Hogan Lovells Cadwalader: What the largest law firm merger in history means for Israeli companies
Hogan Lovells and Cadwalader are set to combine forces on July 1, 2026. It will be the largest merger of law firms in history and create a global powerhouse.
The implications for Israeli businesses are massive and strongly beneficial, and we asked Hogan Lovells’ Israel desk leaders Zohar Nevo and Michael Szlamkowicz to dive deeper into them.
IsraelDesks: Israeli tech companies and unicorns regularly access US and European capital markets. How should Israeli businesses think about the combined firm as an advisor for their next major US or cross-border transaction?
Hogan Lovells: The combination of Hogan Lovells and Cadwalader brings together market‑leading Wall Street capital markets, M&A, finance, and structured products capabilities with a globally integrated platform in highly regulated sectors. With deep roots in New York, Washington, and London, the combined firm provides a scaled transatlantic offering designed to support complex US and cross‑border transactions involving major global markets.
Hogan Lovells Cadwalader is expected to have approximately 3,100 lawyers across the Americas, EMEA, and APAC, with offices in every major financial center, allowing clients to draw on coordinated teams with deep experience in both transactional execution and regulatory engagement.
The combination strengthens our ability to offer a broader and more integrated range of services and practice areas, creating a more fulsome platform through which we can support Israeli businesses as they navigate complex, cross‑border and highly regulated transactions.
Hogan Lovells’ Israel desk offers Israeli clients a seamless point of entry into the combined firm’s exceptional full-service global platform. Drawing on deep familiarity with the Israeli market and strong relationships with local counsel, the team delivers practical, actionable legal guidance while maintaining a sharp focus on efficiency and cost-effectiveness.
IsraelDesks: How does the combined firm’s depth in regulatory, finance, and disputes translate into stronger support for Israeli companies navigating US and EU compliance challenges?
Hogan Lovells: Israel’s strength in sectors such as fintech, defense technology, and life sciences underscores the importance of sophisticated regulatory insight alongside transactional execution. The combined firm brings together Hogan Lovells’ long‑standing leadership in regulated industries with Cadwalader’s historic strength in financial services regulation, finance, and disputes.
Hogan Lovells Cadwalader will create one of the most complete financial‑regulatory offerings in the market. This platform is built to support clients navigating high‑stakes matters at the intersection of business and government, including US and EU compliance challenges tied to finance, capital markets, and regulated products.
Hogan Lovells has a strong practice providing regulatory advice to Israeli companies. It is particularly well known in Israel for its FDA regulatory advice, which it provides to Israeli medical device and other life sciences companies, including with the help of two FDA specialists on the ground in Israel. In addition to this regulatory practice, the combined platform will offer a broader suite of regulatory capabilities — including defense, air and space, trade and export control, privacy, data protection and cybersecurity, fintech regulatory and financial services, and government regulatory and public policy. These practices are among the very best in the market in terms of quality and effectiveness, and the combined platform presents a compelling opportunity to bring them to Israeli clients.
IsraelDesks: In Israel, international legal work runs on personal trust — lawyers refer work to partners they know, not just firms they’ve heard of. With two large firms now becoming one, how do you make sure the personal relationships Israeli lawyers have built with individual partners on both sides don’t get lost in the integration?
Hogan Lovells: Both Hogan Lovells and Cadwalader place a strong emphasis on personal relationships and partner‑level engagement. The thoughtful approach to integrating the two firms is designed to preserve and strengthen those connections and to develop broader and deeper relationships with existing Israeli clients and Israel-based law firms.
The combined firm will be led by partners from both legacy firms, reflecting an integrated transatlantic model and collaborative culture. With partner approval secured and the focus now on execution, teams across both firms are already working together to ensure a seamless transition that delivers immediate value for existing clients and referral partners.
Importantly, the merger is driven by a shared set of core values — excellence, ambition, collaboration, and an unwavering commitment to clients, people, and society — which underpin how partners work with one another and with clients globally. The goal is continuity of trusted relationships, supported by a broader and more connected global platform.
Partners at both firms are eager to leverage their knowledge and relationships in the Israeli market, collaborating with their new partners to bring this compelling global offering to their contacts in Israel.
