Kirkland & Ellis and Latham & Watkins were the top mergers and acquisitions (M&A) legal advisers in the power sector during the first three quarters (Q1-Q3) of 2026 by value and volume, respectively, according to the latest legal advisers league table by GlobalData, a leading intelligence and productivity platform.

An analysis of GlobalData’s Deals Database reveals that Kirkland & Ellis achieved the leading position in terms of value by advising on $169.5 billion worth of deals. Meanwhile, Latham & Watkins led in terms of volume by advising on a total of 26 deals.

Aurojyoti Bose, Lead Analyst at GlobalData, comments: “Latham & Watkins was the top adviser by volume in Q1-Q3 2025 and retained its leadership position by this metric in Q1-Q3 2026 as well. However, it faced close competition from Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher, which settled at the second position in terms of volume with 25 deals.

“However, Kirkland & Ellis was the clear winner by value, outpacing its peers by a significant margin, as there was around three-fold year-on-year jump in its total advised deals value. During Q1-Q3 2026, it advised on nine billion-dollar deals* that also included a very high-value transaction worth more than $100 billion. Involvement in these big-ticket deals helped Kirkland & Ellis register a massive jump in value.”

Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison occupied the second position in terms of value, by advising on $114.6 billion worth of deals, followed by Vinson & Elkins with $108.1 billion, McGuireWoods with $102.5 billion, and Davis Polk & Wardwell with $41.9 billion.

Meanwhile, Gibson, DLA Piper occupied the third position in terms of volume with 23 deals, followed by Kirkland & Ellis with 22 deals, and CMS with 18 deals. *Deals valued more than or equal to $1 billion