Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom and Kirkland & Ellis were the top mergers and acquisitions (M&A) legal advisers in the oil & gas 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 Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom achieved the leading position in terms of value by advising on $65.2 billion worth of deals. Meanwhile, Kirkland & Ellis led in terms of volume by advising on a total of eight deals.

Aurojyoti Bose, Lead Analyst at GlobalData, comments: “Kirkland & Ellis was the top adviser by volume in Q1 2025 and retained its leadership position by this metric in Q1 2026 as well despite a year-on-year drop in the total number of deals advised by it. Apart from leading by volume, it also occupied the sixth position by value in Q1 2026.

“Meanwhile, Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom registered a massive jump in the total value of deals advised by it during Q1 2026 compared to Q1 2025 and resultantly its ranking by value also took a leap from 24^th position to the top spot. Of the four deals advised by it during Q1 2026, two were billion-dollar deals* that also included a very high-value deal worth more than $50 billion. Involvement in these big-ticket deals helped Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom register a massive jump in terms of value.”

Fried, Frank, Harris, Shriver & Jacobson occupied the second position in terms of value, by advising on $64.2 billion worth of deals, followed by Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher with $58.2 billion, Latham & Watkins with $14.3 billion and Vinson & Elkins with $11.6 billion.

Meanwhile, Latham & Watkins occupied the second position in terms of volume with seven deals, followed by Vinson & Elkins with six deals, Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom with four deals and White & Case with four deals.

*Deals ≥ $1 billion