Macfarlanes has announced its annual partner promotions, with the firm making up four to its partnership.

The promotions, which take effect from 1 May, sees Jatinder Bains made up in banking and finance, Matthew McCahearty promoted in litigation, Hayley Robinson made up in employment and Malcolm Walton in competition.

Bains specialises in leveraged transactions and restructurings, while McCahearty has a focus on fraud and white collar crime. Meanwhile, Robinson advises on both contentious and non-contentious employment matters, and Walton's work focuses on regulated industries and intellectual property-related competition matters.

The promotions mark the firm's largest partner round since 2008. In 2010 Macfarlanes made up just one lawyer – pensions specialist Camilla Barry, while the firm made up two lawyers to partner in 2009 and five in 2008.

Macfarlanes senior partner Charles Martin said: "The higher number of promotions this year is obviously a sign of confidence in the firm. It is also a reflection of the talent that we have around the firm.

"Whilst we are certainly open to making a small number of strategic lateral hires where that's appropriate, our main route to partnership will always be our internal appointments."

The news comes after Macfarlanes overhauled its maternity policy earlier this year, increasing its maternity leave on full pay by almost 70% in a bid to retain more female lawyers at the firm and increase the number of women in its partnership.

Macfarlanes' promotions come after Slaughter and May last week made up five new partners in its annual promotions round.