Freshfields has gained one over Lovell White Durrant by winning the job of advising Prudential Corp on its £1.9bn agreed cash bid for fund managers M&G Group.

Lovells advised on the life assurance giant’s last major acquisition, of Scottish Amicable, in 1997.
But Freshfields was prevented from acting for its client Prudential on that deal because it was already advising Scottish Amicable.