Bakers named as global adviser to Carlsberg

The firm will advise the company on corporate/M&A, banking and finance, anti-trust and cross-border commercial work. The appointment, effective from 1 January 2011, comes as the brewer looks to expand its operations across Europe and Asia.

Carlsberg general counsel Ulrik Andersen said the company will continue to use Kromann Reumert for Danish law and Norton Rose for dispute resolution.

Baker & McKenzie London corporate head Tim Gee said: “This is a very exciting development for both of us. We look forward to being able to partner with Carlsberg around the world as they further develop their business.”

Andersen added: “Following a competitive tender process, we’re pleased to appoint Baker & McKenzie as our new international legal adviser. Its proposal matched the current needs of Carlsberg and it was also in a position to offer us an international presence that complements the countries in which Carlsberg now operates.”

Other firms that pitched for the global adviser role were Linklaters and Norton Rose.

Carlsberg has been a key corporate client for Norton Rose in the past, with the firm advising on its 2007 acquisition of brewer Scottish & Newcastle. Norton Rose’s pitch was overseen by London commercial head Deirdre Walker, who admitted she was disappointed at losing out to Baker & McKenzie.

Walker told The Lawyer that the firm’s lack of presence in the Baltic region and in Russia, which generates roughly 40 per cent of Carlsberg’s turnover, was the main reason it was not chosen.

Walker also denied claims that the firm had launched an internal inquiry into why the pitch was unsuccessful.