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.[6] As of 2024, the firm employed about 2,800 lawyers, making it the sixth largest law firm in the world.[7]
In 2022, Hogan Lovells was ranked as the twelfth largest law firm in the world by revenue,[8] generating around US$2.6 billion.Revenue per lawyer exceeds US$1million.[8]
In December 2025, Hogan Lovells announced that they will merge with Cadwalader, Wickersham & Taft LLP to form Hogan Lovells Cadwalader.[9][10]
Limited liability partnership
History
Hogan & Hartson
Hogan & Hartson was founded by Frank J. Hogan in 1904.[11][12] 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.[13]
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 (CSD) 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.[14]
In 1972, the firm gained its first black law partner, trial lawyer Vincent H. Cohen (April 7, 1936 – December 25, 2011), 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.[15]
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.[16]
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.[17]
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.[18]
Hogan Lovells
Hogan & Hartson and Lovells announced their agreement to merge on 15 December 2009.[19] Hogan Lovells was officially formed on May 1, 2010.[20][21]
In December 2011 it was reported that the firm would be moving to a single chairman model following the retirement of John Young.[22]
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.[23]
In July 2020, Hogan Lovells announced Miguel Zaldivar, former Asia Pacific and Middle East regional chief executive as the new global CEO.[24]
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.[9][10]
Notable cases
In 2013, Hogan Lovells advised Kodak Pensioner Plan on its $650 million acquisition of the personal film business from Kodak.[26] In the same year, the firm also counselled tech-giant Dell on its $24.4 billion deal to go private[27] and advised fashion label Nicole Farhi on its £5.5 million sale to businesswoman and heiress, Maxine Hargreaves-Adams.[28]
In 2014, Hogan Lovells advised Apple Inc. on its $17 billion (£10.9 billion) bond issue, described as the largest corporate bond offering in history.[29] 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.[30] In May 2014, Snapchat turned to Hogan Lovells to hire its first General Counsel, appointing a Washington DC–based partner.[31]
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.[32] In July 2015, power management semiconductor company Semitrex hired Hogan Lovells to lobby for energy efficiency issues.[33] 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.[34]
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.[35] Since the merger, the firm has remained among the largest lobbying firms, servicing $12.3 million in lobbying 2013.[36]
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.[37] Although the report concluded that "disciplinary action should be taken", the document was widely seen as effectively a whitewash.[38]
Notable attorneys and alumni
Current attorneys
Neil Chatterjee – Former Commissioner and Chairman of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC)
Hilary Tompkins – Former Solicitor of the U.S. Department of the Interior
Former attorneys
Judiciary
James A. Belson – Judge of the District of Columbia Court of Appeals[39]
Tanya S. Chutkan – Judge of the United States District Court for the District of Columbia[40]
Daniel D. Domenico – Judge of the United States District Court for the District of Colorado[41]
John M. Ferren – Judge of the District of Columbia Court of Appeals
Ann Lininger – Judge of the Clackamas County Circuit Court
George W. Miller – Judge of the United States Court of Federal Claims
Carlos G. Muñiz – Justice of the Supreme Court of Florida
David Nahmias – Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of Georgia
John Pajak – Special trial judge of the United States Tax Court
John Roberts – Chief Justice of the United States
Jane Marum Roush – Justice of the Supreme Court of Virginia
Donald S. Russell – Judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit
John Sirica – Judge of the United States District Court for the District of Columbia, presiding judge in the Watergate cases
David S. Tatel – Judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit
Eric T. Washington – Judge of the District of Columbia Court of Appeals
Wilhelmina Wright – Judge of the United States District Court for the District of Minnesota
Elected office
Norm Coleman – United States Senator from Minnesota
J. William Fulbright – United States Senator from Arkansas
Josh Hawley – United States Senator from Missouri
Scott McInnis – Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Colorado's 3rd district
John Porter – Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Illinois's 10th district
Paul Rogers – Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Florida's 11th district
John Warner – Former United States Senator from Virginia[42]
