Kirkland & Ellis was the top mergers and acquisitions (M&A) legal adviser in the construction sector during the first half (H1) of 2026 by both value and volume, according to the latest legal advisers league table by GlobalData, which ranks legal advisers by the value and volume of M&A deals on which they advised.

Based on its Financial Deals Database, the leading intelligence and productivity platform revealed that Kirkland & Ellis achieved the top position by advising on 16 deals worth $43.9 billion.

Aurojyoti Bose, Lead Analyst at GlobalData, comments: “The total volume and value of deals advised by Kirkland & Ellis as well as its ranking by these metrics improved in H1 2026 compared to H1 2025, but the growth was more prominent in terms of value. While its ranking by value improved from fourth to the top position, its ranking by volume jumped from the 51^st position to the top spot.

“During H1 2026, Kirkland & Ellis advised on five billion-dollar deals* that also included a mega deal valued more than $10 billion. Involvement in these big-ticket deals helped Kirkland & Ellis register a massive jump in terms of value and occupy the top position by this metric.”

An analysis of GlobalData’s Deals Database reveals that Sullivan & Cromwell occupied the second position in terms of value, by advising on $38.5 billion worth of deals, followed by Latham & Watkins with $35.1 billion, Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom with $34.9 billion, and Cyril Amarchand Mangaldas with $30.3 billion.

Meanwhile, Latham & Watkins occupied the second position in terms of volume with 15 deals, followed by White & Case with 14 deals, Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison with 13 deals, and Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher with 13 deals.

*Deals valued more than or equal to $1 billion