GlobalData has announced the latest Financial and Legal Adviser League Tables, in terms of the total value and volume of merger and acquisition (M&A) deals they advised on in North America during Q1 2026.
Financial Advisers
Goldman Sachs and Houlihan Lokey top M&A financial advisers in North America during Q1 2026
Goldman Sachs and Houlihan Lokey were the top mergers and acquisitions (M&A) financial advisers in the North American region during the first quarter (Q1) of 2026 by value and volume, respectively according to the latest financial advisers league table by GlobalData, a leading intelligence and productivity platform .
An analysis of GlobalData’s Financial Deals Database reveals that Goldman Sachs achieved the leading position in terms of value by advising on $189 billion worth of deals. Meanwhile, Houlihan Lokey led in terms of volume by advising on a total of 56 deals.
Aurojyoti Bose, Lead Analyst at GlobalData, comments: “Houlihan Lokey was the top adviser by volume in Q1 2025 and managed to occupy the top position by this metric in Q1 2026 as well, even though there was a year-on-year drop in the total number of deals advised by it. Meanwhile, Goldman Sachs registered 60.8% growth in the total value of deals advised by it during Q1 2026 compared to Q1 2025. Resultantly, its ranking by value improved from the third position to the top spot.
“During Q1 2026, Goldman Sachs advised on 18 billion-dollar deals* that also included five mega deals valued more than $10 billion. The involvement in these big-ticket deals helped it register a massive jump in terms of value. Apart from leading by value, the investment bank also held the second position by volume during Q1 2026 with 33 deals.”
JPMorgan occupied the third position in terms of volume with 31 deals, followed by Evercore with 31 deals and Morgan Stanley with 31 deals.
Meanwhile, JPMorgan occupied the second position in terms of value, by advising on $178.1 billion worth of deals, followed by Evercore with $104.3 billion, Morgan Stanley with $92.3 billion and Centerview Partners with $66 billion.
*Deals valued ≥ $1 billion
Legal Advisers
Fried, Frank, Harris, Shriver & Jacobson and Kirkland & Ellis top M&A legal advisers in North America during Q1 2026
Fried, Frank, Harris, Shriver & Jacobson and Kirkland & Ellis were the top mergers and acquisitions (M&A) legal advisers in the North American region 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 Fried, Frank, Harris, Shriver & Jacobson achieved the leading position in terms of value by advising on $151.5 billion worth of deals. Meanwhile, Kirkland & Ellis led in terms of volume by advising on a total of 129 deals.
Aurojyoti Bose, Lead Analyst at GlobalData, comments: “Kirkland & Ellis was the clear winner by volume in Q1 2026, outpacing its peers by a significant margin. It was the only firm with triple-digit deal volume during the quarter. Moreover, the global law firm advised on 20 billion-dollar deals in Q1 2026 and involvement in these big-ticket deals helped it occupy the fifth position by value as well.
“Meanwhile, Fried, Frank, Harris, Shriver & Jacobson advised on much lesser number of deals but still managed to top the chart by value primarily driven by its involvement in three mega deals valued more than $10 billion. In fact, there was more than a three-fold jump in the total value of deals advised by the international law firm . Resultantly, it went ahead from occupying the eighth position by value in Q1 2025 to top the chart by this metric in Q1 2026."
Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom occupied the second position in terms of value, by advising on $141.6 billion worth of deals, followed by Sullivan & Cromwell with $121.4 billion, Latham & Watkins with $114.2 billion and Kirkland & Ellis with $110.3 billion.
Meanwhile, Latham & Watkins occupied the second position in terms of volume with 72 deals, followed by Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison with 48 deals, Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher with 41 deals and Ropes & Gray with 35 deals.
*Deals valued ≥ $1 billion
