On the button: City firm Taylor Wessing advised Ross Brawn, former boss of the Honda GP Formula 1 motorsport team, on buying the Honda team to create Brawn GP F1. The new team has taken on Honda’s drivers from last year, Britain’s Jenson Button (pictured) and Brazil’s Rubens Barrichello.

Billion-pound issue: Magic circle firm Freshfields advised building materials supplier Wolseley on a £1bn rights issue. The firm also advised Wolseley on the creation of a €1bn debt facility, to be provided by five of Wolseley’s banks, conditional on completion of the rights issue. The moves are designed to strengthen Wolseley’s balance sheet. City firm Herbert Smith advised Wolseley’s banks.

Coal sale: The London, Munich, Frankfurt and Prague offices of US firm Weil, Gotshal & Manges advised Czech power company CEZ on its €400m (£367m) acquisition of German coal company Mitteldeutsche Braunkohlengesellschaft from US engineering company URS Corporation and US energy conglomerate NRG Energy. Magic circle firm Linklaters advised the sellers.

Property asset: City firm Olswang advised clients of F&C REIT Asset Management, the real estate fund manager, on acquiring 220 properties from the administrators and receivers of Dawnay Day, the collapsed financial investment company, for £600m. The administrators were advised by national firm DLA Piper.

Waste technology: London firm Fladgate advised Vertal, the UK-based waste technology business, on raising £5m from fund management company Foresight Group, which was advised by Birmingham firm Martineau.

Close protection: City firm Charles Russell advised Westminster Group, the AIM-listed security business, on acquiring bodyguard specialist Longmoor Services for £2.4m. Longmoor was advised by its in-house team.