Paul Hastings announced that the firm was recognized in The American Lawyer’s 2014 Global Legal Awards for Global M&A Deal of the Year China Outbound. Paul Hastings was one of the lead advisers of WH Group Limited, formally known as Shuanghui International, the owner of China’s largest publicly-traded meat processing enterprise in the largest takeover of a U.S. company by a Chinese buyer, the $7.1 billion acquisition of Smithfield Foods, the largest U.S. publicly-traded pork processor and hog producer.

“The 2014 Global Legal Awards aim to honor all law offices—including in-house departments—that played a substantial role in the most distinguished cross-border work performed between January 1, 2013, and April 14, 2014, across a wide range of disciplines,” according to The American Lawyer.

This year the Global Legal Awards were highly competitive, with 66 law firms submitting more than 270 nominations, including more than 170 transactions.

The firm was mentioned as a lead advisor to WH Group Limited on the Smithfield deal.

Paul Hastings’ Mergers and Acquisitions chair and partner Carl Sanchez was also recently recognized as one of American Lawyer’s “Dealmakers of the Year” for his work on WH Group Limited’s acquisition of Smithfield Foods.