Hogan Lovells

Hogan Lovells

Hogan Lovells logo
Company type	Limited liability partnership
Industry	Legal services
Predecessor	Hogan & Hartson, Lovells
Founded	May 1, 2010 (2010-05-01)
Headquarters	London and Washington, DC , United Kingdom and United States
Area served	Worldwide
Key people	Miguel Zaldivar (CEO), Michael Davison (Deputy CEO), Marie-Aimée de Dampierre (Chair)
Number of employees	2,800 attorneys (2024)
Website	www.hoganlovells.com

Hogan Lovells () is a transatlantic law firm with dual headquarters located in London and Washington, DC. Established in 2010 through the union of the American firm Hogan & Hartson and the British firm Lovells, it currently employs approximately 2,800 attorneys, positioning it as the sixth largest law firm worldwide.

In terms of revenue, Hogan Lovells secured the twelfth spot globally in 2022, achieving nearly US$2.6 billion and generating revenue per lawyer exceeding US$1 million.

The firm's expertise spans government regulatory matters, litigation, commercial disputes and arbitration, as well as areas including corporate, finance, and intellectual property law.

Hogan & Hartson

Founded in 1904 by Frank J. Hogan, Hogan & Hartson expanded in 1925 when Nelson T. Hartson, a former attorney with the Internal Revenue Service, along with John William Guider joined the practice. The firm formalized its partnership in 1938, with Guider serving as a silent partner.

In 1970, the firm pioneered a dedicated pro bono legal services group named the Community Services Department (CSD), concentrating on civil rights, environmental issues, homelessness, and other public interest causes. Its inaugural international office was launched in London in 1990.

Vincent H. Cohen became Hogan & Hartson’s first black law partner in 1972; he was a trial attorney of Jamaican descent with prior roles at both the U.S. Department of Justice and U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. His clientele included entities such as Bell Atlantic, Pepco, and The Washington Post. Cohen’s son later took on the role of interim United States Attorney for the District of Columbia.

By the year 2000, Hogan & Hartson had expanded its reach to Tokyo and Berlin. The firm bolstered its presence in New York and Los Angeles in 2002 by acquiring Squadron, Ellenoff, Plesent & Sheinfeld, recognized for its media, litigation, and First Amendment legal work.

At the time of merging, Hogan & Hartson was Washington, D.C.’s oldest major law firm, employing over 1,100 lawyers across 27 offices worldwide spanning North America, Latin America, Europe, the Middle East, and Asia.

Lovells

Lovells traces its UK beginnings to 1899 when John Lovell established the firm at Snow Hill, London. Reginald White later joined him, followed by Charles King; together they formed Lovell, White & King in 1924. The firm relocated multiple times within London before settling at 21 Holborn Viaduct in 1977.

Lovells grew through several mergers: partnering with Haslewoods in 1966—renowned for private client services including acting as Treasury Solicitor; merging with Durrant Piesse in 1988—experts in commercial banking and financial services—resulting in Lovell White Durrant; and combining with German firm Boesebeck Droste in 2000 to become Lovells. Additional mergers across Europe during the early 2000s further broadened its reach.

Focusing strategically on China, Lovells expanded its Beijing office and inaugurated a Shanghai branch, becoming the second-largest foreign law firm there. By 2004, it maintained offices throughout key European jurisdictions. The firm also extended into the Middle East with offices established in Dubai (2007), Hanoi (2009), and an affiliated office in Riyadh (2009).

At merger time, Lovells functioned as an international law firm headquartered in London with over 300 partners and approximately 3,150 staff spread across 26 offices located throughout Europe, Asia, and the United States.

Hogan Lovells

The merger agreement between Hogan & Hartson and Lovells was announced on 15 December 2009, officially creating Hogan Lovells as of May 1, 2010.

Following John Young's retirement in December 2011, Hogan Lovells adopted a single-chairman governance structure.

The firm's growth strategy advanced further with the December 2013 integration of South African law firm Routledge Modise, which brought approximately 120 lawyers onboard and marked Hogan Lovells' inaugural physical office in Africa located in Johannesburg. This complemented its existing presence in Francophone Africa through its Paris office.

