Macfarlanes has boosted its structured finance practice with the hire of Clifford Chance (CC) partner Rachel Kelly.

Kelly (pictured) is set to join the firm next week from the City banking and finance practice at CC and will be the first partner in Macfarlanes' London structured finance team.

She specialises in debt securitisation and structured finance and had been a partner at CC since 1997, having previously trained at Clyde & Co and worked at Linklaters.

Macfarlanes senior partner Charles Martin said: "We are seeing demand from clients in structured finance and debt capital markets work increase. Both areas will play an important part of what people are going to be doing over the next few years; for example in re-financings and restructurings as well as general corporate borrowing.

"Rachel is a very high calibre individual. She will play a vital role in both our finance group as well as in adjacent practices such as tax and private equity."

Kelly added: "This unique opportunity to build something new at Macfarlanes was just too good to miss. This is an exciting time in the debt markets with opportunities to do complex work for a variety of financial institutions, funds, investors and corporate clients."

The hire comes after Macfarlanes saw two City partners leave in March this year, with planning head Ian Ginbey and real estate partner Richard Reuben joining Clyde & Co and Fladgate respectively. In April last year CC recruited Macfarlanes M&A partner Tim Lewis.