Ward Hadaway achieves Top 3 spot in corporate deals nationally

The quarterly Experian MarketIQ M&A Review ranks the law firms and financial advisors that have been the most active in terms of corporate transactions across the UK and Republic of Ireland, ranking them by the volume of deals completed.

As well as featuring in third place nationally in the latest table, Ward Hadaway’s corporate teams achieved exceptional regional results, ranking first in both the North East and Yorkshire & Humber regions, and sixth place in the North West. They also appeared for the first time in other areas, ranking fourth in the South East and seventh in Wales.

Nik Tunley, the recently announced Head of the Corporate department, said: “These are exceptional results. After the H1 results, we heralded the impact that bringing together the corporate teams from Ward Hadaway and The Endeavour Partnership following our merger in July would have, but I am over the moon to see the extent of the impact our combined forces have had.

“As demonstrated in these rankings, the team has been extremely busy working on a large number of deals in each of our offices.  What the rankings are unable to show is the broad spectrum of deal types and deal sizes which we work on, across a number of sectors. The strength, depth and breadth of our team clearly provides reassurance to clients and introducers that whatever their needs, we have got it covered. These results really are a testament to the collective efforts of everyone in each of our offices. ”

Imogen Holland, a partner in the Newcastle office, added, “The deal volumes across the country have declined by 21% over this period, so it is particularly impressive to see our teams performing at this level. As ever, thanks to all those – our clients past and present, and friends from across the professional advisory and funding community – who continue to support us.”

Nik added, “Our next frontier is to establish a team in our flourishing Birmingham office. We are actively recruiting some standout talent to join this team, and are excited to see what 2026 brings.”

Ward Hadaway’s corporate team, which includes specialists in banking and tax, works closely with colleagues across the wider firm to assemble a multidisciplinary team bespoke to each transaction, drawing on experts in fields such as IP and data protection, regulatory, real estate and succession planning. Clients include companies and shareholders at varying stages of their corporate journey, as well as venture capital and private equity funds, and banks. The team works across a wide range of sectors, with particular specialism in the recruitment, hospitality, life sciences, care, manufacturing, technology and construction sectors.