Dewey & LeBoeuf has won a lead role on insurance giant Aviva's New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) listing.

The world's fifth-largest insurance group, formerly known as Norwich Union in the UK, will make a secondary listing on the NYSE on 20 October and trade under the symbol AV.

The company has no initial plans to issue any new shares and will hold onto its main market London Stock Exchange (LSE) listing.

Dewey's cross-border team was headed up by corporate partners Joe Ferraro and Robert Rachofsky in London and New York respectively. The Dewey team worked closely with the in-house legal team at Aviva, which is led by general counsel and group secretary Graham Jones alongside deputy group secretary and legal counsel Kirsty Cooper.

The company said that over 20% of its shareholders are based in the US and that the listing would give Aviva a stronger platform from which to attract more shareholders.

In the UK Aviva has historically turned to Clifford Chance on a range of transactions, including this year's £700m outsourcing deal with Electronic Data Systems.

Slaughter and May is also listed on the LSE as a key Aviva adviser. In 2006 the magic circle firm was instructed on the company's £5bn debt restructuring.

Dewey, which has also previously carried out work for Aviva in the City, is the go-to firm for the company in the US.

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