In July 2020, Miguel Zaldivar assumed the role of global CEO alongside Michael Davison as Deputy CEO, both appointed for initial four-year terms. Paris-based Marie-Aimée de Dampierre was named chair in 2021 and subsequently renewed for a second two-year term commencing May 2024. Before her chair appointment, she held multiple leadership roles including European managing partner.

Notable cases

In 2013, Hogan Lovells represented the Kodak Pensioner Plan in acquiring Kodak’s personal film division for $650 million. The firm also advised technology leader Dell on its $24.4 billion privatization transaction and supported fashion brand Nicole Farhi in its £5.5 million sale to entrepreneur Maxine Hargreaves-Adams.

During 2014, Hogan Lovells provided counsel to Apple Inc. on a $17 billion (£10.9 billion) bond issuance, noted as the largest corporate bond offering ever. The firm assisted Mars, Incorporated with sustainable cocoa sourcing negotiations related to Maltesers. Additionally, it advised the Republic of Ecuador on securing multimillion-dollar financing for state broadcaster RTV Ecuador and helped Snapchat recruit its inaugural General Counsel.

In 2015, Hogan Lovells guided longtime client SABMiller through its £7.8 billion acquisition of Australian brewer Foster's Group, focusing on bid structuring and acquisition financing, alongside advising on a €1 billion Eurobond issuance. Semiconductor company Semitrex retained the firm for lobbying efforts concerning energy efficiency policies. In December 2017, the Massachusetts Senate Committee on Ethics engaged Hogan Lovells to conduct an investigation into Senate President Stanley C. Rosenberg’s conduct amid allegations involving his spouse’s influence over Senate affairs.

Lobbying in the United States

Hogan Lovells is recognized as one of the leading lobbying entities within the U.S. Prior to merging, Hogan & Hartson ranked among the top five lobbying firms by revenue; after combining with Lovells, it sustained this standing with reported lobbying income of $12.3 million in 2013.

South African Revenue Service (SARS) scandal

In October 2016, Hogan Lovells was commissioned to conduct an independent review concerning allegations against Jonas Makwaka and Kelly Ann Elskie amid the Zuma corruption scandal. Although their report recommended disciplinary measures, it faced criticism as a superficial investigation. Other global firms implicated in Zuma-related controversies included KPMG and McKinsey.

Current legal professionals

• Neil Chatterjee – Previously served as Commissioner and Chairman at the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC)

Judiciary

• James A. Belson – Judge on the District of Columbia Court of Appeals
• Tanya S. Chutkan – Judge for the United States District Court for the District of Columbia
• Daniel D. Domenico – Judge at the United States District Court for the District of Colorado
• John M. Ferren – Judge of the District of Columbia Court of Appeals
• Ann Lininger – Circuit Court Judge, Clackamas County
• George W. Miller – Judge on the United States Court of Federal Claims
• Carlos G. Muñiz – Justice on the Supreme Court of Florida
• David Nahmias – Associate Justice, Supreme Court of Georgia
• John Pajak – Special trial judge, 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 on the United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit
• John Sirica – Judge, United States District Court for the District of Columbia, presiding over the Watergate trials
• David S. Tatel – Judge on the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit
• Eric T. Washington – Judge, District of Columbia Court of Appeals
• Wilhelmina Wright – Judge at the United States District Court for the District of Minnesota

Elected positions

• Norm Coleman – U.S. Senator representing Minnesota
• J. William Fulbright – U.S. Senator from Arkansas
• Josh Hawley – U.S. Senator from Missouri
• Scott McInnis – Member of U.S. House for Colorado's 3rd district
• John Porter – U.S. Representative for Illinois's 10th district
• Paul Rogers – U.S. Representative, Florida's 11th district
• John Warner – Former U.S. Senator from Virginia

