Hogan Lovells and Cadwalader Wickersham & Taft have officially cemented their combination, in what they claim is the largest law firm merger in history.
The combined entity – Hogan Lovells Cadwalader – went live today, creating a top-five law firm by revenue with turnover exceeding $3.9bn, based on the legacy firms' 2025 performances, with around 3,200 lawyers spread across offices in the Americas, EMEA and APAC.
The merger, announced last December, follows the partnerships of both firms voting “overwhelmingly” in its favour earlier this year.
Miguel Zaldivar, who was previously Hogan Lovells’ CEO and will serve in the same role for the combined entity, said: “As we have worked toward this combination, what has stood out is our shared ambition to deliver exceptional client service amid the changing landscape of the legal industry – by attracting and developing top legal talent, and through a commitment to innovation and digital transformation.
"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, including the future of digitalisation and the future of energy,” he added.
The new firm promises to offer a “scaled global finance platform” with strong regulatory and disputes capabilities, combining Hogan Lovells’ corporate and M&A, regulatory, IP and litigation heft with Cadwalader’s finance, structured products and capital markets expertise. It will have hubs in London, Washington DC, New York, Germany and FRIS (France, Italy and Spain).
“The lead-up to our first day has underscored the importance of our compatible culture to the successful rollout of this combination,” said former Cadwalader co-managing partner Patrick Quinn, who has become global managing partner for client and practice integration of the new firm. “We've taken a thoughtful approach to practice and client integration to ensure that from Day One, our clients will have the full benefit of the new platform we have created.”
Quinn’s former co-managing partner, Wesley Misson, has been named global managing partner for the combined firm’s finance practice. The two legacy firms previously announced that four Cadwalader partners would serve on the new firm’s 21-member international management committee, and two would also join a 13-seat board – fund finance partner Angela Batterson and Holly Chamberlain, who would also become co-practice area leader of the combined firm’s real estate practice. Hogan Lovells’ leadership will remain in place, the firms said in a statement.
The tie-up is the latest in a string of large transatlantic law firm mergers, following Allen & Overy’s $3.5bn combination with New York’s Shearman & Sterling in 2024 and the formation of HSF Kramer last June, as firms seek greater scale to outpace rivals and shore up profits.
The $1.6bn merger of Winston & Strawn and Taylor Wessing’s UK-led business also went live at the start of last month, while Perkins Coie and Ashurst's $2.8bn merger went live earlier this week.
The deal between Hogan Lovells and Cadwalader followed the latter seeing a number of senior departures in 2025, including a 37-lawyer CLO and asset-backed lending team that left for Orrick in October. Earlier this month Davis Polk also Hogan Lovells’ global head of M&A, Bill Curtin, in Washington DC.
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