Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer has stormed to the top of the European M&A adviser rankings for 2007 after ousting Clifford Chance (CC) from top spot by deal value.

After a strong fourth quarter Freshfields completed 282 deals worth €482.8bn (£360bn) in 2007, according to figures from Legal Week‘s data partner, Mergermarket. CC – which had topped the third-quarter rankings – slipped to second, advising on 292 deals worth a combined €464.7bn (£346bn).