Latham Sweeps H1 2026 Private Credit League Tables
Latham & Watkins has earned #1 rankings across all three major private credit league table providers — 9fin, Octus, and KBRA DLD — in both the US and Europe for H1 2026, advising on more combined transactions than any other law firm on both sides of the Atlantic.
Select H1 private credit rankings include:
United States
In the United States, Latham advised on 167 private credit transactions in H1 2026 according to 9fin. The firm’s US leadership extends across deal types and capital structures, with top positions in large cap, middle market, M&A financings, and lender-side mandates across all three league table providers.
- #1 US Private Credit — Combined Lender and Borrower Counsel by Deal Count — 9fin
- #1 US Direct Lending Legal Adviser — Overall — Octus
- #1 US Direct Lending Legal Adviser — Large Cap — Octus
- #1 US Direct Lending Legal Adviser — Large Cap, Lender-side — Octus
- #1 US Direct Lending Legal Adviser — M&A Financings — Octus
- #1 US Direct Lending — Combined Buyside, Sellside & Lender Counsel by Deal Count — KBRA DLD
- #1 US Direct Lending — Lender Counsel by Deal Count — KBRA DLD
Europe
In Europe, the firm advised on 37 transactions per 9fin — 37% more than the next-ranked firm and approximately 61% more than the fifth-ranked firm. Latham’s European platform earned #1 rankings across every subcategory measured by Octus and KBRA DLD, including large cap, middle market, M&A financings, lender counsel, and sellside counsel.
- #1 Europe Private Credit — Combined Lender and Borrower Counsel by Deal Count — 9fin
- #1 Europe Direct Lending Legal Adviser — Overall — Octus
- #1 Europe Direct Lending Legal Adviser — Large Cap — Octus
- #1 Europe Direct Lending Legal Adviser — Middle Market — Octus
- #1 Europe Direct Lending Legal Adviser — M&A Financings — Octus
- #1 Europe Direct Lending — Combined Buyside, Sellside & Lender Counsel — KBRA DLD
- #1 Europe Direct Lending — Lender Counsel by Deal Count — KBRA DLD
- #1 Europe Direct Lending — Sellside Counsel by Deal Count — KBRA DLD
The convergence of #1 rankings across all three independent league table providers, each employing distinct methodologies and data sets, underscores Latham’s clear market leadership in the global private credit market. Whether measured by total deal count, engagement volume, or segmented by geography, deal size, or role, Latham leads the market by a wide margin.
Latham’s transatlantic dominance is further confirmed by 9fin’s global rankings, where the firm was also named the #1 Global Private Credit Legal Adviser by deal count — advising on 204 deals globally, 25% more than the second-ranked firm and nearly double the fifth-ranked firm.
Latham’s Banking & Private Credit Practice is a core part of the firm’s Capital Strategies group, encompassing our elite practices in banking and finance, capital markets, hybrid capital, liability management, private credit, restructuring, and structured finance. We empower our clients to make business decisions with the deepest real-time market intelligence and unrivaled insight across products, structures, and deal opportunities. Latham advises on the highest volume of transactions across each segment of the capital structure by a wide margin and has broader relationships across the public and private markets than any other law firm. We use our scale to deliver unparalleled perspective and a competitive advantage to our clients.