GlobalData, a leading data and analytics company, has revealed its global league tables for legal advisers by value and volume for Q1-Q3 2020.

Skadden tops by value

Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom has topped the latest global mergers and acquisitions (M&A) legal advisers league table based on deal value. The firm worked on deals valued at $202.1bn.

GlobalData has published top 20 league table of legal advisers ranked according to the value of announced M&A deals globally.

In the second place was Kirkland & Ellis with a total deal value of $196.1bn. Latham & Watkins secured the third spot with deals worth $192.5bn.

Cleary Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton and Davis Polk & Wardwell occupied the fourth and fifth place, having worked on deals worth $149.3bn and $144bn, respectively.

Aurojyoti Bose, Financial Deals Analyst at GlobalData, said: “Kirkland & Ellis, which was the only adviser to advise on more than 300 deals during Q1-Q3 2020, lost the top position to Skadden in terms of value. Skadden, which advised on relatively fewer but big-ticket deals, was also the only adviser that managed to surpass the US$200bn mark during the COVID-19 hit 2020.

“The firm managed to advise on 31 deals worth greater than or equal to US$1bn – out of which three were megadeals (>US$10bn – at a time when businesses worldwide are reeling under the impact of the virus outbreak. Involvement in these big-ticket deals helped Skadden top the list by value.”

Kirkland & Ellis leads by volume

Kirkland & Ellis bagged the number one spot in the latest global M&A legal advisers league table based on deal volume for Q1-Q3 2020.

According to GlobalData, the law firm advised on 361 deals worth $196.1bn during the period.

In the second place was Jones Day with 264 deals valued at $58.2bn, followed by Latham & Watkins in the third spot that worked on 259 deals valued at $192.5bn.

Baker McKenzie was ranked fourth with 181 deals worth $29.9bn, while DLA Piper took the fifth place with 173 deals valued at $19bn.

A total of 39,160 deals were announced globally during Q1-Q3 2020, a 11.2% decrease from 44,080 deals in the previous year.

The overall announced deal value slid 20.7% from $2,632.4bn to $2,086.5bn over the period.

To ensure further robustness to the data, the company also seeks submissions from leading advisers, through adviser submission forms on GlobalData’s website