corporate Department of the Year.” This prestigious biennial award recognizes an exceptional go-to corporate practice that demonstrates deal prowess and an impressive range of work over the past two years. Additionally, Neil Barr was named “Managing Partner of the Year” for his stewardship of the firm’s 177-year legacy as one of the world’s most elite legal institutions.

Davis Polk’s Corporate Department advised on many industry-shaping transactions over the past 24 months, including: the largest law firm combination in history (Cadwalader and Hogan Lovells’ $3.6 billion merger); the largest retail leveraged buyout in history (Sycamore Partners’ $23.7 billion acquisition of Walgreens Boots Alliance); the first-ever IPO of a quantum computing company (Quantinuum’s $1.7 billion IPO); the largest IPO ever, both by proceeds raised and valuation of the company upon listing (SpaceX’s $75 billion IPO); the largest U.S. follow-on offering in history (Alphabet’s $90 billion equity and equity-linked offerings); the largest private credit acquisition financing by amount (Clearlake’s $5.5 billion Dun & Bradstreet acquisition financing); the largest all-cash sponsor take-private ($20 billion Electronic Arts acquisition financing); and a chapter 11 restructuring effectuating a comprehensive resolution of more than $40 trillion of asserted claims (Purdue Pharma’s chapter 11 restructuring).

Under Neil’s leadership as Chair and Managing Partner, the firm posted back-to-back years of double-digit growth in 2024 and 2025. We also enhanced our platform through the launch of Supreme Court & Appellate and Emerging Companies & Venture Capital practices, and we extended our physical presence, relocating our DC, Northern California and London offices to accommodate continued growth, and launching in Los Angeles. Neil also continued his work on record-setting transactions, advising on the largest law firm combination in history and the largest-ever sale for a U.S. professional sports franchise.

The American Lawyer’s Industry Awards were presented on November 12, 2026, in New York.

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