Bartner: worked on the deal from New York for ShearmansHerbert Smith Dutch ally Stibbe has linked up with New York’s Shearman & Sterling to work on a ground-breaking billion-pound telecoms restructuring.

The deal, which was completed last month, saw struggling Dutch telecoms company Versatel exchange $1.71bn (£1.1bn) in debt for ordinary new shares and $345.4m (£222m) in cash, handing four-fifths of the company’s ownership to its bondholders, with existing shareholders retaining a 20% stake.