Baker McKenzie was the law firm that advised on the most M&A deals in the consumer sector in the first half of the year, data shows.
According to GlobalData figures, Baker McKenzie worked on 11 transactions in the opening six months of the year.
Among the transactions on which the law firm worked was Iberfrasa’s acquisition of fellow personal-care business Grupo Incasa.
Baker McKenzie also advised Viva Wine Group on the takeover offer the Sweden-based business received from its three largest shareholders, including the company’s CEO.
Hogan Lovells topped a separate league table measuring the value of deals. It advised McCormick & Co. on the US group’s plan to combine with much of Unilever’s food business, the biggest deal in food and beverage in the first half of 2026.
Aurojyoti Bose, lead analyst at GlobalData, Just Food’s parent, said: “Hogan Lovells, which led by value in H1 2026, was not even among the top 10 by this metric in H1 2025.”
Three law firms each worked on ten deals during the first half of 2026 – Ropes & Gray, Latham & Watkins and Kirkland & Ellis.
Sullivan & Cromwell was second when measuring deal value, with Fried, Frank, Harris, Shriver & Jacobson in third. Both were contracted on the transaction between McCormick and Unilever.
GlobalData’s league tables are based on the real-time tracking of thousands of sources including company websites and advisory firm websites. 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 advisers.
