Partners at Hogan Lovells and Cadwalader Wickersham & Taft have approved a proposed merger to create the largest law firm combination in history, with the combined entity aiming to enhance its presence across multiple jurisdictions and practice areas in the Asia-Pacific region.
The merged entity will be known as Hogan Lovells Cadwalader on 1 July 2026, and the successful partner votes comes about three months after the law firms announced the move in December 2025.
“We feel confident that our footprint in the Asia-Pacific is the right one to serve our clients. Rather than opening new offices, we intend to continue to strengthen our presence in the markets in which we currently operate, including Tokyo, Jakarta, Singapore and Greater China,” Miguel Zaldivar, CEO of Hogan Lovells and incoming CEO of the combined firms, told Asia Business Law Journal.
“We have added a dozen laterals in the Asia-Pacific region in the last two years, and we are continuing to strengthen our practices in areas that include private capital, energy and infrastructure, and technology.”
Unlocking opportunities in APAC region
He said the impending partnership would unlock significant opportunities across the region.
“The combination will provide substantial opportunities for our teams in the Asia-Pacific, both in terms of inbound work, and work exported from APAC to our global network, as well as new client development opportunities,” he said.
In the first 12 months of their merger, Hogan Lovells Cadwalader will prioritise integration across teams to enhance service delivery both regionally and globally.
“Our goal in the first year is to create an integrated firm that combines global scale with local market insight, particularly in regions such as the Asia-Pacific, where regulatory sophistication and cross-border work continue to grow,” Cadwalader co-managing partner Patrick Quinn, who will serve as Hogan Lovells Cadwalader’s global managing partner for client and practice integration, told ABLJ.
Regulatory complexity also shapes the longer-term strategy as clients increasingly require guidance in markets and practice areas where the legal framework is evolving.
“This dynamic is already highly relevant across the region’s most internationally connected markets, including Hong Kong, Singapore, Japan and Greater China, where clients are navigating increasingly complex interactions between domestic regulation, global capital flows and cross-border enforcement,” Zaldivar said.
“We are also seeing this trend accelerate in fast-growing Southeast Asian markets such as Indonesia and Vietnam. Looking ahead, we expect this to deepen across the Asia-Pacific as regulatory regimes evolve and cross-border investment increases, particularly in areas such as financial services, technology, data, energy & infrastructure, and life sciences, which require genuinely integrated, multi-jurisdictional advice.”
Merger a shared strategic vision
After combining, Hogan Lovells Cadwalader is expected to have 3,100 lawyers across at least 18 countries and generate an annual combined revenue of USD3.6 billion.
Zaldivar said the decision to merge the two firms was driven in part from conversations with clients across the globe, including in APAC.
“The combination reinforces and accelerates our Asia-Pacific strategy rather than changing its direction. Our focus remains on a targeted, premium platform in key markets, connected to our global capabilities. By combining our established APAC presence with Cadwalader’s leading real estate, structured finance, and fund finance expertise, we are strengthening our ability to support clients on complex, cross-border matters spanning Asia-Pacific, the US and Europe,” he added.
Joining forces was also a shared strategic vision, particularly in relation to advising clients on complex matters across major global economies.
“We are building something that is unique in the market – a globally integrated law firm that shines at the intersection of business, government and finance. We will continue to strengthen our presence in the G20 markets that are critically important to clients operating across the Asia-Pacific, Europe and the Americas,” Zaldivar said.
