Baker & McKenzie has been appointed as the sole legal adviser to the BBC Trust on regulatory matters following a competitive tender exercise.

The Trust, which acts as the broadcasting company's governing body, has instructed Bakers in this capacity since its inception in 2007, but re-tendered earlier this year after the appointment of Lord Patten – a former Cabinet minister and chairman of the Conservative Party – as its chairman.

The competitive tender process involved half a dozen UK law firms including Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer, Berwin Leighton Paisner and Simmons & Simmons.

As part of the mandate, Bakers will work with the Trust on strategic and regulatory matters, including fair trading and competition law issues, investigations and editorial matters. Bakers will also advise the Trust on public law, developments to its regulatory framework and amendments to its regulations, 
policies and codes.

Relationship partner Samantha Mobley commented: "We know from our experience over the last four years that working with the Trust involves high-profile and challenging matters. This is a particularly exciting time now that the Trust has entered a new period of leadership following the arrival of Lord Patten."

The news comes less than a month after the BBC's group general counsel Nicholas Eldred left the company to join Christie's as its new legal chief following the departure of former GC Nick Deeming earlier this year.

Eldred is set to join the auction house in the coming months after a decade as legal head at the BBC, where he was responsible for legal, business and governance advice across all aspects of the broadcaster's affairs in the UK and internationally.