Ashurst has secured a first-time appointment to Societe Generale's UK panel as the French banking giant has moved to expand its City adviser relationships.

Ashurst joins SNR Denton, Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer, White & Case and Linklaters on the line-up, which was drawn up two months ago. Both SNR Denton and Freshfields were on the roster previously.

Ashurst has a longstanding relationship with SocGen, having featured as one of its key global advisers as early as 2002, but the firm was not appointed to the bank's global legal panel when it was concluded in December last year.

That review saw 12 firms appointed to advise the bank globally: Allen & Overy, Herbert Smith, Clifford Chance, Hogan Lovells, Norton Rose, Simmons & Simmons, Jones Day, Paul Hastings, Shearman & Sterling, Baker & McKenzie, French leader Gide Loyrette Nouel, and the legal arm of PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC).

Legal Week reported at the time that both Ashurst and Linklaters had pitched for the panel but not been successful, although Linklaters went on to win a spot on SocGen's French panel, which was completed in January.

White & Case was also appointed to the French line-up.