Berwin Leighton Paisner (BLP) is reviewing its international strategy, with the top 20 City firm consulting on ideas for global expansion.

A series of consultation sessions were held at the firm's partner meeting earlier this month, with BLP looking at whether to continue its prime existing strategy of international referral relationships or whether it should be opening further offices of its own, with a particular focus on emerging market locations.

BLP's strategy committee is in the process of reviewing ideas already gathered, with a view to reporting back to the partnership by the end of the year.

BLP managing partner Neville Eisenberg (pictured) said: "We had a series of workshops with partners about the firm's international strategy which mainly looked at our preferred firm relationships around the world and our growth strategy in emerging markets."

However, he added: "It is not really about having a different strategy but a discussion in progress, where we are thinking of ways to implement the strategy more effectively."

Eisenberg added that international mergers are not currently on the agenda although it is a strategy that the firm has not ruled out for the future, including in the US.

BLP has launched in Moscow and Abu Dhabi in the last couple of years and attributed part of its 30% increase in revenues for the first half of 2010-11 to a strong performance in Russia. Asia is another key region up for discussion for the firm, which announced this month that it was growing its Singapore office with the hire of a six-lawyer corporate finance team from Holman Fenwick Willan.