Lawyers Weekly Top M&A Dealmakers has been unveiled for 2026

Lawyers Weekly is proud to release the second annual M&A Dealmaker ranking, which recognises and celebrates the best-performing dealmakers across the legal services marketplace in Australia.

This unique ranking shines a spotlight on the outstanding accomplishments of the nation’s leading dealmakers who continue to set the standard – not just in mergers and acquisitions, but for legal service delivery more broadly.

It also rewards the exceptional dealmakers who have navigated myriad environmental, economic, and broader global and domestic headwinds, and consistently delivered stellar results.

Disclaimer: This ranking reflects only submissions received and does not account for the work of any other legal professionals within the criteria time frame (July 2025 to June 2026).

The Australian M&A market remained resilient in FY2025–26, with dealmakers navigating a more selective environment shaped by geopolitical uncertainty, cautious investor sentiment and a persistent gap between buyer and seller valuation expectations. Private capital remained an important source of activity, while foreign bidders continued to play a significant role in Australian transactions.

However, dealmakers and their legal advisers faced significant headwinds. Australia’s new mandatory merger control regime, which took effect from 1 January 2026, introduced greater regulatory scrutiny and added complexity and execution risk to transactions. Meanwhile, fluctuating interest rates, trade tensions, geopolitical instability and uncertainty around valuations continued to challenge deal economics and transaction timetables.

Against this backdrop, success in FY25–26 was less about simply getting deals signed and more about delivering certainty. The strongest dealmakers combined technical expertise with commercial judgement, helping clients navigate complexity, manage risk and identify opportunities while remaining focused on achieving strategic outcomes.

The Lawyers Weekly M&A Dealmakers 2026 ranking was determined using two key metrics: total value of advised deals and total number of advised deals between 1 July 2025 and 30 June 2026.

Once again, Sydney-based dealmakers dominate.

All dealmakers’ firms have offices in Sydney and Melbourne.

Almost three quarters of those listed in this year’s ranking operate out of the nation’s two largest cities, Sydney (17) and Melbourne (5). Also featured in this year’s list are dealmakers from Brisbane (4), Perth (3), and Adelaide (1).

Four of the top five-ranked dealmakers practice out of Sydney.

Notably, all 30 dealmakers listed work for firms that have presences in both Sydney and Melbourne.