DEALS OF THE WEEK

04.10.2001

Most epochal deal: London firm Edwin Coe acted for the liquidators of legal IT company Epoch in its well-documented sale to its management, which was advised in-house.Most leisurely deal: City firm Devonshires acted for Sefton Metropolitan Borough Council on the UK's first leisure private finance initiative.

The Waterfront Leisure (Crosby) consortium, advised by west country firm Bevan Ashford, is to build a new leisure complex on the seafront at Crosby, Merseyside, with a capital build value of 7 million.

DLA acted for Barclays, which provided funding.Best managed deal: London firm Pritchard Englefield advised French IT company ITESOFT on its acquisition for an undisclosed amount of the British-based electronic document management company HRH Business Technology, advised by Reading firm Field Seymour Parkes.Most secure deal: DLA advised Leeds United on the football club's 60 million securitisation of future ticket revenues in the biggest deal of its kind in the UK.

The proceeds will be used to refinance existing debt and for general corporate purposes.

US firm Latham & Watkins advised the unnamed institutional investors on the deal.Best read deal: City firm Manches represented Cond Nast Publications on its acquisition of Johansens Guides, from the Daily Mail & General Trust, advised by Cambridge firm Hewitson Becke & Shaw.Most advanced deal: Allen & Overy is advising mobile phone company One2One on its innovative agreement with BT Cellnet - advised in-house and by the Brussels office of US firm Jones Day Reavis & Pogue - to co-operate on the roll-out of third generation mobile networks.

The negotiations were concluded in slightly longer than three months.Best packaged deal: Nottingham firm Browne Jacobson acted for Greek company MJ Maillis on its purchase for an undisclosable sum of United Packaging from TT Group, advised by City firm CMS Cameron McKenna.

United has a turnover of 10 million.Shiniest deal: Berwin Leighton Paisner acted for Wisecroft on its first UK film production, entitled Shiner, which premiered last month.

It stars Sir Michael Caine as an East End boxing promoter.