Eighteen months after its merger talks with Greenberg Traurig fell apart in the public eye, Berwin Leighton Paisner has renewed its efforts to crack the US, confirming that it is in discussions with Missouri-based Bryan Cave about a potential union.

The talks, set to go to a partner vote later this year, represent a much more modest proposition than Greenberg but, also in contrast to Greenberg, partners believe a deal is much more likely to happen this time.