Instructions of the week

Hammond Suddards Edge begins our regular round-up of new instructions smelling sweetly as it has been appointed principal legal adviser to Interflora.

It follows a review which has formalised Interflora's legal provision for the first time.

Interflora is a trade association run by its 60,000 member florists in 165 countries.

Hammonds - which began advising the company on a small-scale basis in 1997 - will advise on corporate, commercial property, commercial contracts and competition law.

City firm Masons has made its first venture into Peru after being appointed by the government there to advise on the development of the new airport of Chicheros, to be built at the former Inca capital Cuzco, and the country's master concession plan for regional airports.

Birmingham firm Martineau Johnson has secured yet another higher education instruction after winning the tender to advise on the merger of the University of North London and London Guildhall University, which is to take effect from 1 August.

The appointment is to effect the merger and continue as lead adviser to the merged university until September 2003.

Five firms have made it on to the Crown Estate's panel for its commercial urban estates.

Bristol firm Burges Salmon will advise on all urban estates outside London, while the capital is carved up between Dechert and SJ Berwin - handling the Regent Street estate - and Berwin Leighton Paisner and RadcliffesLeBrasseur, which will share the other central London estates.

The appointments are for three years.

The Oxford office of Manches has won a competitive tender to act as sole lawyers to the Council for the Central Laboratory for the Research Councils, a non-departmental public body supervised by the Office of Science and Technology.

It provides science and engineering facilities to researchers.

Newcastle firm Dickinson Dees has picked up three private finance initiative (PFI) instructions recently: acting for Focus Education in bidding for multi-school PFIs in west London and Bristol, and for Mid Yorkshire Hospitals NHS Trust in Wakefield on the 160 million redevelopment of two hospitals.