Kirkland & Ellis was the top mergers and acquisitions (M&A) legal adviser in the North American region by both value and volume during the first three quarters (Q1-Q3) of 2026, 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 top position by advising on 369 deals worth $456.6 billion.

Aurojyoti Bose, Lead Analyst at GlobalData, comments: “Kirkland & Ellis was the clear winner during Q1-Q3 2026, outpacing its peers by a significant margin in terms of both deal volume and value. It retained the top position by volume that it held during Q1-Q3 2025, while its ranking by value improved from second place to first. During Q1-Q3 2026, Kirkland & Ellis advised on 67 billion-dollar deals* that also included seven mega deals valued more than $10 billion. Involvement in these big-ticket deals helped it top the chart by value.”

Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison occupied the second position in terms of value, by advising on $360.1 billion worth of deals, followed by Sullivan & Cromwell with $321.6 billion, Latham & Watkins with $243 billion, and Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom with $200.7 billion.

Meanwhile, Latham & Watkins occupied the second position in terms of volume with 252 deals, followed by Fasken Martineau DuMoulin with 133 deals, Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher with 132 deals, and Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison with 124 deals.

*Deals valued more than or equal to $1 billion