Leading law firms are advising on fewer deals, but the combined value of the transactions is larger as worldwide mergers and acquisitions activity increased during the first quarter of 2024. The total value of global announced M&A deals in the first quarter was $797.6 billion, a 38% increase compared to the same period last year and the "strongest opening period for deal making since 2022," the London Stock Exchange Group said in its rankings of M&A legal advisers. Goodwin took the No. 1 principal adviser spot by deal volume. Goodwin also surpassed its Q1 2023 numbers this quarter. Between Jan. 1 and March 31, Goodwin lawyers served as principal advisers on 161 announced global deals worth $60.3 billion. During the same time period last year, Goodwin worked on 170 deals worth $32 billion, according to LSEG. "There’s a lot of dry powder in the M&A space, certainly in the private equity funds," said Mike Kendall, the co-chair of Goodwin's M&A practice. More in Reuters.