Hogan Lovells and Cadwalader, Wickersham and Taft complete what they describe as the largest law firm merger in history, launching combined firm with more than 3,200 lawyers
Hogan Lovells and Cadwalader, Wickersham and Taft have formally completed their merger, launching the combined firm as Hogan Lovells Cadwalader from 1 July 2026. The firms describe it as the largest law firm merger in history, creating a practice with more than 3,200 lawyers across offices in the Americas, EMEA, and APAC. The combined firm's stated growth engines are London, Washington DC, New York, Germany, and a cluster of France, Italy, and Spain (referred to internally as FRIS). The merger joins Hogan Lovells' existing global platform, which is strong in corporate M&A, regulatory, IP, and disputes, with Cadwalader's elite finance, structured products, and capital markets capabilities. Miguel Zaldivar, CEO of Hogan Lovells Cadwalader, described the launch as bringing together two institutions with long records of excellence. The combination creates a firm that is deliberately balanced across practices, sectors, and G20 nations, and is positioned to serve clients at the intersection of business, finance, and government. London is identified as one of the five primary growth markets, reinforcing the combined entity's commitment to the City as a strategic anchor alongside its Washington and New York hubs.
Why this matters
A merger producing more than 3,200 lawyers across global markets immediately reshapes competitive dynamics for Magic Circle and elite US firms operating in London. Cadwalader's structured finance and capital markets strengths combined with Hogan Lovells' regulatory and corporate platform creates a genuine full-service competitor across the deal types that City clients care about most. The London focus as one of five identified growth engines signals an intent to compete directly for English-law mandates in M&A, finance, and regulatory work. For law students targeting Magic Circle or Silver Circle firms, understanding how this merger affects client relationships, panel positions, and lateral hiring markets is directly relevant to interview conversations.
On the Ground
A trainee involved in post-merger integration work would assist with cross-border legal opinion coordination, preparing local counsel instruction letters to align practice standards across the combined firm's offices, and drafting choice-of-law summaries for existing client engagement letters that may need updating to reflect the new entity. Apostille and legalisation coordination for documents across the merged firm's APAC and EMEA footprint would also be within scope.
Interview prep
Question you might get
“What are the main legal and commercial challenges involved in integrating two large international law firms, and how might this merger affect competitive dynamics in the London market?”
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