Macfarlanes has advised Blackwell Publishing on its £572m acquisition by John Wiley & Sons after winning a competitive pitch for the role.

Macfarlanes corporate partner Tim Lewis led the team that advised Blackwell after it was invited to pitch by JP Morgan Cazenove, the company's financial advisers.

In early 2002, Clifford Chance advised the company on a £300m approach from Taylor & Francis Group.

John Wiley, the listed US -based publisher of scientific and medical works, has received backing from the principal shareholders of Blackwell, a UK-based educational publishing company.

DLA Piper corporate partner Elizabeth Walters led the team advising John Wiley.

The combined business will publish approximately 1,250 journals and a large collection of books. The sale is expected to close in early 2007. The deal does not include the Blackwell book retailer.