Allen & Overy (A&O) has advised Germany's SAP, the world's largest business management software producer, on its €4.8bn (£3.2bn) acquisition of Business Objects.

New York corporate partners Eric Shube and Peter Harwich and finance partner Elizabeth Leckie worked alongside Frankfurt M&A partner Hans-Christoph Ihrig and tax partner Eugen Bogenschuetz on the deal.

A&O's Frankfurt office has a longstanding relationship with SAP, however Ihrig said: "It is possible we would not have been first choice for this deal if it had not been for our global coverage."

SAP instructed Bredin Prat in France led by corporate partner Olivier Assant, while Jones Day led by Thomas Jestaedt advised on antitrust issues out of Brussels.

Shearman & Sterling's Paris office advised Business Objects, while West Coast firm Wilson Sonsini, led by Larry Sonsini, advised on US aspects.

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