Dibb Lupton Alsop launches one-stop employment shop

Dibb Lupton Alsop has become the first UK law firm to set up its own human resources consultancy.

The firm believes offering a one-stop shop for all employment matters will be a major attraction to clients.

The firm has already signed up two big-hitters from the world of HR to start the consultancy, which launches at the beginning of October.

Next week Colin Hann, a senior director at the Commission for Racial Equality, will join Dibbs to head one of the four areas of expertise on offer. And Dibbs has signed up Colin Ions, former HR director at Courage who saw the brewer through its merger with Scottish & Newcastle.

The consultancy will offer advice in employment retention and motivation, employer relations, equal opportunities and management change. The firm is also in negotiations with two other HR experts, which it refuses to name.

Head of Dibbs' HR group David Bradley says: "The bedrock of the consultancy is our employment law practice. I always thought that a consultancy arm would allow us to offer the whole package to clients."

"We already offer a lot of training courses, but we wanted to take our services further and offer consultancy. Our consultants will give advice to companies months or even years before the need for legal advice arises."

In July The Lawyer reported that Charles Russell is launching an employment law training company in the autumn with an HR firm (The Lawyer, 26 July).