Slaughter and May is advising chemical company Platform Specialty Products on its cash and share takeover offer for fellow chemicals company Alent.

The deal values Alent at approximately $2.1bn (£1.3bn). It was formed in 2012 after de-merging from parent company Cookson.

Slaughters' head of M&A, Stephen Cooke, and London corporate partner Chris McGaffin are leading the team that is advising Platform. They are being assisted by debt capital markets head Matthew Tobin and tax head Sara Luder. McGaffin was promoted to the magic circle firm's partnership in May 2015.

Paul Weiss Rifkind Wharton & Garrison is assisting Platform on the US law aspects of the transaction. The firm's team includes New York-based tax head Jeffrey Samuels, New York corporate partner Ross Fieldston and North America M&A co-head Jeffrey Marell.

Linklaters is acting for Alent on the deal. London corporate partners Nicola Mayo and Aedamar Comiskey are leading the Linklaters team.

Comiskey has previously advised Alent's former parent company Cookson and started advising Alent after it was de-merged from Cookson and floated on the London Stock Exchange in 2012.

She also acted for Dixons on its 2014 £3.6bn merger with Carphone Warehouse.

The deal is subject to regulatory clearance and it is though that if its passes regulatory scrutiny the deal will be complete in late 2015 or early 2016.