Baker & McKenzie, White & Case and Lovells are among the firms advising on a deal that will see a Canadian-Russian consortium acquire a 55% stake in GM’s Opel auto unit, writes The American Lawyer.

The deal, agreed after three months of negotiations, has been lauded by the German government, which is gearing up for elections at the end of this month and is keen to avoid mass layoffs at Opel, which has received billions in government aid in recent months.