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Osborne Clarke is showing its international ambition, welcoming new members to its European alliance, planning mergers and opening offices in Silicon Valley. The firm's tax practice sits at the heart of its global plans

Herbert Smith is advising Royal London on its acquisition of Scottish Life

Baker & McKenzie has hired Jeff VanderWolk as a partner from Deloitte & Touche, as demand for locally-based integrated US and pan-European tax planning increase. VanderWolk is both English and US qualified.

Arnold & Porter has scooped the former chairman of rival firm Jones, Day, Reavis & Pogue's international tax team. Richard Andersen joins Arnold & Porter as a partner in New York.

US firm Milbank, Tweed, Hadley & McCloy has hired its first tax partner in London, to build a European team and support the firm's finance lawyers

Jones Day Reavis & Pogue is adding five tax specialists in the firm's London and Brussels offices

International information and communications technology group, GN Great Nordic, has improved its position in the optical communications test equipment market with the $1.05 billion purchase of Photonetics, a French manufacturer of fibre-optic networking equipment. Photonetics will become part of GN Nettest, one of three hi-tech divisions within Great Nordic.

CMS Cameron McKenna is advising Lloyds TSB Group on its £627 million ($913.3 million) cash acquisition of Chartered Trust Group Plc and ACL Autolease Holdings Ltd – the US consumer finance and contract hire subsidiaries of Standard Chartered Bank. The acquisition increases Lloyds TSB Group's position in the motor finance market and contract hire providers and will give the business £7.7 billion of assets. London partner Keith Gregory is advising Lloyds on tax matters. Graham Airs, a tax partner with Slaughter & May in London, is advising Chartered Trust.

Laporte Plc has announced its intention to sell 60% of its business to investment company Kohlberg Kravis Roberts and Co (KKR) for $1.175 billion. KKR will acquire Laporte's water technology, timber treatment and electronics division, leaving Laporte free to focus on the development of speciality organics, including fine chemicals. KKR has turned to Clifford Chance, where London partner Douglas French is advising on tax matters. Laporte has opted for Slaughter & May, with assistant Philip Higham of the London office providing tax advice.

Seat Pagine Gialle, a European publisher of telephone directories, has agreed to purchase TDL Infomedia, a publisher of local directories in the UK. The deal is valued at £308 million ($448.6 million) plus assumption of debt, and is due to be effected by means of a share exchange. Slaughter and May is advising Seat Pagine Gialle, with London partner Graham Airs, assisted by Charles Goddard, working on tax matters.Tax partner Victoria Nicholl from the London office of Travers Smith Braithwaite is advising TDL Infomedia. Joanne Walker is assisting.