Academia
Audrey J. Anderson – Vice Chancellor, General Counsel and University Secretary for Vanderbilt University
Matthew Daniels – Chair of Law and Human Rights and Founder of the Center for Human Rights and International Affairs at the Institute of World Politics
Christopher Yoo – John H. Chestnut Professor of Law, Communication, and Computer and Information Science at the University of Pennsylvania Law School
Chris Brand – Research Fellow, Psychology and Psychometrics at Nuffield College
Other government service
A. Lee Bentley III – United States Attorney for the Middle District of Florida
Sandy Berger – United States National Security Advisor
William Bittman – Federal prosecutor responsible for prosecuting Jimmy Hoffa and Bobby Baker
Mark Brzezinski – U.S. Ambassador to Sweden
Charles B. Curtis – United States Deputy Secretary of Energy
Cole Finegan – Denver's City Attorney and Chief of Staff
Gregory G. Garre – 44th U.S. Solicitor General
Anthony Stephen Harrington – U.S. Ambassador to Brazil
Brian Hook – U.S. Special Representative for Iran
Kevin S. Huffman – Commissioner of the Tennessee Department of Education
Elliot F. Kaye – Commissioner of the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission
Loretta Lynch
Other
Robert S. Bennett – Attorney for President Bill Clinton during the Lewinsky scandal
Ty Cobb – Member of the Trump administration legal team
Robert Corn-Revere – First Amendment lawyer
Donald Dell – Sports attorney, writer, commentator, and former tennis player
Frank Fahrenkopf – Chair of the Republican National Committee; Co-founder of the Commission on Presidential Debates
Frank J. Hogan – Founder of Hogan Lovells; President of the American Bar Association
Khizr Muazzam Khan – Parent of Humayun Khan
Duncan McNair – Lawyer and author
David Wendell Phillips – Angel investor and executive
Radoslav Procházka – Slovak politician
Jessica Prunell – Former child actress
Regina M. Rodriguez – Former nominee to the United States District Court for the District of Colorado
Judiciary
James A. Belson – Judge of the District of Columbia Court of Appeals[39]
Tanya S. Chutkan – Judge of the United States District Court for the District of Columbia[40]
Daniel D. Domenico – Judge of the United States District Court for the District of Colorado[41]
John M. Ferren – Judge of the District of Columbia Court of Appeals
Ann Lininger – Judge of the Clackamas County Circuit Court
George W. Miller – Judge of the United States Court of Federal Claims
Carlos G. Muñiz – Justice of the Supreme Court of Florida
Elected office
Norm Coleman – United States Senator from Minnesota
J. William Fulbright – United States Senator from Arkansas
Josh Hawley – United States Senator from Missouri
Scott McInnis – Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Colorado's 3rd district
John Porter – Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Illinois's 10th district
Paul Rogers – Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Florida's 11th district
John Warner – Former United States Senator from Virginia[42]
Academia
Audrey J. Anderson – Vice Chancellor, General Counsel and University Secretary for Vanderbilt University
Matthew Daniels – Chair of Law and Human Rights and Founder of the Center for Human Rights and International Affairs at the Institute of World Politics
Christopher Yoo – John H. Chestnut Professor of Law, Communication, and Computer and Information Science at the University of Pennsylvania Law School
Chris Brand – Research Fellow, Psychology and Psychometrics at Nuffield College
Other government service
A. Lee Bentley III – United States Attorney for the Middle District of Florida
Sandy Berger – United States National Security Advisor
William Bittman – Federal prosecutor responsible for prosecuting Jimmy Hoffa and Bobby Baker
Mark Brzezinski – U.S. Ambassador to Sweden
Charles B. Curtis – United States Deputy Secretary of Energy
Cole Finegan – Denver's City Attorney and Chief of Staff
Gregory G. Garre – 44th U.S. Solicitor General
Anthony Stephen Harrington – U.S. Ambassador to Brazil
Brian Hook – U.S. Special Representative for Iran
Kevin S. Huffman – Commissioner of the Tennessee Department of Education
Elliot F. Kaye – Commissioner of the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission
Loretta Lynch
Other
Robert S. Bennett – Attorney for President Bill Clinton during the Lewinsky scandal
Ty Cobb – Member of the Trump administration legal team
Robert Corn-Revere – First Amendment lawyer
Donald Dell – Sports attorney, writer, commentator, and former tennis player
Frank Fahrenkopf – Chair of the Republican National Committee; Co-founder of the Commission on Presidential Debates
Frank J. Hogan – Founder of Hogan Lovells; President of the American Bar Association
Khizr Muazzam Khan – Parent of Humayun Khan
Duncan McNair – Lawyer and author
David Wendell Phillips – Angel investor and executive
Radoslav Procházka – Slovak politician
Jessica Prunell – Former child actress
