Maitland Consultancy in the UK has taken the top spot in the mergermarket financial public relations adviser league tables for European mergers and acquisitions for the first half of 2002.

Financial PR firms are seen as a vital part of the M&A process. They are frequently brought in by companies to advise on specific transactions, even when the client already has an in-house PR team, as the firms often have a wealth of experience working on other similar transactions.