WINNERS

• 1st - Olswang
This year’s winner impressed judges with its work on one of the most high profile hotel auctions of 2007. Olswang acted for the seller, Dawnay Shore Hotels, in a deal that featured more twists than a Hitchcock movie. As market conditions worsened, a transaction that started life as a recommended code offer transformed into a scheme of arrangement before ending up as a business disposal with long-term leases. Lead partners David Roberts and Stephen Hermer lined up against Slaughter and May, which represented Spanish buyer Barcelo International. Olswang’s fast-growing corporate practice successfully negotiated a ground-breaking ‘try before you buy’ arrangement, without which the cautious buyer might have left the table. Despite the many obstacles, Olswang secured a fantastic result for its client, offloading 20 hotels and securing a steady stream of income through the complex lease arrangements.

• 2nd - Taylor Wessing
Taylor Wessing’s flagship deal was carried out under the shadow of a multi-million pound litigation - something that made this entry stand out from the crowd. Partner Mark Davis and his team managed to ring-fence a portion of the purchase price so that private equity buyer Ion Equity would not be liable in the dispute over a contaminated fuel supply. To further complicate the acquisition, a late disclosure by the seller revealed a dispute with the Amsterdam port authorities. The firm has since been instructed by Ion on four further transactions - testament to the quality of its work on the transaction.

• 3rd - Travers Smith
In the post credit crunch corporate marketplace, one mid-market firm has continued to churn out eye-catching deals. Pret a Manger, Kurt Geiger and Agent Provocateur - if there was a private equity buyout of a high street brand this year, Travers Smith was likely to have been involved. The firm’s standout deal of last year saw private equity partner Charles Barter advise Bridgepoint on its acquisition of clothing chain Fat Face. His team was challenged to complete the deal, from scratch, within a deadline of just 48 hours. They did so in 47.

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This category is open to transaction teams. We are looking for excellence in one of the following fields: IPO’s (main list or AIM), public M&A, private equity or corporate reorganisations. Entries are welcomed from both domestic and cross-border work. Submissions should relate to deals under £500m.

Judges will be looking for evidence of:

• Full details of the transaction(s), with particular emphasis on structural innovation and market contest
• A list of all major parties involved in the transaction, including advisers

Submissions should focus on a single transaction but we welcome overviews of team activity throughout the course of the year.

Entries welcome from:
Private practice teams	√
Nominations by in-house teams	√

Previous Winners:
2007	SJ Berwin
2006	Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer
2005	Ashurst
2004	Simmons & Simmons
2003	Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer