Fried, Frank, Harris, Shriver & Jacobson and Kirkland & Ellis emerged as the top mergers and acquisitions legal advisers by value while Kirkland & Ellis took the top spot for deal volume during the Q1 2026, according to the latest Legal Advisers League Table by GlobalData.
Using figures from its Financial Deals Database, GlobalData said Fried, Frank, Harris, Shriver & Jacobson worked on transactions with a combined value of $168.2bn.
Access deeper industry intelligence
Experience unmatched clarity with a single platform that combines unique data, AI, and human expertise.
Kirkland & Ellis recorded the highest deal count at 139.
In terms of deal value, Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom claimed the second-place ranking by advising on $157.2bn in transactions.
Close behind were Latham & Watkins and Sullivan & Cromwell, which steered deals totalling $140.4bn and $136.7bn, respectively.
By deal count, CMS stood in third place with 58 transactions. White & Case followed with 55, and Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison advised on 52.
The table covers deals worth $1bn or more.
GlobalData Lead Analyst Aurojyoti Bose commented: “Kirkland & Ellis and Latham & Watkins were among the only two advisers with triple-digit deal volume during Q1 2026. However, Kirkland & Ellis was well ahead, securing the top spot, while Latham & Watkins occupied second spot with 105 deals. Notably, the number of deals advised by Kirkland & Ellis increased by 14.9% in Q1 2026 compared to Q1 2025, and its ranking by volume also improved from second to first. Apart from leading by volume, Kirkland & Ellis also occupied the fifth position by value.
“Meanwhile, Fried, Frank, Harris, Shriver & Jacobson registered more than a three-fold jump in the total value of deals advised by it during Q1 2026 compared to Q1 2025. As a result, its ranking by value jumped from the 12th position to the top spot. Thirteen of the 20 deals advised by it during Q1 2026 were billion-dollar deals*, including three mega deals valued more than $10 billion. Its involvement in these big-ticket deals helped Fried, Frank, Harris, Shriver & Jacobson register the massive jump in terms of value and secure the top spot as well.”
GlobalData’s league tables are based on the real-time tracking of thousands of company websites, advisory firm websites and other reliable sources available on the secondary domain. A dedicated team of analysts monitors all these sources to gather in-depth details for each deal, including adviser names.
To ensure further robustness to the data, the company also seeks submissions of deals from leading advisers.
