Skadden Arps Slate Meagher & Flom and Ropes & Gray have taken the lead roles on a $9.5bn ($6bn) merger which will create one of the largest utilities companies in the US, reports The Am Law Daily.

Northeast Utilities has agreed to pay more than $4bn (£2.5bn) to absorb NSTAR, forming a company with a total enterprise value of $17.5bn (£11bn). The company will continue to be known as Northeast Utilities.