Kirstie Hutchinson

Macfarlanes

Joining from Milbank in 2012, Kirstie Hutchinson is one of a group of Macfarlanes non-lifers to have made partner on arrival.

Eight years later and she can easily claim to be one of the City’s go-to banking and finance lawyers for private equity sponsors, corporate borrowers and credit funds, racking up a long line of mandates last year. An ultra-complex deal saw her act for Smith & Williamson on its backwards and forwards merger with Tilney, which was restructured at the start of the pandemic and then subject to a follow-on investment deal with Warburg Pincus.

Hutchinson has further ties to the likes of Cravath and Wachtell via her seat on Macfarlanes’ international committee, acting with Wachtell last year on Travelport’s critical $500m (£368m) funding deal with lenders.

A pivotal member of Macfarlanes’ comparatively small finance group, Hutchinson counts the likes of JD Wetherspoon, Argus Media and XPO Logistics as key clients, keeping the wheels turning on M&A transactions for the firm’s trophy PE houses. A co-founder of the firm’s Pride network, Hutchinson also has plenty away from the day job to occupy her time.