Praised for its ‘ability to combine deep regulatory expertise with commercially grounded, client-focused advice’, the regulatory team at Macfarlanes LLP has standout specialisms in the retail, funds and investment management sectors. Co-head Alexandra Green is noted for her ’clarity of thought, commercial awareness, and deep understanding of the regulatory landscape’ and boasts deep experience across a broad range of financial services regulatory matters including restructurings, authorisations, regulatory capital, compliance with IFPR and SMCR, product launches and governance, FCA/PRA applications and investigations, corporate governance and AML obligations. Green also provides specialist guidance to family offices on regulatory compliance and licensing. Fellow co-head Michael Sholem handles authorisations, changes of control, governance, financial benchmarks, ESG, and investigations. He also advises non-financial clients on regulatory impacts, EU law developments, Brexit, and emerging areas like cryptocurrency and ESG.
Legal 500 Editorial commentary
Testimonials
Collated independently by Legal 500 research team.
‘What sets Macfarlanes apart is the ability to combine deep regulatory expertise with commercially grounded, client-focused advice. The team is highly responsive, pragmatic, and confident in advising on complex or uncertain areas, particularly where regulatory expectations go beyond the letter of the FCA Handbook. Their ability to recall the meaning of our internal jargon, navigate multi-entity structures, and seamlessly involve specialists across the firm stands out. We’ve also found their follow-up and internal coordination to be particularly strong, helping ensure nothing is overlooked.'
‘Alexandra Green stands out for her clarity of thought, commercial awareness, and deep understanding of the regulatory landscape. She is responsive, pragmatic, and unafraid to provide a clear view, even in areas of regulatory uncertainty. Her ability to quickly grasp the nuances of our business, including internal terminology and complex corporate structures, sets her apart. We also value the diligence of her wider team, who follow up on matters left in our hands to ensure completion.’
‘Working with Alexandra Green and her team was very refreshing, and we received practical, timely advice relating to FCA prudential requirements on groups, which, despite the complexity of the task, was written for non-regulatory colleagues to understand. The team were available when we needed them, very responsive, and clearly have excellent depth across all areas of regulation.'
'The FS team are very integrated, which, given current regulatory complexity, is key and can distil information well and took the time to understand our firm. In calls, they provided additional guidance to the non-lawyers, used realistic examples, and instilled confidence. It is clear the team do not work in silos and has broad exposure to a host of regulatory areas. They greatly impressed our finance and legal teams.’
‘Alexandra Green is a star. She takes the stress away! She delivers her commercial advice in a straightforward, friendly manner and is able to draw on many years of solid regulatory experience and the skills of the wider team to service her clients. Mark Lawrence, her associate on the prudential regulatory capital project also provided very responsive, useful input and liaised well with the non-legal team members on the project.’
Key clients
- Vanguard
- Jupiter
- Zurich
- Legal & General
- Rathbones
- Investec
- 7IM
- Capital Professional Limited trading as Ascot Lloyd
- J.C. Flowers & Co
- Liontrust
- Union Bancaire Privée, UBP SA
- Hayfin
Work highlights
Advising 7IM, a vertically integrated wealth management and platform group, on the acquisition of Rockhold Asset Management and other independent financial advice businesses.
Advising Supermarket Income REIT plc on its proposed management internalisation.
Advising Zurich Assurance Ltd on transitioning its existing longevity swap with the National Grid Electricity Group to Aviva.
Lawyers
Next Generation Partners
Junior partners with significant recognition from clients and peers in the market and key roles on multiple matters.
Practice head
Alexandra Green; Michael Sholem
Other key lawyers
Mark Lawrence