Davis Polk & Wardwell Leads Consumer M&a Law-firm Rankings – Data

Cans of Poppi marque prebiotic soda successful a supermarket successful New York, 5 June 2024. Credit: rblfmr/Shutterstock.com

Davis Polk & Wardwell and Kirkland & Ellis topped 2 convention tables devised by GlobalData aft analysing nan M&A that took spot successful nan user assemblage successful nan first half of nan year.

According to GlobalData, Just Food’s parent, Davis Polk & Wardwell headed nan charts erstwhile measuring nan worth of transactions successful nan first six months of 2025, while Kirkland & Ellisadvised connected nan astir deals.

Davis Polk & Wardwell worked connected deals successful nan user assemblage worthy a cumulative $7.25bn. Kirkland & Elliswas appointed an advisor connected 10 transactions.

Aurojyoti Bose, lead expert astatine GlobalData, said: “Interestingly, Davis Polk & Wardwell did not moreover characteristic among nan apical 10 by worth successful H1 2024 but managed to lead by this metric successful H1 2025. Both nan deals advised by Davis Polk & Wardwell during H1 2025 were billion-dollar deals and engagement successful these big-ticket deals helped it inhabit nan apical position by value.

“Meanwhile, Kirkland & Ellis was nan apical advisor by measurement successful H1 2024 and managed to clasp its activity position by this metric successful H1 2025 arsenic well.”

Davis Polk & Wardwell was an advisor to PepsiCo connected its $1.95bn acquisition of US prebiotic-soda business Poppi, a woody announced successful March.

Credit: GlobalData

When measuring nan worth of deals, Paul Hastings classed second, advising connected $5.3bn worthy of transactions.

Cravath Swaine & Moore, which besides worked connected nan Poppi deal, advised connected 3 deals worthy a mixed $4.94bn, past came Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer pinch $4.12bn and Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom pinch $3.48bn.

In position of woody volume, Latham & Watkins classed 2nd aft advising connected 9 transactions during nan first half of 2025. A&O Shearman was 3rd pinch seven, while Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom, Jones Day and Mayer Brown each worked connected six each.

GlobalData’s convention tables are based connected nan real-time search of thousands of institution websites, advisory patient websites and different reliable sources. A squad of analysts gathers in-depth specifications for each deal, including advisor names. 

To guarantee further robustness to nan data, nan institution besides seeks submissions of deals from starring advisers.