Add some jazz: how to make your deal list actually impressive
Most firms doing high-end transactional work can produce a long list of deals on demand.
Capital raisings, M&A, refinancings, restructures. Often with eye-watering dollar values attached.
But here’s the problem. A list isn’t a story, and it rarely persuades.
Deal sheets and tombstones might prove activity, but they don’t prove value. And when every firm is listing similar transactions, the differences start to blur.
What’s missing is the part clients actually care about: why the deal mattered, what made it complex, and how you made a difference.
The problem with plain deal lists
Most deal credentials read like accounting ledgers. Accurate, but forgettable.
They tend to:
Focus on size over substance
Strip out context and commercial relevance
Assume the reader already understands the significance.
That last point is where things often fall down. Your client might not know that a refinancing across three jurisdictions is tricky. Or that a particular acquisition unlocked a critical growth strategy.
If you don’t say it, they won’t infer it.
Rule of thumb: if your deal list could sit under another firm’s logo and still make sense, it’s not distinctive enough.
Tell the story, not just the size
A simple shift in how you describe deals can make a significant difference.
Instead of:
Acted for XYZ Bank on a $400m refinancing.
Try:
Acted for XYZ Bank on a $400m refinancing that consolidated debt across five jurisdictions and supported the client’s IPO readiness.
Same deal.
Very different impression.
What’s changed?
You’ve added:
Context: why the deal existed
Complexity: what made it challenging
Contribution: how your work mattered
A useful structure here is:
Deal + Driver + Difference
For example:
Advised ABC Capital on the acquisition of XYZ Group, enabling entry into the Asia-Pacific market and securing key IP assets
Acted on a cross-border restructuring that stabilised operations ahead of a planned sale
You’re not writing a case study.
Just giving the reader enough to understand the stakes.
Lead with themes, not transactions
Another common issue is structure. Deal lists are often grouped by legal service, not by what they demonstrate.
That might make internal sense. It’s less helpful for a buyer trying to assess capability.
Instead of headings like:
M&A
Capital markets
Banking and finance
Consider grouping deals around what they say about you:
Cross-border transactions demonstrating international reach
Complex restructures showing coordination across stakeholders
Growth capital deals highlighting investor-side experience
This turns your credentials into a narrative about strengths (and helps cross-sell your firm), not just a catalogue of work.
Key takeaway: organise your experience around client-relevant themes, not internal practice areas.
Make room for results
One of the biggest missed opportunities in deal credentials is outcomes.
Yes, confidentiality matters. But in most cases, you can still indicate impact in a general, non-sensitive way.
For example:
Strengthened market position
Enabled a successful exit
Facilitated expansion into new sectors or regions
Reduced regulatory risk ahead of a critical deadline.
These short phrases add weight.
They help the reader understand why the deal mattered, not just that it happened.
Even a light touch here can shift your credentials from descriptive to persuasive.
Use format to your advantage
There’s also a visual opportunity that often gets overlooked.
A “deal sheet” doesn’t have to be a wall of text.
Consider mixing formats:
Tombstones or grids to show volume and credibility
Highlighted deals with slightly richer descriptions
Sector or client spotlights to show relevance
Simple metrics like number of deals, jurisdictions, or industries
This gives your document rhythm.
It also allows stronger deals to stand out rather than being buried in a long list.
Keep it compliant, but compelling
Confidentiality is often cited as the reason deal lists stay high-level and generic.
But there’s a difference between protecting sensitive information and stripping out all meaning.
For example:
Advised on a high-value refinancing for a listed healthcare group
…is still compliant, but far more informative than:
Refinancing for healthcare client
You can preserve discretion while still communicating expertise.
Final takeaway
A strong deal list shouldn’t just show that you’ve been busy. It should show that you’ve been useful.
When you move beyond listing transactions and start highlighting context, complexity, and outcomes, your credentials do more than fill space.
They start to sell.
And in a market where many firms look similar on paper, that shift can make all the difference.
Amy Burton-Bradley is a legal tender strategist and the founder of Bidtique. Law Firm Tenders is her resource site for firms that want to sharpen their approach to tenders, bids, and proposals.