Baker & McKenzie is pleased to announce that it has been appointed as the preferred legal partner for all commercial, IT, Telecommunications and regulatory advice for the Colt Group in Europe. The appointment, which is effective from 1st January 2012 and for an initial three-year term, is the result of a competitive tendering exercise that took place during Q4 2011 and involved over 45 law firms around Europe.

As part of the highly-innovative arrangement, Baker & McKenzie will work closely with Colt's in house legal team of 35 lawyers across all of the 13 jurisdictions in which Colt operates.

Baker & McKenzie Partner and Head of the London Telecommunications group Peter Strivens commented, "We're absolutely delighted with this appointment. Colt had a need for an external law firm that could provide excellent local advice in each of the jurisdictions in which it operates. We were able to offer that and in addition combine this with a seamless, pan-European approach, which offers flexibility and value. We are looking forward to operating as an integrated extension to the Colt in-house team."

Colt General Counsel Robin Saphra said, “Baker & McKenzie demonstrated that it is able to meet our needs for commercial industry aware legal advice across all our regions of operation and has developed an excellent engagement model to work with our world-class in house team. I am delighted with the innovation it has demonstrated and with the commitment and enthusiasm it brings to our relationship and I believe it will bring significant value to Colt’s business.”

Colt, a FTSE 250 company, is the information delivery platform for businesses across Europe. Colt has a 20 year heritage in providing integrated computing and network services. The company brings together 19 Data Centres, IT services, a 35,000km pan-European network, and expertise. It enables its customers to deliver, share, process and store their vital business information.

Baker & McKenzie's leading Information Technology & Communications Group specialises in pioneering novel structures for novel technology offerings. It has over 30 years experience in helping major industry players navigate through legal and commercial risks and is consistently ranked as a global leader. We were the first law firm to provide focused advice in this industry and understand the challenges and rewards of helping our clients' to stay innovative and profitable amid fast-paced change.

In December 2010, Baker & McKenzie was appointed sole global transactional counsel for Carlsberg, following a competitive tender exercise.