Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer has come off General Electric's (GE) European M&A panel, Legal Week has learnt.

The magic circle firm was one of five firms appointed in 2007 to advise the energy giant on European M&A matters. However, it came off the panel late last year through mutual agreement.

The magic circle firm, like other panel members Weil Gotshal & Manges, Slaughter and May, Allen & Overy and Ashurst, had initially been appointed for a four-year term running to the end of 2010.

GE's UK-based European general counsel for M&A, Ben O'Halloran, confirmed the split, saying that the company and the firm had reached a mutual agreement, with the reasons for parting being kept con≠fidential.

Freshfields also declined to comment on the reasons behind the decision, but it is thought that one factor could have been GE's insistence that panel firms commit that they will not take on contentious instructions against GE.

O'Halloran said: "We came to a mutual decision in the latter part of last year that they would not be going forward. We continue to have a high regard for the firm and we would continue to work with them in a situation where we would need to depart from our panel."

The news comes after GE finalised its first formal European non-M&A panel, with 97 firms appointed in 31 countries. The roster is divided into 10 different practice areas excluding M&A. The panel saw a number of UK firms appointed including A&O, Clifford Chance, Ashurst, Norton Rose and CMS Cameron McKenna.