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 H1 2026.
Financial Advisers
Goldman Sachs and Houlihan Lokey top M&A financial advisers in North America during H1 2026
Goldman Sachs and Houlihan Lokey were the top mergers and acquisitions (M&A) financial advisers in North America during the first half (H1) of 2026 by value and volume, respectively, according to the latest financial advisers league table GlobalData, a leading intelligence and productivity platform.
An analysis of GlobalData’s Financial Deals Database reveals that Goldman Sachs achieved the top position in terms of value by advising on $437.7 billion worth of deals. Meanwhile, Houlihan Lokey led in terms of volume by advising on a total of 104 deals.
Aurojyoti Bose, Lead Analyst at GlobalData, comments: “Goldman Sachs and Houlihan Lokey were the clear winners. While Houlihan Lokey was the only firm to touch triple-digit deal volume during H1 2026, the total value of deals advised by Goldman Sachs was more than $140 billion the value of deals advised by JPMorgan, which held the second position by value by advising on deals worth $297.1 billion.
“It is noteworthy that Goldman Sachs registered 109.1% year-on-year (YoY) jump in the total value of deals advised by it in H1 2026. During this period, it advised on 42 billion-dollar deals* that also included 15 mega deals valued more than $10 billion. The involvement in these big-ticket deals helped Goldman Sachs register a massive jump in terms of value and lead the chart by this metric. Goldman Sachs, apart from leading by value in H1 2026, also held the second position by volume with 74 deals."
Morgan Stanley occupied the third position in terms of value, by advising on $223.5 billion worth of deals, followed by Wells Fargo with $191.9 billion and Bank of America with $151.1 billion.
Meanwhile, Morgan Stanley occupied the third position in terms of volume with 65 deals, followed by JPMorgan with 60 deals and Piper Sandler with 59 deals.
*Deals valued ≥ $1 billion
Legal Advisers
Kirkland & Ellis top M&A legal adviser in North America during H1 2026
Kirkland & Ellis was the top mergers and acquisitions (M&A) legal adviser in the North American region during the first half (H1) of 2026 by both value and volume, 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 Kirkland & Ellis achieved this top position by advising on 245 deals worth $367.7 billion.
Aurojyoti Bose, Lead Analyst at GlobalData, comments: “Kirkland & Ellis was the top adviser by volume in H1 2025 and managed to retain its leadership position by this metric in H1 2026 as well while its ranking by value improved from the third position to the top position during this period.
“Due to the involvement in some big-ticket deals, the total value of deals advised by Kirkland & Ellis almost doubled in H1 2026 compared to H1 2025, which helped it top the table. During H1 2026, Kirkland & Ellis advised on 46 billion-dollar deals* that also included five mega deals valued more than $10 billion.”
Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison occupied the second position in terms of value, by advising on $294.7 billion worth of deals, followed by Sullivan & Cromwell with $273.9 billion, Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom with $186 billion and Latham & Watkins with $173.5 billion.
Meanwhile, Latham & Watkins occupied the second position in terms of volume with 162 deals, followed by Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison with 95 deals, Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher with 88 deals and Ropes & Gray with 72 deals.
*Deals valued ≥ $1 billion
