Trowers & Hamlins' Abu Dhabi office has advised long-standing client Control and Applications Group (CAG) on the sale of vMonitor, one of their subsidiaries and a global technology leader for wireless solutions in the oil and gas industry, to Rockwell Automation, Inc., a NYSE-listed company specialising in industrial automation and information.

Abu Dhabi-based vMonitor has operations throughout the Middle East and in the USA, Africa and India.  It offers solutions which monitor and control wellhead and upstream applications, effectively creating the 'digital oilfield'.

Macfarlanes has advised Investec Bank PLC on the sale of its international trust and fiduciary services business to Salamanca Group, the merchant banking and operational risk management business.

The business, which has currently over £4.5bn in assets under administration, will be run as a stand-alone trust & fiduciary business unit of Salamanca Group, re-branded as Salamanca Group Trust & Fiduciary.

CMS in London has advised MetLife, Inc. on the agreement to sell MetLife Assurance Limited to Rothesay Life Limited. The acquisition is expected to be completed in the second quarter of 2014, subject to regulatory approval and satisfaction of other closing conditions.

MetLife Assurance is a leading specialist bulk annuity pension provider, with approximately £3 billion in assets under management.

Leading motor repair provider, Crash-worth Limited, has been acquired by The Innovation Group plc in a £11.75m deal. This deal makes The Innovation Group The Second Largest Manager Of Vehicle Repair Claims In The UK
 
The Innovation Group is a global provider of business process services and software solutions to the insurance, fleet, automotive and property industries. The combined business will become the second largest manager of vehicle repair claims in the UK, allowing its clients to benefit from increased efficiencies.
 

Ashland Inc has announced its agreement to sell Ashland Water Technologies to a fund managed by private investment firm Clayton, Dubilier & Rice in a deal valued at $1.8 Billion dollars.

Squire Sanders represented its long-time client Ashland in the deal. Our team was led by partner Carolyn Buller (corporate partner, Cleveland) and included Carl Draucker (benefits partner, Cleveland), Janette Lucas (L&E partner, London), Oliver Geiss (antitrust partner, Brussels) and Jonathan Whittlesey (corporate associate, Cleveland).

Shoosmiths advised Singapore-based Freight Investor Services Pte Ltd (FIH) on the strategic sale, for an undisclosed double digit million USD consideration, of a majority shareholding in Cleartrade Exchange Pte Ltd (CLTX) to European Energy Exchange AG (EEX), the leading energy exchange in Europe which is part of the Deutsche Börse Group.

Partner Ben Turner and associate Gareth Davies led Shoosmiths' transaction team.

Turner said: "We were delighted to advise FIH on the achievement of its strategic ambitions for CLTX.

Macfarlanes has advised the British Bankers Association on its sale of BBA LIBOR to ICE Benchmark Administration Limited, a NYSE company.

The sale agreement was signed in July 2013 and a process of transition has been undertaken since that time.  Completion was achieved on 31 January.

International law firm Taylor Wessing has acted on behalf of Lord and Lady Tanlaw and their family trusts in relation to the sale of Fandstan Electric Group, the London-headquartered engineering group, to New York-listed Wabtec.

A Travers Smith team led by Paris head, David Patient, has advised Milestone Capital Partners, the Anglo-French private equity firm, and the other selling shareholders, on the sale of the Winncare group to IDI, the Paris-listed private equity firm, for an undisclosed sum.

The acquisition was financed by IDI investing capital totalling approximately €17 million, along with senior debt arranged by CIC Ouest and Banque Populaire Atlantique and mezzanine debt provided by LFPI Résilience.

Global law firm Eversheds has advised consumer electronics retailer Expansys on its recommended takeover by celebrity entrepreneur and Dragons Den panellist Peter Jones.

AIM-listed Expansys sells over 30,000 products to customers in over 115 countries. The offer was originally announced on 15 January with a revised increased offer announced on 12 February.

Subject to the receipt by Peter Jones of sufficient acceptances the offer will result in Expansys ceasing to have its shares traded on AIM.