Reed Smith is set to open an office in Brussels this year, its first new base in continental Europe since 2015.

According to company filings registered by the firm and seen by Legal Week, the office will be located on Rue Belliard in the heart of the Belgian capital.

A spokesperson for the firm confirmed the launch in a statement: "Brussels has long been on our radar to bolster our presence in Europe. I can confirm that we will be opening a new office there in 2020 and will provide further detail at that time."

The statement added: "Mainland Europe is a critically important market to our clients and a key part of our global platform. Since opening our Paris office in 2005, the firm's European office footprint now comprises Athens, Frankfurt, Munich and Paris with over 250 personnel.

The office itself is likely to open for the business in the first quarter of this year, according to a person with knowledge of the situation. The registered directors for the branch are currently firm global managing partner Alexander Thomas and Europe and Middle East managing partner Tamara Box.

Reed Smith has opened a number of offices in recent years, but primarily in the U.S.

The firm opened offices in Austin in 2018 and Dallas in 2019. This is the first office it has opened in Europe since it launched in Frankfurt in 2015.

Following the Brexit vote in 2016, many firms have sought to bolster their continental European offering.

DAC Beachcroft has registered its Paris office as an independent organisation rather than a branch office, as part of its Brexit contingency planning.

Meanwhile PwC's law firms' survey 2019 has found that firms that have established and invested in their international offices are excelling as revenues and profit growth in their bases overseas start to exceed that of their U.K. headquarters.