Deals of the week 17.05.2001

Most ground-breaking deals: Linklaters is acting on two record-breaking stockmarket deals: for BT on theEnglish law aspects of its6 billion rights issue, the largest ever in the UK; and as UK counsel to Vodafone in its 3.5 billion global offering of shares, the largest ever placing in the UK.

Slaughter and May acted as UK counsel to the underwriters, Goldman Sachs and UBS Warburg.Most on the ball deal: Lovells acted for Barclaycard in its three-year 48 million sponsorship of the FA Premier League, advised by Leeds firm McCormicks.

The legal work was done in less than a week.Best insured deal: Stephenson Harwood advised MMA Insurance - the UK general insurance arm of French mutual La Mutuells du Mans Assurances - on its 53.5 million acquisition of the 260-branch Swinton chain of retail insurance brokers from Royal & Sun Alliance, represented by Halliwell Landau.Most recycled deal: Reading firm Pitmans acted for demolition and recycling firm J Mould Tipper Haulier in the 6 million sale of the business to Hanson Quarry Products Europe, advised by Gouldens.Most digital deal: IT firm Kemp & Co acted for Tektronix UK Holdings on its acquisition for an undisclosed amount of Adherent Systems, which designs and manufactures test equipment for the digital video broadcast industry.

Cambridge firm Taylor Vinters advised Adherent.Best designed deal: Shoosmiths acted for Violia Media Services, which owns Marston Books Services, on its acquisition of Lindsay Ross International, a digital printing, Web design and Internet service provider company, advised by Oxford firm Darbys Mallam Lewis.Best trained deal: Stringer Saul advised Wolters Kluwer on the sale of training arm The Financial Training Company to a management buy-out vehicle funded by Royal Bank Private Equity, advised by Eversheds.

The deal is said to be worth around 40 million.

SJ Berwin acted for the management team and Lovells for Dresdner Kleinwort Wasserstein, which provided bank finance.