The move would be one of several measures the Russian oligarch is considering to turn around the paper's ailing fortunes.
Lebedev was joined yesterday at an event held at the Standard's Kensington headquarters by his friend Mikhail Gorbachev -- the former Soviet Union leader and one of several people who Lebedev wants to sit on an editorial advisory board.
Other names linked to the concept include Harry Potter author JK Rowling and Bob Geldof.
Speaking to the press, Lebedev said he was in principle prepared to give Standard journalists a share in the business, in order to motivate them to produce a better paper.
When asked by reporters whether that meant he could float the newspaper on the stock exchange, he answered: "Yes, it's up to the lawyers. We will just leave some time and come back to that question."
Meanwhile, Gorbachev took the opportunity to point out to the media present that the days of US global supremacy were over; that Gordon Brown's handling of the economic crisis had been praiseworthy; and to criticise the Conservative Party accusing it of "Reaganomics" (economic policies adopted by the former US president Ronald Reagan).
Lebedev bought a 75.1% share in the Evening Standard earlier this year from Associated Newspapers for £1.
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