AS much as £90million-worth of deals were completed by the corporate department of commercial lawyers Denison Till in the last 12 months, the biggest total in the firm's history.

The record value came from handling share acquisitions and disposals, business acquisitions and disposals, plus management buy-outs and buy-ins for businesses in York and throughout North and West Yorkshire.

Five of the deals were valued at more than £5million, while most of the others were valued at between £1million and £2million.

The department's work also included IT and intellectual property related commercial agreements, franchising, company reconstructions, partnership agreements and agency and distribution agreements, many of which involved international trading.

Among the better-known clients were York-based Portasilo Ltd, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Shepherd Building Group, in acquiring Homeseeker Homes Ltd; and Flamingo Land Ltd's disposal of interests in Bradford City Football Club.

Denison Till's seven-strong corporate department, which claims to be the biggest of its kind in York and North Yorkshire, has also just acted for Douglas Craig, of Bootham Crescent Holdings, owner of York City Football Club's ground, in the sale of a majority stake in the company to York City Football Club Ltd.

Head of the department, partner Andrew Lindsay, said: "We are delighted to have achieved our most successful year ever in terms of the value of deals completed. It is encouraging that two-thirds of our instructions came from our existing client base while a third - a significant proportion - was new business gains.

"The level of activity is also good news for the local economy. It demonstrates a growing recognition among high-quality businesses that having quality professional services on hand is cost-effective and helps to develop strong commercial relationships."

Meanwhile, Denison Till's corporate department has also been recognised in independent legal guide Chambers 2005 edition. The entry says: "Sources flagged up this firm as the major player in York and a driving force behind the city's SME (small and medium-sized enterprise) sector."

Updated: 09:36 Tuesday, January 25, 2005