Instructions of the week - 03.04.2003

Most sphinx-like deal: City firm LXL, an incorporated practice started in January, acted for Petronas on its 1.6 billion (1.1 billion) acquisition of Edison International's 50% interest in the West Delta Deep Marine concession, off the Egyptian coast, and a 35% interest in the related Egyptian LNK project.

Italian firm Studio Legale Tonnucci and Malaysia's Azman Davidson & Co also advised.

Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer acted for Edison.

LXL was formed by Alan Jones, former partner in the London office of US firm LeBoeuf Lamb Greene & Macrae, and Giovannella D'Andrea, also formerly of LeBoeuf.

Artiest deal: London firms Marriott Harrison and Collins Benson Goldhill provided corporate and property advice respectively to independent cinema company City Screen on its acquisition of Oasis Cinemas, advised by Harbottle & Lewis.

Healthiest deal: Birmingham's Wragge & Co acted for health food chain Holland & Barrett on its 7.5 purchase of the Health & Diet Group, made up of 56 GNC-branded nutritional supplement stores, from Numico Group, advised by Bristol firm Osborne Clarke.

Most caring deal: Pinsent Curtis Biddle acted for ISIS Equity Partners on the 30 million funding arrangements for its acquisition and expansion of Care Management Group, advised by Tarlo Lyons.

DLA acted for funders Barclays Bank, while London firm Hamlins advised the selling shareholders.

Most inorganic deal: Manchester firm Shoesmith advised mass spectrometry manufacturer GV Instruments on its acquisition of the inorganic division of leading mass spectrometry company Micromass UK, represented by City firm Lawrence Graham.

Mass spectrometry is a key enabling technique in analytical science which allows chemical entities to be identified and characterised by exactly measuring their molecular mass.

Sweetest deal: Cardiff firm Dolmans acted for entrepreneur Christopher Jones on the management buy-in of south Wales bakery Sweetman Holdings.

Dolmans also advised the funding arranger, HSBC.

M4 corridor firm Morgan Cole represented the vendors.

Best business deal: Eversheds acted for the Cambridge Chamber of Commerce on its merger with the Peterborough Chamber - advised by local firm Vincent Sykes - in an arrangement aimed at increasing the not-for-profit organisations' influence in the east of England corporate arena.

Best brushed deal: Surrey firm acted for Earlex on its acquisition of carpet sweepers manufacturer Ewbank, advised by Manchester firm Turner Parkinson.

Homeliest deal: Cambridge firm Hewitson Becke & Shaw acted for Persimmon Homes on its purchase of housebuilder Springfir Estates; regional firm Shoosmiths advised the Springfir shareholders.