Steinepreis Paganin was the top mergers and acquisitions (M&A) legal adviser in the metals & mining sector during the first quarter (Q1) of 2025 by volume, while Clayton UTZ and King & Wood Mallesons jointly held the top position by value, 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 Deals Database, the leading data and analytics company has revealed that Clayton UTZ and King & Wood Mallesons achieved the leading position in terms of value, with each of them advising on a deal worth $5.3 billion. Meanwhile, Steinepreis Paganin led in terms of volume by advising on three deals.

Aurojyoti Bose, Lead Analyst at GlobalData, comments: “Clayton UTZ and King & Wood Mallesons advised on only one deal during Q1 2025, but it was worthy enough to keep them ahead of their peers in terms of value. Apart from leading by value, these two also jointly occupied the eighth position by volume during Q1 2025. Meanwhile, Steinepreis Paganin showcased notable improvement in its ranking by volume and went ahead from occupying the 33^rd position in Q1 2024 to top the chart by this metric in Q1 2025.”

An analysis of GlobalData’s Deals Database reveals that Herbert Smith Freehills occupied the third position in terms of value, by advising on $2.3 billion worth of deals, followed by Allion Partners with $1.5 billion and Johnson Winter & Slattery with $831 million.

Meanwhile, Fasken Martineau DuMoulin occupied the second position in terms of volume with three deals, followed by Herbert Smith Freehills with two deals and Allion Partners with two deals.