This statement is made on behalf of Macfarlanes LLP and its affiliated entities. References to "us", "our", "we" or the "Firm" are references to each of these entities.
Our business
Macfarlanes LLP is an English law firm, which is authorised and regulated by the Solicitors Regulation Authority (the “SRA”) (SRA number: 486980).
The Firm operates as a limited liability partnership and provides a broad range of legal services to UK and international clients across various sectors and jurisdictions. We have 98 partners who are supported by over 800 employees. We primarily operate out of offices based in London, with a small presence in Brussels that largely focuses on EU law advice, and a representative office in New York.
Our Managing Partner is responsible for the day-to-day management of the Firm and is supported by the Firm’s Chief Operating Officer. Our Senior Partner chairs the Firm’s Board (known as the Policy Committee) which oversees the strategic direction and governance of the Firm. The Firm has designated responsibility for overseeing its compliance with the Act to its Chief Risk & Legal Officer, who reports to the Managing Partner.
For more details about our Firm and the services that we provide, please see the “About us” (under “Who we are”) and the “What we do” pages on our website.
Risk assessment
As an SRA authorised and regulated law firm operating within a strict ethical framework, we consider the risk of Modern Slavery occurring in our own business to be relatively low. This assessment is supported by the fact that we are not aware of any instances of Modern Slavery within our business or supply chains during the last financial year.
Notwithstanding the above, we recognise that Modern Slavery is a serious human rights violation that can occur in any industry, workforce, business model and region, and we are therefore committed to identifying and mitigating the risk of Modern Slavery in our business and supply chains. We acknowledge that the risk of Modern Slavery is greater in some of our supply chains and is continuously evolving.
Our policies
We have a Slavery and Human Trafficking Policy, accessible to our people, and communicated through e-learning, which reflects our zero-tolerance approach to Modern Slavery in our organisation and supply chain. This policy sets out our expectations of our people, outlines the procedures for reporting and escalating any concerns or incidents and stipulates that all proposed suppliers must be assessed for Modern Slavery risks.
We also have a number of other policies and procedures that support us in mitigating the risks of Modern Slavery in our business, which are widely accessible to our people. These include the following:
- Dignity in the Workplace Policy – this policy prohibits (amongst other things) any form of discrimination, harassment, sexual harassment, bullying or victimisation. We have a dedicated HR team that supports our people and handles any grievances or complaints in a confidential and professional manner;
- Whistleblowing Policy – this policy aims to ensure the highest ethical standards are observed in the business activities of the Firm, its people, and encourages freedom of speech and the good faith reporting of any negligence, compliance breaches or illegal acts or omissions that have been observed (including in relation to Modern Slavery). This policy also offers protection for employees who disclose any concerns. We have designated reporting officers who are responsible for receiving and investigating any reports under the Whistleblowing Policy including our Compliance Officer for Legal Practice and/or the Managing Partner;
- Speaking Up Guidance – this guidance encourages our people to raise any concerns or issues they may have, without fear of retaliation or reprisal. It provides further information and advice on how to raise concerns about problematic behaviours or conduct and who to contact;
- Overtime Policy – this policy ensures all overtime is voluntary, pre-authorised and compensated;
- Corporate Social Responsibility Strategy – this strategy reflects our commitment to making a positive contribution to society and the environment. We support various charitable and community initiatives, such as pro bono work, volunteering, fundraising and donations. We engage with our clients, suppliers, legal sector collaborations and other stakeholders on CSR issues and seek to reflect our social and environmental values and goals in our interactions with them; and
- Approach to Procurement Guidance – this guidance, published on our website and our intranet, provides that, at a minimum, our supplier contracts will include, where appropriate, a requirement for our suppliers to comply with applicable modern slavery and anti-corruption legislation. Taking a risk-based approach, we may require suppliers to meet additional requirements where appropriate.
People
The Firm and its people are subject to the SRA’s Standards and Regulations, including the obligations to act in a way that upholds the constitutional principle of the rule of law, in a way that upholds public trust and confidence in the solicitors' profession, with integrity, and in a way that encourages equality, diversity and inclusion. The Firm’s standard terms of employment require its people to comply with those Standards and Regulations and to comply with all applicable laws and regulations more generally. They also include a right of termination for our employees.
