Pinsent Masons has announced that it will open an office in Brussels on Monday next week.

The move is designed to boost the development of the firm's EU and competition practice.

The office will not have any permanent partners or staff and a decision will be taken on whether to make the outpost permanent in the light of the result of Britain's referendum on membership of the EU, slated to take place before the end of 2017.

Richard Foley, Pinsents' senior partner, said: "We are facing a crucial period in the EU's history and we see a significant role for Pinsent Masons in helping our clients understand and respond to change, whatever form that may take.

"Our strategy is to be an international leader in the global sectors in which we operate, and we therefore consider a flexible presence in Brussels to be the right move for us at this point."

Competition partner Ben Lasserson said that the opening "extends the firm's reach into the heart of the EU," and would "help to ensure Pinsents is better connected into the wider debate around its future, and what impact the referendum on Brexit may have not just on the UK but the European continent as a whole".

Last year the firm added partners Michael Reich and Ben Lasserson to its EU and competition group in its Munich and London offices respectively.

The firm's competition team is advising E.ON in relation to the Competition and Markets Authority investigation into the UK's energy market.