Clifford Chance (CC) and Linklaters boast some of the City’s hardest-working associates, with the pair’s lawyers dominating new rankings of top M&A associate deal-doers.

Mergermarket data produced specially for Legal Week shows CC associate Lee Coney in pole position in the UK deal value rankings for the second year running, having advised on 14 deals worth a total value of €63bn (£42bn) during the past three years.