Regina M. Rodriguez – Former nominee to the United States District Court for the District of Colorado
See also
Hogan Lovells Professor of Law and Finance, a position at the University of Oxford
List of largest United States-based law firms by head count
15.[https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/obituaries/vincent-h-cohen-prominent-dc-lawyer-dies-at-75/2011/12/31/gIQA3up2SP_story.html "Vincent H. Cohen, prominent D.C. lawyer, dies at 75", by Matt Schudell, The Washington Post, December 31, 2011. Retrieved August 26, 2019.]^
Keisha A. McGuire – Grenadian Permanent Representative to the United Nations
Jelena McWilliams – Chairman of the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation
Cheryl Mills – Counselor of the United States Department of State
Elliot Mincberg – General Deputy Assistant Secretary for Congressional and Intergovernmental Relations at the Department of Housing and Urban Development
Ignacia S. Moreno – Assistant Attorney General for the U.S. Department of Justice Environment and Natural Resources Division
John E. Osborn – Member of the U.S. Advisory Commission on Public Diplomacy
Daniel Poneman – Acting United States Secretary of Energy
Elizabeth Prelogar – 48th U.S. Solicitor General
Chuck Rosenberg – Administrator of the Drug Enforcement Administration; United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia
Hagan Scotten – former Assistant U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York
Tom Strickland – U.S. Attorney for the District of Colorado; Assistant Secretary of the Interior for Fish, Wildlife and Parks
Christine A. Varney – White House Cabinet Secretary; Commissioner of the Federal Trade Commission
Clayton Yeutter – Counselor to the President; Chair of the Republican National Committee; U.S. Secretary of Agriculture; U.S. Trade Representative
Edward "Smitty" Smith – Candidate for Attorney General of the District of Columbia
Allen Snyder – Former nominee to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit
Parker Thomson – Lawyer and philanthropist
Merle Thorpe Jr. – Lawyer and philanthropist
Ted Trimpa – Democratic strategist, lobbyist and political consultant
Christine Warnke – Senior vice president at Capitol Hill Consulting Group and talk show host
Daniel R. White – Author
Edward Bennett Williams – Founder of Williams & Connolly; Treasurer of the Democratic National Committee
David Nahmias – Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of Georgia
John Pajak – Special trial judge of the United States Tax Court
John Roberts – Chief Justice of the United States
Jane Marum Roush – Justice of the Supreme Court of Virginia
Donald S. Russell – Judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit
John Sirica – Judge of the United States District Court for the District of Columbia, presiding judge in the Watergate cases
David S. Tatel – Judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit
Eric T. Washington – Judge of the District of Columbia Court of Appeals
Wilhelmina Wright – Judge of the United States District Court for the District of Minnesota
– 83rd
U.S. Attorney General
Keisha A. McGuire – Grenadian Permanent Representative to the United Nations
Jelena McWilliams – Chairman of the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation
Cheryl Mills – Counselor of the United States Department of State
Elliot Mincberg – General Deputy Assistant Secretary for Congressional and Intergovernmental Relations at the Department of Housing and Urban Development
Ignacia S. Moreno – Assistant Attorney General for the U.S. Department of Justice Environment and Natural Resources Division
John E. Osborn – Member of the U.S. Advisory Commission on Public Diplomacy
Daniel Poneman – Acting United States Secretary of Energy
Elizabeth Prelogar – 48th U.S. Solicitor General
Chuck Rosenberg – Administrator of the Drug Enforcement Administration; United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia
Hagan Scotten – former Assistant U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York
Tom Strickland – U.S. Attorney for the District of Colorado; Assistant Secretary of the Interior for Fish, Wildlife and Parks
Christine A. Varney – White House Cabinet Secretary; Commissioner of the Federal Trade Commission
Clayton Yeutter – Counselor to the President; Chair of the Republican National Committee; U.S. Secretary of Agriculture; U.S. Trade Representative
Edward "Smitty" Smith – Candidate for Attorney General of the District of Columbia
Allen Snyder – Former nominee to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit
Parker Thomson – Lawyer and philanthropist
Merle Thorpe Jr. – Lawyer and philanthropist
Ted Trimpa – Democratic strategist, lobbyist and political consultant
Christine Warnke – Senior vice president at Capitol Hill Consulting Group and talk show host
Daniel R. White – Author
Edward Bennett Williams – Founder of Williams & Connolly; Treasurer of the Democratic National Committee
