Kirkland & Ellis has ranked as the top legal adviser for mergers and acquisitions (M&A) in the construction sector by both value and volume for the first three quarters (Q1–Q3) of 2026, according to GlobalData.
GlobalData’s latest Financial Deals Database shows that the company advised on 30 transactions with a combined value of $51.5bn.
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Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom was second by value, advising on deals worth $44.7bn.
Latham & Watkins followed with $42.4bn, while Sullivan & Cromwell handled $39.4bn and Cyril Amarchand Mangaldas $35.6bn in transaction value.
By deal volume, White & Case ranked second, advising on 25 transactions.
Latham & Watkins and DLA Piper each worked on 21 deals, while Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison completed 17 transactions over the same period.
GlobalData lead analyst Aurojyoti Bose said: “There was a massive year-on-year (YoY) jump in the total value of deals Kirkland & Ellis advised on and significant improvement in its ranking during Q1-Q3 2026.
“The firm moved from 20th place to the top spot on the value ranking chart, becoming the sole adviser to surpass the $50bn threshold in total deal value. This commanding lead was primarily driven by its involvement in KONE’s $34bn acquisition of TK Elevator.
“Meanwhile, Kirkland & Ellis’ ranking by volume improved from fourth to the top position during this period.”
GlobalData’s league tables are based on the real-time tracking of thousands of company websites, advisory firm websites and other reliable sources available in the secondary domain. A dedicated team of analysts monitors all these sources to gather in-depth details for each deal, including adviser names.
To further strengthen the data, the company also seeks deal submissions from leading advisers.
