Macfarlanes LLP is a corporate
law firm
A law firm is a business entity formed by one or more lawyers to engage in the practice of law. The primary service rendered by a law firm is to advise clients (individuals or corporations) about their legal rights and responsibilities, and to r ...
headquartered in
London
London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...
,
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and North ...
. It advises national and multinational companies, business leaders and
high-net-worth individual
High-net-worth individual (HNWI) is a term used by some segments of the financial services industry to designate persons whose investible wealth (assets such as stocks and bonds) exceeds a given amount. Typically, these individuals are defined ...
s in the UK and internationally across the full range of corporate and commercial matters as well as on their private affairs.
In 2019/20, Macfarlanes achieved total revenues of £237.7 million and profits per equity partner of £1.91 million, respectively the 28th-largest and 2nd-highest among UK-based law firms in that year.
[ It is regarded as forming part of the " Silver Circle" of leading UK law firms.]
History
Macfarlanes was founded in the City of London
The City of London is a city, ceremonial county and local government district that contains the historic centre and constitutes, alongside Canary Wharf, the primary central business district (CBD) of London. It constituted most of London fr ...
in 1875 by George Watson Neish.[ In 1894 Neish was joined in partnership by John Embleton Macfarlane and the firm moved to premises in Watling Street.][ The firm's offices suffered bomb damage during the Second World War. In 1958, the firm moved to a new office, Dowgate Hill House. In 1962, the firm adopted its current name Macfarlanes, named after then-senior partner Craig Macfarlane.][ The firm has grown organically over the years to its current size and has never merged.][
]Vanni Treves
Vanni Emanuele Treves CBE (1940 – 10 November 2019) was a British business executive. He was Chairman of Channel 4 (1998–2003), a senior partner of City law firm Macfarlanes, and Chairman (2001–2009) of Equitable Life.
Early life and ...
was the firm's senior partner from 1987 to 1999.[
Macfarlanes converted to a ]limited liability partnership
A limited liability partnership (LLP) is a partnership in which some or all partners (depending on the jurisdiction) have limited liabilities. It therefore can exhibit elements of partnerships and corporations. In an LLP, each partner is not ...
in May 2008.
In September 2010, Macfarlanes advised Four Seasons Health Care
Four Seasons Health Care is a British provider of health and social care services. It also owns The Huntercombe Group, a provider of inpatient mental healthcare and brain injury rehabilitation as well as care home operator, brighterkind. Four Sea ...
, the largest UK-based care home group, on the restructuring of its £1.6 billion debt facilities. In October 2010 the firm announced that it would be introducing a new senior solicitor level from early 2011.Verizon Communications
Verizon Communications Inc., commonly known as Verizon, is an American multinational telecommunications conglomerate and a corporate component of the Dow Jones Industrial Average. The company is headquartered at 1095 Avenue of the Americas i ...
on its acquisition of Vodafone's 45 per cent interest in Verizon Wireless
Verizon is an American wireless network operator that previously operated as a separate division of Verizon Communications under the name Verizon Wireless. In a 2019 reorganization, Verizon moved the wireless products and services into the divi ...
for $130 billion, one of the biggest deals in corporate history.
It was named Law Firm of the Year at the British Legal Awards 2014 and UK Law Firm of the Year 2015 at the Chambers Europe Awards for Excellence.
Main practice areas
Macfarlanes' main practice areas are:
List of senior partners
* Herbert James (1984-1987)
* Vanni Treves
Vanni Emanuele Treves CBE (1940 – 10 November 2019) was a British business executive. He was Chairman of Channel 4 (1998–2003), a senior partner of City law firm Macfarlanes, and Chairman (2001–2009) of Equitable Life.
Early life and ...
(1987-1999)
* Robert Sutton (1999-2008)
* Charles Martin (2008-2020)
* Sebastian Prichard Jones (2020-)
Notable alumni
Notable alumni of Macfarlanes include:
*David Gauke
David Michael Gauke (; born 8 October 1971) is a British political commentator, solicitor and former politician who was the Member of Parliament (MP) for South West Hertfordshire from 2005 to 2019. He served in the Cabinet under Theresa May, mo ...
, Conservative MP and former Lord Chancellor
The lord chancellor, formally the lord high chancellor of Great Britain, is the highest-ranking traditional minister among the Great Officers of State in Scotland and England in the United Kingdom, nominally outranking the prime minister. The ...
and Secretary of State for Justice
*Sir David Tang
Sir David Wing-cheung Tang, (; 2 August 1954 – 29 August 2017), was a Hong Kong businessman, philanthropist and socialite. He was best known for founding the Shanghai Tang fashion chain in 1994, which he sold in 1998 to Richemont.
Early l ...
, noted socialite (joined as a trainee solicitor, but left before completing his training contract)
*Vanni Treves CBE, former senior partner of the firm and chairman of Channel Four Television Corporation
References
External links
Macfarlanes website
{{Law firms of the United Kingdom
Law firms of the United Kingdom
Law firms established in 1875
1875 establishments in the United Kingdom