Macfarlanes heads to New York to get closer to US capital

Macfarlanes has announced that it will open a representative office in New York, extending its footprint beyond London and Brussels as it looks to deepen its access to US investors.

The firm is widely known for its work advising private capital sponsors on fund formation, secondaries and complex investor arrangements, as well as acting for high-net-worth individuals and family offices.

The firm said the move does not alter its international model and that it will not practise US law and will continue to advise on English and EU law.

‍The independent model

The firm’s incoming senior partner Damien Crossley said: "The US leads the way globally as a source of institutional capital for private capital funds, for private capital AUM, for private wealth and as a legal market.

Opening a representative office in New York is consistent with our independent model and our strategic focus on the private capital and private wealth markets.”

The office will be led by former managing partner Julian Howard, who has relocated to the US. It will initially be staffed by members of the firm’s Investor Intelligence team focused on identifying and exploring market trends.

US expansion race

The move comes as New York has become a focal point for UK firms pursuing full US law expansion. Freshfields has built out a sizeable US practice across New York and other cities, investing heavily in US-qualified partners in M&A and disputes.

‍Clifford Chance and Linklaters have also expanded aggressively in New York, particularly in finance and private equity, while A&O Shearman has combined substantial US and UK capability under a single transatlantic platform.

Capital access play

Macfarlanes is taking a different route. By establishing a representative presence rather than a practising office, it gains proximity to institutional capital while avoiding the structural shift that comes with operating in the US legal market.

The strategy keeps the firm anchored to its English law offering while positioning it closer to the capital that underpins much of its private capital and private wealth work.