October 27, 2026 \u2014 Major global law firms Kirkland & Ellis and White & Case have secured the top positions in the European mergers and acquisitions (M&A) legal adviser rankings for the first three quarters of 2026, according to the latest data released by GlobalData. <\/p>\n
The comprehensive industry league tables highlight the leading legal counsel driving corporate dealmaking across Europe during the first nine months of the year. While Kirkland & Ellis dominated the landscape in terms of total deal value, fueled by heavy involvement in high-value mega-deals, White & Case maintained its dominance through sheer transaction volume, advising on the highest number of separate deals during the period.<\/p>\n
According to the GlobalData tracking report, Kirkland & Ellis clinched the top spot by value by advising on transactions with a combined worth of $98.3bn. Close behind was Latham & Watkins, which secured second place in terms of deal value with mandates valued at $96.8bn. Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison took third place after guiding clients through $84.4bn in deals. Rounding out the top five by value were Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer in fourth place with $77.7bn, and Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom in fifth place with $74.8bn.<\/p>\n
On the volume side of the league tables, White & Case led the European market by successfully advising on 132 separate transactions during the first three quarters of the year. DLA Piper followed closely behind, securing second place by volume with 117 deals. Spanish multinational law firm Cuatrecasas captured the third position with 102 transactions, while CMS followed in fourth place after advising on 97 deals. Latham & Watkins rounded out the top five by deal volume, completing 89 transactions over the nine-month reporting period.<\/p>\n
Aurojyoti Bose, lead analyst at GlobalData, provided deeper context into the shifting dynamics that propelled these top-tier firms to the forefront of the European M&A market. <\/p>\n
"There was more than a three-fold jump year-on-year in the total value of deals advised by Kirkland & Ellis," Bose noted. "Resultantly, its ranking by value jumped from sixth to the top spot. During Q1-Q3 2026, Kirkland & Ellis advised on deals worth $98.3bn, that also included two mega deals valued more than $10bn. The involvement in these big-ticket deals helped Kirkland & Ellis register a massive jump in terms of value. Apart from leading by value, it also held the 10th position by volume during Q1-Q3 2026."<\/p>\n
The strategic shift toward larger, transformative corporate transactions has become a defining characteristic for firms aiming to capture market share in terms of capital value. Mega-deals, typically valued in the tens of billions of dollars, carry outsized weight in league table rankings, allowing firms that secure mandates on these massive corporate combinations to dramatically elevate their standing within a single reporting cycle.<\/p>\n
At the same time, White & Case demonstrated remarkable consistency and resilience in deal flow, even amid broader market fluctuations. <\/p>\n
"Meanwhile, White & Case\u2019s ranking by volume also improved from second to the top position, even though there was a year-on-year drop in the total number of deals advised by it," Bose explained. "It also occupied the 10th position by value during Q1-Q3 2026."<\/p>\n
The contrasting strategies of leading global law firms highlight the diverse approaches taken within the legal advisory sector. While some firms focus heavily on capturing top-tier, multi-billion-dollar transactions that require sophisticated cross-border coordination and specialized industry expertise, others maintain a high-frequency advisory model that spans a broad spectrum of mid-market and strategic corporate transactions across various European jurisdictions.<\/p>\n
GlobalData\u2019s league tables are compiled through a rigorous and comprehensive methodology designed to capture the full scope of global corporate advisory activity. The rankings are based on the real-time tracking of thousands of company websites, advisory firm portals, regulatory filings, and other reliable sources available across secondary domains. A dedicated team of analysts continuously monitors these diverse sources to gather in-depth details for each individual transaction, ensuring accurate attribution of adviser names and deal values.<\/p>\n
To ensure further robustness and accuracy in the data, the research organization also actively seeks submissions of deal information directly from leading legal advisers and financial institutions. This dual-verification approach helps maintain the integrity of the league tables, making them widely recognized benchmarks for assessing the performance and market standing of legal counsel within the global and regional M&A landscapes.<\/p>\n
As the corporate dealmaking environment continues to evolve through the final quarter of 2026, legal advisers across Europe are navigating changing economic conditions, regulatory scrutiny, and strategic consolidation. The performance of firms like Kirkland & Ellis and White & Case during the first three quarters sets a high benchmark for the remainder of the year, as corporate clients increasingly rely on experienced legal counsel to navigate complex cross-border transactions and regulatory frameworks.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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