Mary Lavelle

WORK HISTORY

EDUCATION

ABOUT MARY LAVELLE

I am the Global Co-Head of the Private Funds and Secondaries group at Freshfields. I have nearly 20 years\' experience advising on investment fund formation, investor representation and other investment management related matters across all asset classes, as well as secondary transactions, GP-led restructurings and other forms of liquidity solutions and more general corporate advice on structuring companies and limited liability partnerships, as well as related regulatory matters and compliance. I regularly work on multi-jurisdictional matters spanning Europe, the US, MENA and Asia. We have expanded our PFS practice to a team of over 50 private funds and secondaries lawyers and are immensely proud of our group\'s work and client base.I am the proud co-founder of the “Women in Secondaries” industry-wide network which was set up in 2020. We now have over 250 women from across the industry registered to our network and we hold regular networking events.I am very committed to broader DEI initiatives, particularly in the private equity and legal industries, and with a particular focus on LGBTQ+ aspects. Outside of work I am a regular runner, competing in regular 10k, half-marathon and ultra events. I am a member of Crystal Palace Fun Runners club and English Athletics. INDUSTRY RECOGNITION * I was honoured to be named to the \"Hot 100\" list by The Lawyer in 2025.* I am individually ranked by Chambers UK for Private Fund Formation, Investor Representation and Secondaries in their latest 2026 edition.* I have been recognised by The Legal 500 UK for Private Funds since 2020 and am now recognised as a \"Leading Partner\" in this area.* I am recognised as a \"Highly Regarded\" lawyer in the directory.* In August 2018 I was named to the Top 20 Young Guns of Secondaries by publications Private Equity International and Secondaries Investor.* In May 2021 I was shortlisted for “Investment Funds Lawyer of the Year” in the Europe Women in Business Law Awards 2021, by IFLR/Euromoney/Legal Media Group.* I was named in the Euromoney “Women in Business Law Expert Guide” and “Investment Funds Expert Guide”, 20••••23.* I was named in Legal Week\'s \"Private Equity Rising Stars: Europe\'s Best Up-and-Coming Lawyers\" in 2021.* I was on the \"Mentor of the Year\" shortlist in the Women, Influence & Power in Law UK Awards: Mentor of the Year Shortlist, 2022.* I was recognised on \"Women Leaders\" list for 2023.* I was named in the \"Best Lawyers UK\" report for Investment Funds for both the 2024 and 2025 editions.