Cuatrecasas is set to decide by the summer whether to officially join Herbert Smith's European alliance, as the Spanish leader pledges to open three more local offices in a bid to re-enforce its domestic coverage.

The firm is aiming to decide within the next few months if it is to become the Spanish member of an alliance that also includes leading German firm Gleiss Lutz and Stibbe in The Netherlands.

The firm has worked closely with the alliance for a number of years but has so far shied away from fully committing itself to an exclusive agreement with the network.

One Cuatrecasas partner told Legal Week: "The issue is still under discussion, and we would like to continue working with the alliance. But we expect to decide in the next few months whether or not to officially join [the alliance]. For that we would need almost complete consensus from our partners through a vote."

The discussions follow on from Cuatrecasas' annual partners meeting last month when the firm pledged to open three new regional bases in Spain in order to strengthen its national presence.

The firm is now planning to launch branches in Galicia, Andalucia and the Canary Islands by the end of 2005.

"In addition to being client driven, we need to be in these regions as part of our identity. We want Cuatrecasas to be seen as the firm that offers complete coverage for Spain," the partner added.

The Spanish firm already has 11 offices in Spain as well as a number of foreign branches, including a soon-to-be-launched Paris base.

A spokesman for Herbert Smith said in a joint statement that there was no time frame for a decision.