The Homes & Communities Agency has appointed a panel of 15 legal firms to provide advice and services and to replace the 21 firms it inherited from English Partnerships and the Housing Corporation.
A national panel comprises Berwin Leighton Paisner, Eversheds, Pinsent Masons and Trowers & Hamlin, while there are three regional panels.
The North Panel comprises Forshaws Davies Ridgway, Pannone and Walker Morris, the Central Panel Browne Jacobson, Denton Wilde Sapte and Hewitsons and the South Panel Ashfords, Bond Pearce, DLA Piper, Denton Wilde Sapte and Hammonds.
"As a new agency we are facing new challenges and initiatives that have inevitably involved our acquiring additional skills and expertise, which is why the make up of our panel is different from its predecessor," said Agency head of legal services Judith Roberts.
"While we have divided the panel into national and regional teams, we expect the firms to work together on a collaborative basis, sharing knowledge between themselves and with our in-house legal team."
The contracts are for four years from 1 April.
The national panel will focus on advice and services relating to corporate matters, major programmes and projects of national significance while the regional firms will provide a local focus.
