Hogan Lovells Cadwalader launches as Big Law's merger wave rolls on

The merger between Cadwalader - the oldest firm on Wall Street - and global heavyweight Hogan Lovells is officially complete. Hogan Lovells Cadwalader is now live.

The new firm has around 3,200 lawyers and over 900 partners across 38 offices in more than 18 countries, with combined turnover of around $3.6 billion.

The duo surprised the market when they first announced the tie-up in December last year. The news followed reports that Cadwalader was in talks to merge with another US firm, Alston & Bird.

What’s in it for the firms?

Hogan Lovells is already a transatlantic firm formed by the 2010 merger of US firm Hogan & Hartson and London firm Lovells. Its latest tie-up significantly strengthens its presence in New York, Cadwalader's home market.

Cadwalader gets the scale it previously lacked. It had a deep presence on Wall Street, but just five offices globally - New York, Washington D.C., Charlotte, London and Dublin.

Hogan Lovells Cadwalader will be the second largest firm in Washington D.C., one of the top 10 in London, and one of the top 25 in New York. It will also have one of the largest offices of any major law firm in Charlotte, an increasingly important finance hub in the US.

As well as geographical expansion, the merger will bring together Hogan Lovells’ well-regarded IP, regulatory and litigation practice with Cadwalader’s private capital expertise.

Leadership takes shape

The move was approved by partners of both firms in April. Hogan Lovells’ former chief executive Miguel Zaldivar is now the CEO of the combined firm.

Zaldivar said: “We are creating a firm like no other, combining Wall Street’s oldest firm with deep sector expertise to advise clients on transformative trends shaping the global economy”.

Cadwalader’s co-managing partner Patrick Quinn is global managing partner for client and practice integration at Hogan Lovells Cadwalader, and fellow co-managing partner Wesley Misson is global managing partner for the finance practice.

Quinn said the firms’ “compatible culture” was key to the successful rollout of the combination and that clients will have the “full benefit of the new platform”.

The combined firm's 21-member management committee includes four Cadwalader partners, and two have also joined the 13-seat board.

The run-up to the merger’s closing has also seen some senior exits on both sides.

Hogan Lovells’ global M&A head Bill Curtin left last week to join Davis Polk in Washington D.C., and Cadwalader saw a wave of departures in litigation and finance ahead of the merger, including co-chair of global litigation Danielle Tully who left for Orrick.

Orrick launched a major raid on Cadwalader last year and has since hired more than 40 lawyers from the firm.

Teaming up across the pond

Transatlantic mergers have become one of the defining trends in Big Law. This week, Ashurst and Perkins Coie became one, as did Taylor Wessing and Winston & Strawn earlier in June.

The trend accelerated in 2024 when Allen & Overy merged with US firm Shearman & Sterling in one of the most significant law firm combinations in decades, prompting a fresh wave of UK-US tie-ups as firms chase greater scale and stronger global platforms.

The following year, another major London firm, Herbert Smith Freehills, merged with New York native Kramer Levin.