German independent Beiten Burkhardt has rejected proposals for a formal UK alliance following a partner meeting at the weekend, dashing the long-held hopes of UK giant Eversheds of securing a formal ally by the year-end.

Beitens, one of the few remaining major independents in the German legal market, has been in talks with several UK firms including Eversheds and Berwin Leighton Paisner (BLP) after formally splitting from the fracturing KPMG law alliance in March.