Clifford Chance (CC) and Slaughter and May have taken lead roles alongside Linklaters on the bidding battle for the 632 branches that Lloyds Banking Group must offload to meet European state aid rules.

The Co-operative Group, which has made a non-binding bid for Lloyds’ retail branch network, is being advised by CC, with which it has a longstanding corporate relationship. The magic circle firm’s team is being led by London corporate partners Hilary Evenett and Mark Poulton.