As well as the HR policies listed above, we comply with all applicable UK and EU employment legislation and ensure that all our people are paid fairly and have the right to work in the UK. We promote equal opportunities in employment and create a safe and trusted working environment for our people.
We are proud to be an accredited London Living Wage employer which means we are committed to paying a wage rate in the UK based on the cost of living. This commitment applies to not only directly employed staff but also to our third-party contracted staff.
Our supply chain
Our supply chain consists mainly of UK-based suppliers that provide services to support our operations, such as IT, finance, risk, HR, business and know-how systems, and our real estate and office infrastructure. However, due to the international nature of our legal services, we may from time to time procure services from jurisdictions where there is a higher risk of Modern Slavery.
Our relationships with our suppliers are sourced and managed by the chiefs/directors or heads of the relevant business services teams. We select our suppliers based on a range of criteria including quality, reliability, sustainability, diversity and inclusion and ethical standards and price. We also require that they comply with all applicable laws and regulations, including, where appropriate, the Act.
We recognise that certain categories of suppliers carry a higher inherent risk of Modern Slavery than others. Our Slavery and Human Trafficking Policy states that we will conduct a risk-based assessment on our suppliers as to whether Modern Slavery may be taking place. We undertake reasonable and proportionate due diligence on our proposed supplier arrangements. Depending on the type of supplier, this may include background checks, audits, site visits, questionnaires and references. For suppliers identified as high-risk, we have verified that they pay their employees at least the minimum wage and, where required under the Act, have published a modern slavery statement on their website.
Our Risk Lawyers regularly review supplier contracts to ensure, where appropriate, that they contain effective Modern Slavery provisions and if necessary, we request that the supplier agrees to our standard clause which requires the supplier to:
- warrant that slavery and human trafficking (as defined by the Act) is not taking place in their business or supply chains;
- warrant that the supplier is in full compliance with the Act; and
- immediately report to us any breaches of such provisions.
We also reserve the right to terminate the contract or take other remedial actions if the supplier fails to comply with these obligations.
During the last financial year, we reviewed and updated our terms with recruitment agencies to ensure appropriate provisions are included that protect against modern slavery in that labour supply chain. We have also strengthened our standard contractual terms for supplier contracts, including more robust provisions relating to Modern Slavery, amongst other enhancements.
Training
We provide mandatory e-learning training on the Act to all our new joiners to increase awareness, help identify Modern Slavery risks and equip them with the knowledge and tools to respond effectively. It covers the legal requirements, the background and scope of the subject, and the signs and red flags of Modern Slavery in the supply chain. It also includes an assessment of the individual’s understanding of the key Modern Slavery issues, and an 80% pass mark is required in order to complete the training.
We continue to monitor and assess the completion and effectiveness of the training and provide feedback and support to our people, where needed.
We also provide training on the Firm’s approach to procurement for relevant staff, which includes guidance on combatting Modern Slavery such as the identification of suppliers who are high risk for modern slavery purposes, the inclusion of Modern Slavery terms in supplier contracts, and the requirement for suppliers to pay fair wages.
Performance indicators
We use the following performance indicators to measure and evaluate our progress and effectiveness in preventing Modern Slavery in our business and supply chains:
- the number and nature of reports or incidents of Modern Slavery that have been identified, investigated and resolved;
- the number and percentage of partners and staff that have completed the mandatory e-learning training on the Act; and
- the feedback and satisfaction of our internal and external stakeholders on our Modern Slavery policies and practices.
Looking ahead
We are committed to continuously improving our policies and practices to prevent and mitigate the risk of Modern Slavery in our business and supply chains. We intend to take the following action this financial year to further refine our approach:
- review and update our risk assessment for Modern Slavery;
- review, update and re-publish our Slavery and Human Trafficking Policy;
- review the provision of our periodic refresher Modern Slavery training;
- review, update and re-publish our Whistleblowing Policy; and
- continue to monitor any changes in the legal and regulatory environment, industry best practice standards and the expectations of our clients and stakeholders and adapt our approach accordingly.
This statement has been approved by the Managing Partner on behalf of the members of Macfarlanes LLP.
Signed by: Luke Powell, Managing Partner
Date: 29 September 2026