Kirkland & Ellis and Skadden dominate the M&A Legal Advisers ranking in South and Central America during the first half of 2025
In the first half of 2025, the South & Central American M&A sector witnessed significant activity, with global law firms playing a pivotal role. According to the latest league table by GlobalData, the top legal advisers by deal value include Kirkland & Ellis, Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom, and White & Case.
Kirkland & Ellis emerged as the leading legal adviser in the region by value, having advised on transactions worth a total of $9bn. The firm topped the retail sector by deal value with $33.5bn in advised deals and ranked highly by volume. Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom, on the other hand, held the second position by value with $6.4bn in deals and registered an improvement in the number of deals advised, moving from the 7th position by volume in H1 2024 to the 1st position in H1 2025.
Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom advised on five deals in the South & Central American M&A sector for H1 of 2025. Tauil & Chequer Advogados had three deals, while Mayer Brown was the second most active firm with four deals. Bruchou & Funes de Rioja and Clifford Chance both reported $1.5bn in advisory work, with Bruchou & Funes de Rioja and Cassels Brock & Blackwell both having two deals each.
The legal environment in Latin America is evolving, with factors such as AI regulations, ESG requirements, and evolving data privacy laws like Brazil’s LGPD impacting M&A deal structuring and counsel advisories. Leading local firms like Demarest Advogados in Brazil are notable for their expertise in such emerging legal complexities linked to deal making.
GlobalData's league tables are based on the real-time tracking of thousands of company websites, advisory firm websites, and other reliable sources. For a precise ranking by value and volume exclusively focused on South & Central America, specialized regional market databases or legal industry reports would be required.
For more insights into the global legal landscape, GlobalData offers data insights, considered the gold standard of business intelligence. The UK Financial Advisors Market Size, Trends and Analysis by Financial Advice Firms is a report by GlobalData that provides comprehensive analysis of the market. Further details about GlobalData's reports and services can be found on their website.
AI is increasingly playing a role in the finance and business sectors, with technology such as machine learning being utilized to enhance M&A deal structuring and counsel advisories, particularly in the AI-regulated Latin American market. Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom, a top legal adviser in the South & Central American M&A sector, has shown a substantial involvement in such AI-driven legal complexities, advising on five deals in H1 of 2025.
