Allen & Overy and White & Case emerged as the leading legal advisers for mergers and acquisitions (M&A) in the Middle East and Africa during the first quarter of 2025, according to the latest league table from GlobalData, a data and analytics provider.
GlobalData’s analysis of its deals database showed that Allen & Overy secured the top spot based on the total deal value, advising on transactions worth $2.8bn. White & Case led the rankings by deal volume, providing legal counsel on four separate M&A transactions during the period.
GlobalData lead analyst Aurojyoti Bose said: “Both Allen & Overy and White & Case were the top advisers by value and volume in Q1 2024 and managed to retain their respective leadership positions in Q1 2025 as well.
“Despite suffering setbacks in terms of value and volume, respectively, in Q1 2025 compared to Q1 2024, Allen & Overy and White & Case were still ahead of their peers and managed to lead the pack.
“White & Case, apart from leading by volume, also occupied the fourth position by value in Q1 2025. Similarly, While Allen & Overy, apart from leading by volume, also held the fourth position by value during Q1 2025.”
Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer ranked second by deal value for Q1 2025, having advised on transactions totaling $2.3bn. Close behind were Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher with $2.2bn in advised deal value, White & Case with $1.8bn, and AS&H Clifford Chance with $906m.
In terms of deal volume, Baker McKenzie secured the second position by advising on three transactions. The third spot was occupied by DLA Piper with three deals. It was followed by Allen & Overy with two deals, and Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher with two deals but of lower deal value.
GlobalData’s league tables are based on the real-time tracking of thousands of company websites, advisory firm websites and other reliable sources available on the secondary domain. A dedicated team of analysts monitors all these sources to gather in-depth details for each deal, including adviser names.
To ensure further robustness to the data, the company also seeks submissions of deals from leading advisers.
