Bevan Brittan is delighted to announce it has been appointed to the new-look external legal panel of the Welsh Assembly Government.

The four-year appointment, which takes effect from this month (February 2008) and will run until 2012, will see the firm advise the Assembly Government, other Assembly Government-sponsored bodies and the Office for National Statistics on their property and commercial work.

Bevan Brittan has also secured a place on an over-arching legal panel, which will allow the firm to pitch for large-scale cross-cutting projects.

In addition, the Assembly Government will operate separate panels for its employment, litigation, corporate finance and environmental legal work following a formal review of its external advisers overseen by director of legal services, Jeff Godfrey.

The appointment marks the second high-profile panel win for Bevan Brittan in the space of a week after the firm saw off strong competition to land a coveted place on the inaugural legal panel of UK construction giant Costain.

Bevan Brittan fielded a cross-specialism team during the tender process led by Bethan Evans, who heads up the firm’s Government and Education division. The team also included partners Martin Carroll (commercial), Sarah Lamont (employment) and Paul Taverner (litigation) as well as associate Rob Harrison (property, planning & construction).

Commenting on the appointment, Bethan Evans said: “We are absolutely delighted to have been appointed to advise the Assembly Government.  It underlines Bevan Brittan’s existing reputation in the public sector, which continues to go from strength to strength.”

She added: “We are very much looking forward to building on the relationship we already have with the Assembly Government, having advised on major commercial land transactions over a number of years.”

The Welsh Assembly Government is the devolved government for Wales.  Led by the First Minister, the Rt. Hon. Rhodri Morgan, it holds responsibility for a range of day-to-day issues including health, education, economic development, culture, the environment and transport.

The other firms on the new legal panel are Eversheds; Browne Jacobson; Beachcroft; Hugh James; Geldards; Ashfords and Morgan Cole.