Two legal heavyweights are about to become one towering mega-firm. Partners at Hogan Lovells and Cadwalader have signed off on a historic merger that will form Hogan Lovells Cadwalader, a transatlantic operation with roughly 3,100 lawyers and about $3.6 billion in annual revenue. The combined firm is slated to go live on July 1, instantly rejiggering the power balance in Washington, D.C., New York and Charlotte.
The firms first revealed plans to combine in December, and on Wednesday they wrapped up the partner votes needed to lock the deal in. In a press release, Hogan Lovells billed the tie-up as the largest law-firm combination in history, saying it will fuse complementary strengths in finance, corporate, regulatory work and disputes. The same statement mapped out a first-draft leadership chart and confirmed that Hogan Lovells CEO Miguel Zaldivar will serve as chief executive of the new firm.
Partners at both firms "cemented their merger plans" after months of outreach to clients and practice groups, Bloomberg Law reported, adding that the merged shop is expected to formally open its doors on July 1. Bloomberg outlined key leadership moves: Zaldivar will take the CEO role, Cadwalader co-managing partner Wes Misson will step into a global finance position, and several Cadwalader rainmakers are slated for regional and practice leadership posts. Firm leaders told Bloomberg the deal is driven by client appetite for integrated, cross-border teams along the New York–London corridor.
How the Power Map Shifts in D.C. and Wall Street
The combination immediately boosts scale in several of the country’s most competitive legal markets. According to Cadwalader, Hogan Lovells Cadwalader will field one of the largest offices in Washington, D.C., with more than 500 lawyers, crack the top 25 firms in New York with roughly 370 lawyers, and grow a significant finance hub in Charlotte. Taken together, that footprint gives the new firm a beefed-up Wall Street presence and a deeper regulatory bench in the nation’s capital.
Reuters reported that Cadwalader saw a 3.3% revenue drop to about $616 million in 2025 amid partner departures, even as it said it added more than 100 lawyers last year. Hogan Lovells, meanwhile, has been growing its revenue and partner profits, positioning it to bring the merger across the finish line by summer, according to Reuters coverage of the firms’ 2025 financials.
Industry watchers say the deal slots neatly into an ongoing Big Law consolidation wave that rewards transatlantic reach and robust finance capabilities. The partner approvals landed shortly after several other headline mergers won the green light, and were cast in firm statements and trade coverage as further evidence that size and cross-border coverage have become prized assets. PR Newswire carried the firms’ announcement that partners had formally approved the combination.
Leaders at both firms say integration teams and governance committees are already in motion to minimize client disruption and keep key talent in the fold as operations are combined. In a statement released through Hogan Lovells, Zaldivar said clients had asked for "integrated teams that collaborate across practices and offices," a mantra the firms say will guide how Hogan Lovells Cadwalader rolls out over the summer.
