Hogan & Hartson has completed its most significant City corporate mandate to date after advising automotive giant Ford on the $2bn (£1bn) sale of its Jaguar and Land Rover subsidiaries to Tata Motors.

Ford relationship partner William Curtin led the deal team from Hogan's London office, with assistance from fellow City corporate partner Hywel Jones and New York-based corporate partner Claud Eley.

Hogan's City corporate team was dealt a blow last November when UK corporate chief Jonathan Coppin – who was expected to lead the team on the Ford sale – confirmed he was leaving the law less than 18 months after joining from Shearman & Sterling.

Curtin, who took over the reins from Coppin on the deal, commented: "For us it's really exciting and rewarding that we're part of such a landmark transaction involving such iconic British brands as Jaguar. I think our appointment on the deal is reflective of the firm's strategy in Europe."

Herbert Smith advised Tata, with the top 10 City law firm fielding a team led by corporate partner David Paterson and senior consultant Nimi Patel.

Allen & Overy advised a consortium of banks that provided Tata with a $3bn (£1.51bn) debt facility, including Bank of Tokyo, Citigroup, ING and Standard Chartered. Hong Kong banking partner Thomas Brown led the team for the City giant, assisted by associates including Scott Neilson (Tokyo), Doug Murning and May Lo (both Hong Kong).

The sale, which closed today (26 March), will see India-based Tata fully acquire both Jaguar and Land Rover from the US manufacturer. As part of the deal, Ford will contribute to the Jaguar and Land Rover pensions schemes while Tata continues to purchase Ford engines.

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