Herbert Smith’s Benelux ally, Stibbe, has bagged a role advising ABN Amro’s supervisory board on its £80bn merger bid with Barclays, it has emerged, as the Dutch bank continues to hand roles to the country’s leading independent advisers.

Stibbe is fielding an Amsterdam-based team headed by corporate partners Paul van den Hoek, Allard Metzelaar and Charles Honee, while long-term ABN advisor NautaDutilh is advising the bank. Nauta’s team is led by corporate partner Hein Hooghoudt.