Auction house Christie's has invited a number of firms to tender for its first-ever roster of legal advisers.

The process, which will be led by general counsel Nick Deeming, begun last month and the company expects to name two or three preferred global advisers by February 2009.

The review will be watched closely by a number of City firms which will be hoping to secure Christie's as a client. The auctioneers have already invited practices to tender and will draw up a shortlist in the New Year.

Commenting on the review, Deeming (pictured) told Legal Week: "We do not have a panel at the moment, we just use a number of firms when we require them. We are looking to rationalise that number for greater efficiency, for savings on cost and to build much better client relationships."

He added: "It is not really go to be a panel as such, as we are not a big investment bank. We are a small company and we are trying to draw up a list of two or three advisers that we can use for our instructions."

The review comes as Deeming begins his second year as general counsel of Christie's. He joined the company in October 2007 joining from gas company Linde. During his stay at Linde, Deeming helped the company form its first-ever legal panel.

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