Qinetiq ready to pick first ever legal panel

Herbert Smith has advised the company on the most important deal in its history, the Carlyle Group's £250m buy-in, but cannot be sure of a place on the new panel.

"We start with a clean sheet of paper," said Lynton Board-man, Qinetiq general counsel and company secretary.

CMS Cameron McKenna advises Qinetiq on a lot of joint venture documentation. The company has a ventures function, which is a distinct part of Qinetiq, with funds to go out and create new technologies. Wragge & Co also advises on some of the smaller deals in this department.

The creation of the panel may provide opportunities for Boardman's former boss, Charles Mayo of Simmons & Simmons, who advised the Ministry of Defence on the Carlyle transaction, and Mayer Brown Rowe & Maw, a favourite of Boardman's former company Syngenta.