Latham & Watkins and Kirkland & Ellis were the top mergers and acquisitions (M&A) legal advisers in the technology, media and telecom sector during the first quarter (Q1) 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 Financial Deals Database reveals that Latham & Watkins achieved the leading position in terms of value by advising on $41.7 billion worth of deals. Meanwhile, Kirkland & Ellis led in terms of volume by advising on a total of 41 deals.

Aurojyoti Bose, Lead Analyst at GlobalData, comments: “There was an improvement in the total volume of deals advised by Kirkland & Ellis in Q1 2026 compared to Q1 2025. Resultantly, its ranking by volume improved from the second position to the top position. Apart from leading by volume, Kirkland & Ellis also held the eighth position by value in Q1 2026.

“Meanwhile, Latham & Watkins was the clear winner by value in Q1 2026 outpacing its peers by a significant margin. During Q1 2026, Latham & Watkins advised on eight billion-dollar deals* that also included a mega deal valued more than $10 billion. Involvement in these big-ticket deals helped Latham & Watkins secure the top spot by value during the quarter.”

Cravath Swaine & Moore occupied the second position in terms of value, by advising on $25.2 billion worth of deals, followed by Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom with $20.9 billion, A&O Shearman with $16.8 billion and Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison with $16.7 billion.

Meanwhile, Latham & Watkins occupied the second position in terms of volume with 39 deals, followed by Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati with 24 deals, DLA Piper with 18 deals and Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher with 17 deals.

*Deals valued ≥ $1 billion