Dibbs loses sole banking partner in Birmingham

DIBB Lupton Alsop has suffered a setback in its bid to break into the tightly-knit Birmingham banking market having lost its only banking partner in the city to Wragge & Co.

In an unusual move, Tim Travers has given up his partnership status at Dibbs' Birmingham office to join Wragges' 50 fee earner-strong financial sector and projects group as an associate.

"I wanted to be part of the main banking team in Birmingham - I was part of a small team at Dibbs," said Travers.

Dibbs struggled to make an impact in Birmingham after moving into the city in 1993 when it took over the Birmingham office of Needham & James. But it has recently scored some significant successes, most notably at the expense of Edge & Ellison, which lost five of its key corporate lawyers to Dibbs at the beginning of the year and the head of its tax department, Gregory Morris, over the summer.

Birmingham managing partner Nick Seddon said he was sad to lose Travers but said the office still aimed to build up its banking practice.

"We are determined to continue to grow and believe we now have a corporate department which is as good as any in Birmingham," he said, adding that the firm was still keen to merge with Edge & Ellison although the two were not currently in talks. He said: "There aren't many targets for mergers and we will continue to grow through organic growth."