Hogan Lovells announces 2026 Partner promotions amid landmark merger plans

The announcement comes shortly after the firm revealed its planned merger with Cadwalader, Wickersham & Taft, a transaction widely described as the largest combination in the history of the global legal market.

The newly promoted partners reflect the firm’s strong international footprint, with 12 partners based in the Americas, 15 in Europe and one in the Asia-Pacific region. In the United States, promotions span offices in Denver, Miami, New York, Northern Virginia and Washington, DC. European appointments cover Amsterdam, Düsseldorf, Hamburg, London, Madrid, Milan, Munich and Paris, while the Asia-Pacific promotion is based in Shanghai.

Across Germany, Hogan Lovells will enter 2026 with four newly promoted partners and nine new counsel appointed from within its own ranks, underscoring the firm’s commitment to internal talent development. The new German partners are Oliver Bäcker, Dr. Jessica Goetsch, Phillipp Schmidt and Melanie Schub. The newly appointed counsel are Joy Baur, Dr. Benjamin Goehl, Jessika Heinsch, LL.M. (Glasgow), Dr. Tim Hinrichsen, Kristina Laewen, Florian Richter, Dr. Teresa Sedelmaier, Damian Sternberg and Dr. Felix Werner.

Dr. Detlef Haß, Managing Partner Germany, welcomes the promotions, highlighting their strategic significance for the firm’s long-term positioning. He noted that the latest appointments demonstrate Hogan Lovells’ commitment to a modern and efficient law firm structure, with a strong focus on performance, responsibility and the targeted development of young talent. By combining internal career progression with carefully selected lateral hires, the firm continues to strengthen its cross-sector expertise and its ability to deliver tailored and innovative advice to clients.

The 2026 partner class spans all 14 of Hogan Lovells’ industry sectors, including aerospace and defence, automotive and mobility, energy, financial institutions, insurance, life sciences and healthcare, private capital, real estate, technology, and transportation and logistics. Practice areas represented include corporate and finance, global regulatory and intellectual property, as well as litigation, arbitration and employment.

Commenting on the global promotions, CEO Miguel Zaldivar praised the newly promoted partners and counsel, emphasising that the 2026 class reinforces the firm’s capacity to support clients on complex, cross-border matters, particularly in highly regulated industries. He also highlighted the importance of maintaining balance across practices, geographies and sectors.

The firm confirmed that the 53 new counsel appointments exceed last year’s total of 47, reflecting continued investment in senior talent development.

These promotions follow the December announcement of Hogan Lovells’ forthcoming merger with Cadwalader. Cadwalader announced its own 2026 promotions shortly before the merger, naming seven new partners and 17 counsel and special counsel - the firm’s largest promotion round in several years.

Sophie Stevenard

See the full list of new partners below:

• Eric Andalman – Real Estate – Denver – Sports, Media and Entertainment

• Tom Eyre-Brook – Tax, Pensions and Benefits – London – Sports, Media and Entertainment/ Energy/ Private Capital

• Madelyn Healy Joseph – Private Equity and Funds – Washington, D.C. – Private Capital

• Christophe-Marc Juvanon – Mergers & Acquisitions – Paris – Energy/ Private Capital/ Manufacturing and Industrials

• Charlotte Monk – Private Equity and Funds – London – Private Capital

• Francesca Parker – Mergers & Acquisitions – London – Financial Institutions/ Insurance/ Technology

• Catalina Santos Parkinson – Capital Markets – Washington, D.C. – Life Sciences and Health Care/ Real Estate

• Naomi Parmar – Restructuring and Special Situations – London – Private Capital/ Financial Institutions

• Eduardo Pérez – Mergers & Acquisitions – Madrid - Aerospace and Defense/ Manufacturing and Industrials/ Life Sciences and Health Care

• Aarti Rao – Capital Markets – London – Financial Institutions

• Michael L. Rogers – Private Equity and Funds - Northern Virginia - Private Capital

• Chantalle Schoegje – (Assigned) Civil law notary – Mergers & Acquisitions – Amsterdam

• Oliver Bäcker – IP – Düsseldorf – Technology

• Ari Fridman – Government Relations and Public Affairs – Washington, D.C. – Aerospace and Defense/ Life Sciences and Health Care/ Education

• Josh Gelula – International Trade and Investment – Washington, D.C. – Aerospace and Defense/ Automotive and Mobility/ Technology

• Hannah Graae – Transportation – Washington D.C. – Automotive and Mobility/ Manufacturing and Industrials/ Transportation and Logistics

• Sally Gu – Pharmaceuticals and Biotechnology – Washington, D.C. – Life Sciences and Health Care

• George V. John – Communications, Internet, and Media – Washington, D.C. – Aerospace and Defense/ Technology

• Victor Levy – Antitrust, Competition and Economic Regulation (ACER) – Paris – Aerospace and Defense

• Dirk-Jan Ridderinkhof – IP – Amsterdam – Life Sciences and Health Care / Technology / Automotive and Mobility

• Melanie Schub – Strategic Operations, Agreements & Regulation (SOAR) – Munich – Automotive and Mobility/ Technology/ Manufacturing and Industrials

• Stephanie Sun – International Trade and Investment – Shanghai – Technology/ Life Sciences and Health Care/ Automotive and Mobility

• Daniel Balmori – Litigation – Miami – Life Sciences and Health Care/ Transportation and Logistics/ Sports, Media and Entertainment

• Alessandro Borrello – Litigation – Milan – Automotive and Mobility/ Life Sciences and Health Care/ Insurance

• Elizabeth C. Carter – Litigation – New York – Life Sciences and Health Care/ Sports, Media and Entertainment

• Jessica Goetsch – Litigation – Munich – Automotive and Mobility/ Energy

• Lance Y. Murashige – Litigation – Washington D.C. – Technology/ Life Sciences and Health Care

• Phillipp Schmidt – Litigation – Hamburg – Consumer/ Technology

Image: © Reuters