Satellite finance: City firm Herbert Smith advised Gazprom Space Systems, a subsidiary of energy company Gazprom, on guaranteeing the financing of two telecoms satellites, Yamal 401 and Yamal 402, due to be launched in 2011. Magic circle firm Linklaters advised a consortium of banks on providing £370m for the project.

Merlin’s magic: Magic circle firm Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer advised private equity firm CVC Capital Partners on its £350m investment in Merlin Entertainments Group, which operates Legoland, Madame Tussauds, London Eye and Alton Towers Resort, among other attractions. City firm Travers Smith advised Merlin.

Lingerie shopping: US firm Duane Morris advised home shopping ­company N Brown Group on acquiring internet lingerie retailer Figleaves Global Trading, which trades as Figleaves.com, for £11.5m. US firm WilmerHale advised Figleaves.

On the road: Birmingham firm Wragge & Co advised public services provider Amey on securing a £2.7bn contract to upgrade and maintain Birmingham’s roads, thought to be the largest private finance initiative of its kind involving a UK local authority. City firm Denton Wilde Sapte advised a consortium of banks on financing the contract. National firm DLA Piper advised Birmingham City Council.

Loan arranger: US firm Shearman & Sterling, alongside Canadian firm Osler Hoskin & Harcourt, advised Merrill Lynch International, BNP Paribas and Crédit Agricole Corporate and Investment Bank on a €750m (£615m) loan note issue by CDP Financial. CDP is a subsidiary of Canadian public sector institutional fund manager Caisse de dépôt et placement du Québec, which was advised by magic circle firm Clifford Chance and Canadian firm Davies Ward Phillips & Vineberg.

Out of Africa: Linklaters, alongside Indian firm Talwar Thakore & Associates, advised Kuwaiti telecoms provider Zain on selling its African mobile phone business to Indian telecoms provider Bharti Airtel for $10.7bn (£7.28bn). Herbert Smith, Dutch firm Stibbe and Indian firm AZB advised Bharti Airtel.