Inside a Merger: Perspectives from Inside and Outside Counsel

Matt Furman had spent less than a month as general counsel at the insurance brokerage firm Willis Group Holdings in 2015, when he learned the company was in talks to combine with Towers Watson & Co.

Furman said his job took took a series of twists and turns as the deal — once valued at $18 billion — moved forward.

There were 350 people who reported to him, and the merger talks were supposed to be confidential. That meant that as Furman reached out to his reports around the world, asking for copies of various contracts and agreements needed to complete the deal, he was ...