Kirkland Leaps Skadden as Big Law’s Top Dealmaker Amid M&A Rally

Kirkland & Ellis is Big Law’s top deals adviser through the first three quarters of the year, ahead of an expected jolt in mergers activity.

The massive law firm advised on $297.1 billion worth of M&A deals as principal adviser through September, according to Bloomberg Law’s league tables. Kirkland lawyers guided snack foods company Kellanova in its $36 billion acquisition by Mars Inc. in the third quarter and worked on a pair of take-private deals valued at more than $8 billion apiece.

The Federal Reserve’s move to cut interest rates—and the prospect of additional trimming—is expected to fuel companies’ appetite ...