Berwin Leighton Paisner (BLP) has enlisted an external consultancy to lead the review of its finance practice following the exit of group head Matthew Kellett (pictured) last month. 

Former Clifford Chance managing partner Tony Williams, now of legal consultants Jomati, will oversee the review, which will focus on the structure of the department.

Every partner in the practice will be interviewed as part of the review, which is expected to be completed by Christmas. While BLP said there will not be any partner cuts, some may be re-deployed to other groups.

BLP is also expected to announce its new finance chief at the conclusion of the review. Potential replacements for Kellett include the firm's head of restructuring and insolvency Ben Larkin, head of projects and infrastructure Adam Dann, and head of real estate finance Laurence Rogers, according to partners in the firm.

Commenting on the review, one finance partner said: "We had a bad year last year and are not where we were before – we need to distinguish ourselves from other firms, find our unique selling point and know that we are going to be strategically important to the firm."

The departmental review comes in the wake of the recent exits of corporate finance partner Michael Weir and finance partner Richard Todd, who joined Jones Day and Mayer Brown respectively. Kellett has agreed to stay on at the firm for six months until a successor has been appointed. 

Managing partner Neville Eisenberg said: "The independent review into the finance department has only just started, so it is too early to say what the results will be and it is not appropriate to make any predictions. The review, which is being undertaken in conjunction with the finance partners, will assess how best to take advantage of the opportunities for the finance team going forward."