The Corporate Law Firm of the Year award is awarded to the corporate team that has demonstrated outstanding success in generating business and deals throughout the Solent region. Nominated by clients and other professionals in the region, Blake Lapthorn's Corporate team won the award based on the deals they have handled throughout the year - completing 200 transactions in the last year with a deal value in excess of £1 billion. In April 2008 alone, the team completed 23 deals, the combined consideration of which exceeded £600 million.

The firm's south coast Corporate team also won International Deal of the Year at the awards for its legal advice on the disposal of Point Source Ltd to Qioptiq GmbH. Working alongside Grant Thornton Corporate Finance Southampton, the Blake Lapthorn Corporate team successfully advised its client, David Pointer, on the disposal of Point Source, a Hamble-based fibre optic laser systems business founded by him 15 years ago. "This was another transaction that underlined our commitment to the local market and our reputation as the pre-eminent legal adviser to vendors on high profile disposals," said Stephen Archibald who led the transaction.

Long known as the region's legal heavyweight, Blake Lapthorn now fields a corporate transactional team of 25, twice the size of its nearest local competitor. Its client base spans owner managed businesses and SMEs, private equity funders, larger private companies and listed Plcs - the firm is currently corporate legal adviser to 17 Stock Exchange listed companies, three of which are included in the FTSE 250. Through developing a sector-based approach, Blake Lapthorn is able to understand the nuances of particular industry sectors and offer clients a wide range of expert legal advice from a number of key disciplines such as employment, tax, IT, data protection, regulation, planning, real estate, competition, commercial contracts and many other areas.

"This recognition is fantastic for the team as it reflects the voice of the region's corporate finance community. The team thoroughly deserves this award, which highlights the hard client work they have all put in and includes 75 deals in the last six months," commented Simon Treherne, head of the Corporate team at Blake Lapthorn.