Linklaters and Allen & Overy share tier I lead

The number of securitization deals grew by 14% in 2002. Banks continued to tap the markets for regulatory capital through innovative tier I deals. And even the 2.5% fall in global debt issuance was bearable compared with the near disappearance of primary market equity deals. Last year was still not good for debt capital markets lawyers, but it could have been so much worse. Here IFLR publishes, for the first time, tables of the leading legal advisers on tier I debt and convertible bonds as well as its annual tables of advisers on securitization and high-yield deals. Simon Crompton and Catherine McShane report