Latham & Watkins has taken top spot in both the U.K. and European M&A adviser rankings for the first three quarters of the year, supplanting Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer and pulling clear of second place Cleary Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton. 

The firm has completed 131 European deals so far this year worth $157.8 billion, according to the latest M&A data released by Mergermarket.