Macfarlanes has announced that it will make up three lawyers to its partnership this May, with the promotions spread across a trio of practice areas.

Senior solicitors Isobel Morton (pictured), William Hedges and senior counsel Samuel Brooks are all joining the partnership in London.

Morton, who trained at the firm, is a private client lawyer focusing on tax, trust and succession issues, while Hedges is joining the partnership in the firm's commercial team. His practice includes a focus on intellectual property and technology, including outsourcing.

Brooks, meanwhile, is an investment management lawyer, with a specialism in credit, private equity and hedge funds.

Separately, the firm is also bolstering its partnership with the hire of tax lawyer Ceinwen Rees from US firm Debevoise & Plimpton's London office, where she was an international counsel. She is rejoining Macfarlanes as a partner after training at the firm about 10 years ago.

The new appointments come into effect on 1 May.

The firm also made up three London partners in its promotions round last year, which marked its smallest round since 2010, when just one new partner was made up.

Last week, Macfarlanes saw a rare partner exit when investment fund finance head Bronwen Jones left the firm after 14 years to join Reed Smith's London office. Earlier this month, Macfarlanes recruited Norton Rose Fulbright global and European head of technology and innovation Mike Rebeiro.

At the start of the year, the firm announced that longstanding senior partner Charles Martin would step down in 2020, when he will be succeeded by private client partner Sebastian Prichard Jones. Managing partner Julian Howard is also set to stand down the same year, with a successor to be appointed in the coming months.