Hogan Lovells Cadwalader claims industry first with pro bono partnership deed pledge

Hogan Lovells Cadwalader has embedded a commitment to pro bono in its new partnership deed, in what it says is a first for a global law firm.

The deed formally commits the partnership to pro bono work and supporting the communities in which it operates, placing those obligations alongside the provisions governing how the firm is owned, led and run.

The move follows the merger of Hogan Lovells and New York firm Cadwalader on 1 July, creating a firm with more than 3,200 lawyers.

Chief executive Miguel Zaldivar said the combination had provided an opportunity to put the commitment into the firm’s governing framework.

“By embedding pro bono in our constitution, we are making clear that creating positive impact is a fundamental part of who we are and how we define our success,” he said.

The firm’s global citizenship policy, introduced in 2015 at legacy Hogan Lovells, encourages lawyers and business services staff to spend at least 25 hours a year on pro bono and citizenship activities. That expectation now extends across the combined firm.

The firm says its people contributed more than 174,000 hours of pro bono work in 2025.

Recent projects include recovering more than £188,000 in lost benefit entitlements for people with disabilities through work with charity Z2K and securing a $6.75 million settlement and prison reforms for more than 150 Massachusetts inmates who suffered systemic, racially motivated abuse.

International pro bono partner Yasmin Waljee said: “Our pro bono practice has always targeted impact: lives changed, rights secured and laws reformed. Hours are the means; impact is the measure.”

Former attorney general and chair of pro bono group LawWorks Lord Goldsmith welcomed the move and called on other firms to cement their pro bono commitments in their foundational documents.

Other firms' pro bono efforts

Dechert requires all of its lawyers to perform at least 25 hours of pro bono work per year. Dechert says that in 2025 its people notched up more than 82,000 hours of pro bono work.

Proskauer requires all of its lawyers to perform at least 50 hours of pro bono work per year. Pro bono hours are credited as billable hours at the firm with no upper limits.

Freshfields achieved its global pro bono target, the equivalent of 110,000 annual hours, a year ahead of schedule in, the firm's 2024/25 financial year.