Shearman & Sterling is representing The Thomson Corp. in its $385 million purchase of TradeWeb Group LLC.  In addition to the purchase price, Thomson will make contingent payments over the next three years of up to $151 million, based on revenue.  The transaction is subject to customary approvals and conditions, and it is expected to close at the end of June.

TradeWeb is an online global trading platform for fixed-income securities, currently owned by a consortium of eight leading investment banks (Credit Suisse First Boston, Citigroup, Goldman Sachs, Lehman Brothers, Merrill Lynch, Morgan Stanley, JP Morgan and Deutsche Bank). Thomson, a provider of integrated information solutions, will build a significant position in the fixed-income market through its purchase of TradeWeb.