Hogan Lovells


Hogan Lovells is an American-British law firm co-headquartered in London and Washington, DC. The firm was formed in 2010 by the merger of the American law firm Hogan & Hartson and the British law firm Lovells. As of 2024, the firm employed about 2,800 lawyers, making it the sixth largest law firm in the world.
In 2022, Hogan Lovells was ranked as the twelfth largest law firm in the world by revenue, generating around US$2.6 billion. Revenue per lawyer exceeds US$1million.
In December 2025, Hogan Lovells announced that they will merge with Cadwalader, Wickersham & Taft LLP to form Hogan Lovells Cadwalader and become the fifth largest law firm in the world.

History

Hogan & Hartson

Hogan & Hartson was founded by Frank J. Hogan in 1904. In 1925, Hogan was joined by Nelson T. Hartson, a former Internal Revenue Service attorney, and John William Guider. Hogan & Hartson then went into partnership in 1938 with Guider
as a silent partner.
In 1970, Hogan & Hartson became the first major firm to establish a separate practice group devoted exclusively to providing pro bono legal services. The Community Services Department dealt with civil rights, environmental, homeless and other public interest groups. In 1990, Hogan & Hartson opened an office in London, their first outside the U.S.
In 1972, the firm gained its first black law partner, trial lawyer Vincent H. Cohen, who was of Jamaican heritage; had joined the firm in 1969; and had previously held positions at the U.S. Department of Justice, and at the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. Cohen's clients included Bell Atlantic, Pepco, and The Washington Post. His son, Vincent Cohen, Jr., served as an interim U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia.
The firm expanded its presence in New York and Los Angeles, in 2002, when it acquired mid-sized law firm Squadron, Ellenoff, Plesent & Sheinfeld, a New York City–based general practice firm.

Lovells

Lovells traced its history in the UK back to 1899, when John Lovell set up on his own account at Snow Hill, between St Paul's and Smithfield. He was later joined by Reginald White, a clerk in his previous firm, to whom he gave articles. In 1924, they were joined by Charles King, forming Lovell, White & King. Soon after formation, the firm moved to Thavies Inn at Holborn Circus and later to Serjeant's Inn, Fleet Street, before moving to 21 Holborn Viaduct in October 1977.
Lovells was formed as a result of a number of earlier mergers. In 1966, Lovell, White & King merged with Haslewoods, a firm with a much longer history of private client work. Haslewoods diverse clients included the Treasury Solicitor. In 1988, Lovell, White & King, which by then had a large international commercial practice, merged with Durrant Piesse, known, in particular, for its specialism in commercial banking and financial services, forming Lovell White Durrant. It then changed to Lovells in 2000 when the firm merged with German law firm Boesebeck Droste.

Hogan Lovells

Hogan & Hartson and Lovells announced their agreement to merge on 15 December 2009. Hogan Lovells was officially formed on May 1, 2010.
In December 2011 it was reported that the firm would be moving to a single chairman model following the retirement of John Young.
In December 2013, Hogan Lovells merged with South African firm Routledge Modise. The addition of about 120 lawyers in the Johannesburg office make up the first physical location for Hogan Lovells in Africa although the firm maintains a presence in Francophone Africa through its Paris office.
In July 2020, Hogan Lovells announced Miguel Zaldivar, former Asia Pacific and Middle East regional chief executive as the new global CEO. In 2021, the firm appointed Paris-based Marie-Aimée de Dampierre as its chair, later reappointing her to a second two-year term, effective May 2024.

Hogan Lovells Cadwalader

In December 2025, Hogan Lovells announced that they will merge with Cadwalader, Wickersham & Taft LLP to form Hogan Lovells Cadwalader and become the fifth largest law firm in the world.

Notable cases

In 2013, Hogan Lovells advised Kodak Pensioner Plan on its $650 million acquisition of the personal film business from Kodak. In the same year, the firm also counselled tech-giant Dell on its $24.4 billion deal to go private and advised fashion label Nicole Farhi on its £5.5 million sale to businesswoman and heiress, Maxine Hargreaves-Adams.
In 2014, Hogan Lovells advised Apple Inc. on its $17 billion bond issue, described as the largest corporate bond offering in history. In 2014, Hogan Lovells advised the Republic of Ecuador in the negotiation of a multimillion-dollar facility agreement to be used by the state-owned television and radio network, RTV Ecuador. In May 2014, Snapchat turned to Hogan Lovells to hire its first General Counsel, appointing a Washington DC–based partner.
In 2015, the firm advised long-standing client SABMiller on its £7.8 billion acquisition of Australian brewer Foster's Group on aspects of structuring the bid and acquisition finance. In July 2015, power management semiconductor company Semitrex hired Hogan Lovells to lobby for energy efficiency issues. On December 19, 2017 Massachusetts Senate Committee in Ethics hired Hogan Lovells to lead an inquiry into Senate President Stanley C. Rosenberg's conduct and whether he violated the rules of the Senate stemming from allegations from four men that Rosenberg's husband, Bryon Hefner, sexually assaulted or harassed them and bragged he had influence on Senate business.

Lobbying in the United States

Hogan Lovells is among the largest lobbying firms in the United States. Before the merger, by revenue, Hogan & Hartson was among the top five lobbying firms in the United States. Since the merger, the firm has remained among the largest lobbying firms, servicing $12.3 million in lobbying 2013.

South African Revenue Service (SARS) scandal

In October 2016, Hogan Lovells was inserted into the Jonas Makwaka investigation as part of the Zuma corruption scandal. Although the report concluded that "disciplinary action should be taken", the document was widely seen as effectively a whitewash.

Notable attorneys and alumni

Current attorneys

Judiciary