Partners vote in favour
Partners at both Hogan Lovells and Cadwalader have voted to approve what the firms are billing as the “largest law firm merger in history”, with the newly combined outfit also unveiling its new branding ahead of a July 1 launch.
The deal unites Hogan Lovells with Cadwalader Wickersham & Taft, Wall Street’s oldest firm, to create Hogan Lovells Cadwalader, a firm of approximately 3,100 lawyers across the globe with annual revenues in excess of $3.6 billion (£2.7 billion).
News of the proposed tie-up first emerged late last year, and today’s vote confirms that both partnerships have since been won over.
The combined firm will rank among the top firms globally by both revenue and size, sitting second in Washington DC, inside the top ten in London and top 25 in New York.
The Legal Cheek Firms Most List 2026 shows Hogan Lovells is the bigger outfit by some distance, with 35 offices and a London trainee intake of around 50 per year. Cadwalader, by comparison, has just five offices and recruits only a handful of rookies annually.
A new logo, developed jointly by teams from both firms, has also been revealed. It is described as paying “tribute to the heritage of both the Hogan Lovells and Cadwalader brands while “pointing ahead to the future”.
The merger is on course to complete ahead of its July 1 target.
“We are creating a firm like no other, with the expertise to advise clients on their most complex work across the G20,” said Hogan Lovells CEO Miguel Zaldivar, who will serve as CEO of Hogan Lovells Cadwalader. “We have been on the road over the past few months speaking with clients, partners, associates, and business teams—and these conversations have emphatically affirmed the strategic thinking that inspired this combination. We see strong opportunities for growth, and clients have expressed enthusiasm and excitement for the combined firm’s expanded reach and depth.”
The news comes in the same week that Ashurst and Perkins Coie confirmed their own tie-up, after both partnerships voted “overwhelmingly” to approve a combination that will create a £2 billion global giant.