DLA Piper has advised Morrison & Co (MCO) on the formal transition of its appointment as manager of Utilities Trust of Australia (UTA), effective 1 July 2018.

UTA is an open-ended core infrastructure fund for institutional investors, with more than AU$6 billion in assets under management.

When confirming the selection of Morrison & Co as the preferred manager, the Board of Utilities of Australia Pty Limited, as trustee of the Utilities Trust of Australia (UTA), commented "The Board received strong interest from a number of high quality managers, with Morrison & Co being selected on the basis of various qualitative and quantitative factors."

DLA Piper advised Morrison & Co on both the competitive bid and the formal transition of the fund.

The DLA Piper team was led by Corporate partner Emma Kendall, with James Philips, Leah Watt and Amina Karcic.

Emma Kendall said: "We’re delighted to have advised Morrison & Co on this significant milestone. As an experienced and high quality infrastructure asset manager, Morrison & Co will provide a strong and stable platform to UTA and its Unit Holders."