Gleiss Lutz Hootz Hirsch is set on remaining independent, according to senior sources, calling into question the hopes of its formal allies Herbert Smith and Stibbe of securing a full merger with the leading German firm.

A senior partner at Stuttgart-based Gleiss Lutz told Legal Week Global: “We would not have entered this alliance if it was to be a merger. The success of the past year does not encourage us to merge. We would gain nothing from changing the character of the relationship.”