Hogan Lovells Cadwalader launches as firms claim largest law firm merger in history
Hogan Lovells and Cadwalader, Wickersham & Taft formally combined on July 1, 2026, launching under the name Hogan Lovells Cadwalader in what the firm described as the largest law firm merger in history. The combined firm is headquartered across London, New York, and Washington and is positioning itself to serve clients navigating rising global complexity across G20 markets.
Key takeaways
- Hogan Lovells and Cadwalader, Wickersham & Taft formally combined on July 1, 2026, launching as Hogan Lovells Cadwalader in what the firm called the largest law firm merger in history.
- The combined firm is headquartered across London, New York, and Washington and is positioning itself to serve clients across G20 markets.
- The firm says it will deliver unparalleled practice, sector, and regional strength across key G20 markets from its first day of operations.
- The launch announcement, issued via PRNewswire, does not disclose financial terms, headcount, partner numbers, or revenue figures, and quotes no executives by name.
- The merger's stated rationale is that clients face increasing global complexity and the combined platform is built to match that scope.
Hogan Lovells and Cadwalader, Wickersham & Taft formally combined on July 1, 2026, launching under the name Hogan Lovells Cadwalader in what the firm described as the largest law firm merger in history. The combined firm is headquartered across London, New York, and Washington and is positioning itself to serve clients navigating rising global complexity across G20 markets.
A New Scale Across G20 Markets
The firm said from its first day of operations it would deliver what it called unparalleled practice, sector, and regional strength across key G20 markets. The combination brings together two firms with deep roots in transatlantic legal work — Hogan Lovells, the product of an earlier merger between Washington-based Hogan & Hartson and London-based Lovells, and Cadwalader, one of the oldest law firms in the United States. The merged entity's stated rationale is direct: clients are facing increasing global complexity, and the combined platform is built to match that scope.
What the Source Does and Does Not Say
The launch announcement, issued via PRNewswire on July 1, 2026, does not disclose financial terms, headcount, partner numbers, or revenue figures for the combined firm. No individual executives are quoted by name in the source material. The record stands only on the firm's own characterization of the transaction's scale and strategic intent.
Market Context
Law firm consolidation has accelerated as large corporates and financial institutions demand single-relationship coverage across jurisdictions. A firm able to field practitioners across the G20 without referral networks eliminates coordination risk for clients running cross-border M&A, litigation, or regulatory matters simultaneously. Hogan Lovells Cadwalader's stated coverage of practice, sector, and regional dimensions is calibrated to that demand. Whether the combined firm's client retention and lateral hiring activity validate the merger's scale claim will become clearer in subsequent operating quarters.