Slaughter and May, Linklaters and Allen & Overy (A&O) are among a host of firms to have landed roles on travel agent Thomas Cook's £1.6bn capital refinancing plan.

The refinancing, which includes a £425m share placing and rights issue, £441m of new bonds issues and £691m of new lending facilities, is intended to reduce the travel company's £800m debt pile while strengthening its capital base.

Slaughters is advising Thomas Cook, with the firm fielding a team including corporate partners William Underhill, Tim Pharoah and Rebecca Cousin, along with finance partners Stephen Powell and Richard Levitt.

Latham & Watkins' London arm is also advising Thomas Cook, with corporate finance partners Tracy Edmonson and Christopher Hall and capital markets partner Olof Clausson in the lead roles.

Linklaters meanwhile is advising underwriters Credit Suisse, Gleacher Shacklock and Jefferies Hoare Govett on the placing and rights issue through London corporate partners Tom O'Neill and James Inglis as well as London corporate partner John Lane.

A&O finance partner George Link advised banks including Royal Bank of Scotland, BNP Paribas and Barclays in relation to the new debt facilities. Meanwhile Shearman & Sterling corporate partner Apostolos Gkoutzinis served as counsel to the banks on the bond element of the deal.

In March, Thomas Cook announced it was cutting 2,500 jobs in the UK as it closes 195 high street agencies. The business appointed Harriet Green as chief executive in July 2012.

Last year, Slaughters advised Thomas Cook on securing a £1.4bn lending package in a deal which also saw A&O advise a consortium of banks then thought to have included Barclays and the Royal Bank of Scotland.