Dibbs plans to add firms to D&P union

Dibb Lupton Alsop has revealed plans to add firms from Italy, The Netherlands and Madrid to its existing alliance partners within the next six months.

Nigel Knowles, Dibbs' managing partner, announced the firm's ambitions at the IBA conference.

Knowles also used the conference to reveal the name of its alliance with French, Spanish and Belgian firms. The network is being marketed as D&P - short for DLA & Partners.

D&P is made up of Dibbs, French firm Ginestie Paley-Vincent & Associes, Barc-elona-based Molinero y Asociados, and Belgian firm Price & Partners.

Knowles says alliances are a necessity if European firms want to keep many of their clients. "If you do not have a credible European capability then you are not considered for many panels."

Knowles says the goal of the alliance is a full merger.

Philippe Ginestie, managing partner of Ginestie and co-chairman of D&P, says: "We have a federal approach to the alliance, which will respect the local cultures of each firm.

"We are not going to force any merger.

"Approaching mergers is a problem of confidence. Three to five years from now the level of confidence will be such that it will be ridiculous to maintain our independence."

Ginestie shares the chairmanship with Juan-Ignacio Brugueras, who is head of Molinero y Asociados.

The London office of Ginestie has already relocated to Dibbs' London practice to handle the exchange of work between the two firms.