Macfarlanes has hired pensions expert Faye Jarvis from Hogan Lovells to strengthen its pensions team in a relatively rare lateral move for the firm.

Jarvis joins as a partner in London and brings with her extensive experience advising employers and pension trustees on funding issues, liability management exercises, scheme mergers and demergers and other pension-related strategies and transaction support. She has also helped insurers develop pension products and investment managers develop their trustee services.

Sebastian Prichard Jones, Macfarlane’s senior partner, said: “[Jarvis’s] expertise will be a great addition to our offering in this important area for our clients.”    

Jarvis spent 15 years at Hogan Lovells, becoming a partner in 2016. She previously worked at RPC having trained at legacy firms Robin Simon and Hammonds Suddards Edge, which is now part of Squire Patton Boggs.

Her arrival follows the firm’s hiring of financial regulation partner Michael Sholem in October from Cadwalader Wickersham & Taft. Sholem, a former Slaughter and May lawyer, also provides advice on ESG and cryptocurrency.

It also hired tax partner Sophie Donnithorne-Tait from Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld in the summer, before officially starting at the firm in October. She has particular expertise advising investment funds on tax issues related to fund structures and tax implications of financial restructurings.

The hires follow a strong financial period for the firm, which saw revenues jump 16% to £304m and profit per equity partner hit a new high of almost £2.5m. Operating profit for the 2021/22 financial year was £164.2m.

The firm promoted eight lawyers to partnership back in April, though it fell short of its diversity targets, with women making up 25% of the cohort compared to its 35% target. The firm said that while more work needs to be done on diversity, women have made up 37% of partner promotions over the past three years.


Last year Macfarlanes was one of eight firms, including all of the magic circle, that launched an initiative to tackle the underrepresentation of black, Asian and minority ethnic groups in the UK legal profession. The Legal CORE initiative will develop strategies and best practice to improve diversity at law firms.