The partners of Hogan Lovells and Cadwalader Wickersham & Taft have approved the merger that will create Hogan Lovells Cadwalader, marking one of the most significant consolidation moves in the global legal industry. The new firm will officially launch on 1 July 2026, following the initial announcement made last December.
The combination will bring together approximately 3,100 lawyers across the Americas, EMEA and APAC, forming a platform with substantial reach in the world’s major financial and regulatory centres. Hogan Lovells Cadwalader will become the second-largest firm in Washington, D.C., rank among the top 10 in London, and enter the top 25 in New York. It will also maintain a major presence in Charlotte, North Carolina, a rapidly expanding U.S. financial hub where Cadwalader was the first Wall Street firm to open an office three decades ago.
The merger blends Hogan Lovells’ global strengths in corporate, M&A, regulatory, intellectual property and litigation with Cadwalader’s market-leading capabilities in finance, structured products and capital markets. The result is a unified platform designed to offer both scale and deep specialization, enabling the firm to handle complex, cross-border mandates with integrated regulatory and disputes support. “We are creating a firm without precedent, with the experience needed to support clients in their most complex matters across the G20,” said Miguel Zaldivar, ceo of Hogan Lovells, who will assume the same role at Hogan Lovells Cadwalader.
Leadership roles will be shared across both legacy firms. Four Cadwalader partners will join the 21-member international management committee, while two will sit on the 13-member board. Patrick Quinn, currently co-managing partner at Cadwalader, will become global managing partner for Client and Practice Integration; fellow co-managing partner Wesley Misson will serve as global managing partner of the financial practice. Additional leadership appointments include Angela Batterson, who will join the board; Holly Chamberlain, who will join the board and co-lead the Real Estate practice; Stuart Goldstein, who will become deputy regional managing partner for the Americas and co-head of Structured Finance and Derivatives; William Mills, who will serve as office managing partner for New York; and Tim Hicks, who will take on the same role in Charlotte.
The merger brings together two institutions with deep historical roots. Cadwalader, founded more than 230 years ago, is the oldest Wall Street law firm; Hogan Lovells has advised clients in Washington, D.C. for over 120 years, in London for more than 125 years, and in Germany for over 135 years. Once the merger is completed, New York will become the fifth strategic hub of the combined firm, alongside London, Washington, D.C., Germany and FRIS (France, Italy and Spain). The new visual identity of Hogan Lovells Cadwalader has been developed by a joint team from both firms, signalling the beginning of a new chapter that is set to reshape the international legal landscape.
