Instructions of the week - 03.07.2003

The Scottish offices of three City firms - CMS Cameron McKenna, DLA and Masons - are among the 12 law firms to win through a two-stage selection process and join the Office of the Solicitor to the Scottish Executive's first legal panel.

Firms on the panel are now eligible to compete for any work outsourced by the office.

DLA has been appointed as sole European employment law adviser to Tibbett & Britten, one of the world's top-ten logistics and supply chain management companies.

Two-thirds of the company's business is in Europe, making it the second largest logistics business on the continent, employing 22,500 people.

Linklaters' London-based private equity team has completed its first deal for Montagu Private Equity, advising on Montagu's 860 million leveraged buy-out of LINPAC, a paper and plastics-based packaging firm.

The firm's Paris team has previously acted for LINPAC.

The selling shareholders were advised by Berwin Leighton Paisner.

Macfarlanes advised the management, while US firm White & Case acted for Deutsche Bank, the senior and mezzanine lender, and Norton Rose for HSBC, which provided an equity bridge facility.

Insurance intermediary the Budget Group has appointed Manchester firm Donns, Corries in York and Peterborough's Hunt & Coombs to act for personal injury clients under its uninsured loss recovery administration service.

The social housing team at Portsmouth firm Coffin Mew & Clover has been chosen to advise the Oriel Group, comprising two housing associations in the south - the Swaythling Housing Society and Portal Housing Association.

Between them, they have more than 5,000 homes for rent and sale in Hampshire, Dorset and Wiltshire.

Another housing association, the Guinness Trust, has reduced its law firm panel in the south-west to just one firm - Bevan Ashford.

The firm's Exeter office will assist in the trust's management of homes in Devon, Cornwall and west Dorset.

London firm Forsters has won a tender to act for the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea on the negotiation of section 106 planning agreements.

These detail the obligations between the council and developers.

City firm Stephenson Harwood has finished its first deal for electric company Seeboard, advising on a 25-year private finance initiative with the London Borough of Islington to provide public lighting.

Pinsents acted for the council, while Scottish firm Tods Murray advised Dexia Public Finance Bank, which provided loan facilities.