Academic roles

• Audrey J. Anderson – Vice Chancellor, General Counsel, and University Secretary at Vanderbilt University
• Matthew Daniels – Chair in Law and Human Rights; Founder of Center for Human Rights and International Affairs at the Institute of World Politics
• Christopher Yoo – John H. Chestnut Professor specializing in Law, Communication, and Computer Science at the University of Pennsylvania Law School
• Chris Brand – Research Fellow in Psychology and Psychometrics at Nuffield College

Other public service

• A. Lee Bentley III – U.S. Attorney for Middle District of Florida
• Sandy Berger – Former National Security Advisor to the United States
• William Bittman – Federal prosecutor involved in notable cases including Jimmy Hoffa and Bobby Baker
• Mark Brzezinski – United States Ambassador to Sweden
• Charles B. Curtis – Deputy Secretary at the U.S. Department of Energy
• Cole Finegan – Denver City Attorney and Chief of Staff
• Gregory G. Garre – 44th Solicitor General of the United States
• Anthony Stephen Harrington – Ambassador to Brazil for the U.S.
• Brian Hook – Special Representative for Iran appointed by the U.S.
• Kevin S. Huffman – Commissioner overseeing Tennessee’s Department of Education
• Elliot F. Kaye – Commissioner at the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission
• Loretta Lynch – 83rd Attorney General of the United States
• Keisha A. McGuire – Permanent Representative from Grenada to the United Nations
• Jelena McWilliams – Chairperson, Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation
• Cheryl Mills – Counselor within the U.S. Department of State
• Elliot Mincberg – Deputy Assistant Secretary handling Congressional and Intergovernmental Relations at HUD
• Ignacia S. Moreno – Assistant Attorney General for Environment and Natural Resources Division, DOJ
• John E. Osborn – Member on U.S. Advisory Commission on Public Diplomacy
• Daniel Poneman – Acting Secretary at the U.S. Department of Energy
• Elizabeth Prelogar – The 48th Solicitor General of the United States
• Chuck Rosenberg – Administrator for Drug Enforcement Administration; former U.S. Attorney in Eastern District of Virginia
• Hagan Scotten – Previously Assistant U.S. Attorney in Southern District of New York
• Tom Strickland – U.S. Attorney for Colorado; also served as Assistant Secretary for Fish, Wildlife and Parks at Interior Department
• Christine A. Varney – White House Cabinet Secretary; Commissioner at Federal Trade Commission
• Clayton Yeutter – Presidential Counselor; Chairperson, Republican National Committee; former Secretary of Agriculture and Trade Representative

Additional Notable Figures

• Robert S. Bennett – Legal counsel for President Bill Clinton amid the Lewinsky controversy
• Ty Cobb – Legal advisor within the Trump administration
• Robert Corn-Revere – Specialist in First Amendment law
• Donald Dell – Attorney in the sports sector, author, commentator, and former professional tennis player
• Frank Fahrenkopf – Former chairman of the Republican National Committee; Co-founder of the Commission on Presidential Debates
• Frank J. Hogan – Founder of Hogan Lovells; served as President of the American Bar Association
• Khizr Muazzam Khan – Father of Humayun Khan
• Duncan McNair – Legal professional and writer
• David Wendell Phillips – Executive and angel investor
• Radoslav Procházka – Politician from Slovakia
• Jessica Prunell – Former child actress
• Regina M. Rodriguez – Previously nominated for the U.S. District Court in Colorado
• Edward "Smitty" Smith – Candidate for Attorney General in the District of Columbia
• Allen Snyder – Former nominee for the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit
• Parker Thomson – Attorney and supporter of philanthropic causes
• Merle Thorpe Jr. – Lawyer with philanthropic involvement
• Ted Trimpa – Political consultant, lobbyist, and strategist aligned with the Democratic Party
• Christine Warnke – Senior vice president at Capitol Hill Consulting Group and host of a talk show
• Daniel R. White – Writer and author
• Edward Bennett Williams – Founder of Williams & Connolly; Treasurer for the Democratic National Committee

See also

• Hogan Lovells Professor of Law and Finance, an academic post at the University of Oxford
• List of largest United States-based law firms by head count