James Donnelly

The firm advised on 94 of the 346 transactions recorded in 2024 — more than 25 per cent of all reported deals during the year — according to the latest Experian M&A report.

It was followed by A&L Goodbody on 59 transactions, Carson McDowell on 58, Mills Selig on 49, Arthur Cox on 38, Davidson McDonnell Solicitors on 28, Turley Legal on 21, Shoosmiths on 13, Millar McCall Wylie on 13 and McKees Law on six.

James Donnelly, head of corporate at Tughans, said: “We’re proud to have once again been named the most active M&A adviser in Northern Ireland.

“The accolade is testament to the hard work of our talented team but also to the ambition of our clients, who have put is in this position for a 10th consecutive year.

“The ranking provides validation of our reputation as a firm that gets deals done.”

Corporate partner John McGuckian added: “The market has changed considerably over the 10 years since Experian first ranked Tughans number one for the volume of transactions we advised on, not least in the maturity of private equity and venture capital investment in NI companies.

“This market has grown exponentially and we are proud to have played a part in the growth journeys of many significant local companies by facilitating these fundraising rounds.”

Managing partner Patrick Brown said: “Tughans has been the most active law firm in NI for the last decade because we give the same level of service, care and attention to the sale of a small family-owned business as we do to managing a multimillion-pound tech acquisition.

“We are grateful to our clients for the trust they have placed in our teams and look forward to continuing to support them as a trusted advisor and strategic partner in the year ahead.”

A&L Goodbody advised on the largest deal of the year, which was also the largest acquisition in Northern Ireland since 2019 and the third-largest transaction in Northern Ireland’s corporate history.

This saw a consortium made up of Power Assets Holdings, CK Infrastructure Holdings and CK Asset Holdings acquire Phoenix Energy from the NatWest pension fund and Australian infrastructure investor Macquarie.

David Rowan, head of corporate at A&L Goodbody in Belfast, said: “ALG’s track record in this space — both in terms of combined value of deals, and of our role in almost all of the largest and most complex transactions over the past 10 years — is unparalleled in Northern Ireland.

“We owe our sustained growth and success to the exceptional calibre of our corporate team, which is the largest in the local market and continues to offer the standout expertise and commercial focus for which ALG is so renowned.”