Plan from the Pru: City firm Herbert Smith advised Credit Suisse, JP Morgan Cazenove and HSBC on financing UK insurer Prudential’s $35.5bn (£23.4bn) acquisition of the Asian operations of insurer AIG, advised by US firm Debevoise & Plimpton. Magic circle firm Slaughter and May advised Prudential in the UK; US firm Cleary Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton advised Prudential in the US.

Sure thing: City firm Taylor Wessing advised motor insurer esure on its £185m management buyout from Lloyds Banking Group, advised by ­Linklaters, by private equity firm Penta Capital, advised by Anglo-Scottish firm Dickson Minto.

On track: French firm Gide Loyrette Nouel, with Slaughter and May, City firm Stephenson Harwood, and US firms Gibson Dunn & Crutcher and Cozen O’Connor, advised French rail operator SNCF on creating Eurostar International, the future operator of Eurostar rail services. The Department for Transport was advised by City firms CMS Cameron McKenna and Herbert Smith, and Belgian rail operator SNCB was advised by magic circle firm Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer. Eurostar International was advised by magic circle firm Clifford Chance.

Generic advice: ­Freshfields advised investment company VEM Vermögensverwaltung on the €3.6bn (£3.2bn) sale of generics drugs manufacturer Ratiopharm to Israeli drugs company Teva Pharmaceutical Industries, advised by US firm Kirkland & Ellis.

In good health: Magic circle firm Linklaters advised private equity firm Triton on its €850m (£761m) acquisition of Nordic healthcare and care services provider Ambea from private equity firm 3i, advised by Swedish firm Mannheimer Swartling.

Showing metal: National firm Addleshaw Goddard advised metals company Delta on a £284.5m takeover bid by engineering company Valmont Group, advised by Slaughter and May.

Care package: City firm Lovells advised the management of health and social care provider Care UK on its £281m acquisition by private equity firm Bridgepoint, advised by Clifford Chance.