Sporting partners: City firm Taylor Wessing advised ­Kentaro, a sports rights agency, on partnering with Jerome Anderson’s Sport, Entertainment and Media (SEM) Group, whose clients include Manchester United and England defender Rio Ferdinand ­(pictured) and Barcelona ­forward and ­former ­Arsenal striker Thierry Henry. London firm Howard Kennedy advised SEM.

Lender restructures: North-west firm Halliwells advised the directors of Castle ­HoldCo4, the parent company of mortgage lender Countrywide, on a restructuring involving Oaktree Capital and Apollo Advisers. The deal will provide £75m additional ­equity and £175m for debt reduction. Magic circle firm Slaughter and May advised Countrywide, while magic ­circle firms Freshfields ­Bruckhaus Deringer and ­Linklaters, and US firm Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz, advised the investors.

If the shoe fits: Leeds firm Walker Morris advised former chairman Michael Ziff and his family on acquiring parts of Stylo, the shoe retailer, from administrator Deloitte. ­Purchases included 160 stores and 165 concessions, Stylo’s e-commerce business, and the Stylo, Barratt and Priceless brands. City firm Berwin Leighton Paisner advised Deloitte.

Charitable advice: City firm SJ Berwin advised the Kingston Muslim Association, a charity, on acquiring offices adjacent to the Kingston Mosque. The offices were bought for £200,000 from a private individual. SJ Berwin acted pro bono. London and Reading firm Clarkslegal advised the seller.