Hogan Lovells’ Paris office turns 35

It’s the story of a marriage that has gone from strength to strength: “The most successful transatlantic merger of the past 50 years,” declares Hogan Lovells’ CEO Miguel Zaldivar, who took up the role five years to the day from this interview.

Zaldivar was referring to Hogan & Hartson tying the knot with Lovells in 2010, but it’s another anniversary that we are here to talk about today, namely the 35th birthday of the Paris office of Hogan Lovells, the oldest of its offices in continental Europe, established when Lovell White Durrant landed in Paris in 1990 (Hogan & Hartson would set up a Paris branch the following year).

Several hundred people are in attendance in grounds of Salomon de Rothschild hall in Paris’ upscale 8th arrondissement for the occasion, and not even the sweltering July weather can spoil the party that Zaldivar has crossed the Atlantic to attend. Unsuprising, perhaps, given that a couple of days prior Hogan Lovells hosted 800 in Miami to celebrate the global law firm’s crystal anniversary.  

It is time to raise a glass and take stock of these accomplishments.

“Today, we no longer see ourselves as a merged firm, but one that is entirely integrated,” explains the CEO. And an uber-cosmopolitan one to boot. No more American than it is British, the firm has not suffered the shortcoming that typically follows when two firms from different countries become one: the internal struggle to decide which culture becomes dominant. “I sit on the board of directors alongside lawyers who come from all over the world: China, Germany, London, Washington, Houston and Paris, represented by Marie-Aimée de Dampierre,” notes Zaldivar, who stresses that Hogan Lovells maintains optimal representation of legal systems, where Civil Law shares equal status with Common Law.

Millions of dollars-worth of top-level legal services are given free-of-charge by Hogan Lovells each year to those who do not have the financial means to defend themselves

Zaldivar describes Paris office managing partner Xenia Legendre as the “architect of its success,” prompting the Russian-born lawyer, who has been in her current role since 2018, to add, light-heartedly, “They used to call the Paris office Sleeping Beauty, but now we’re wide awake!” In its early days, the Paris office was among the smallest of its firm’s branches, but over the years has grown to become a vital cog in the Hogan Lovells machine, alongside DC, London and its five German locations, the latter home to 400 lawyers out of its global total of 2,800. Hogan Lovells is flourishing in the south of Europe too, with 180 lawyers in Italy and 150 in Spain. 

Low rate of staff turnover
Behind the success of the law firm, which has cracked the ranks of the world’s top ten, lies a perpetual, methodical approach to legal-market analysis designed to spot topics and trends likely to be of interest to its clients: digitalization, blockchain, digital assets, etc, then make the necessary adjustments.

Paris has, for example, just hired two IP lawyers from A&O Shearman specializing in copyright and in video games, in the shape of Alexandre Rudoni and Andrea Dufaure – the same Shearman & Sterling with whom Hogan Lovells’ planned merger failed to materialize in 2023. The rest we know: Shearman instead agreed to a mega-merger with Allen & Overy.

But all that is water under the bridge now. Hogan Lovells continues its rise, posting turnover of $3 billion for the past financial year (60% of which was earned from just six sectors: life sciences, financial institutions, automotive & mobility, technology, energy and consumer) and strategically adding to its already deep bench of talented lawyers.

The firm, co-headquartered in Washington DC and London, has one of the lowest staff-turnover rates in the market. For Sébastien Gros, this is due not only to its attractive remuneration packages, but also to the intellectually stimulating nature of the cases its lawyers work on. “The sheer number of high-end clients we serve in different countries, different regions, in different sectors, in different practice areas, is something that is very attractive to our talent.” Gros is a fine example; he has been with the firm since the turn of the century, going from work experience at the end of his studies to the halls of power: joining Hogan Lovells’ international management committee last July as global managing partner for strategy implementation and finance.

Miguel Zaldivar has full confidence in the Frenchman: “The firm really counts on Sébastien’s judgment, he is at the center of any critical decision that Hogan Lovells makes.” A next-generation lawyer, the firm “has found its leader for Paris,” reveals the big boss.

Another aspect of the firm that attracts the legal community are its wide-ranging inclusion policies. In a 2020 interview with Leaders League, Xenia Legendre remarked: “A mix of people from all backgrounds gives us a real edge over the typical white-male suit-and-tie firms.” And the CEO can attest first-hand to the firm’s longstanding commitment to inclusion. “I am an immigrant. I came to America as an adult at 28,” said the man who attended evening classes to earn his qualifications as he had to work during the day to make a living, and for whom Hogan Lovells, “gave someone that is different like [him] the chance to make it in the United States.”

That’s why he feels compelled to give the current crop of young lawyers a leg-up, “I owe it to the next generation,” he insists, stressing that Hogan Lovells is an inclusive firm founded on meritocracy. Sébastien Gros adds: “We are probably one of the big law firms with the most female partners.” The firm has 20 women partners out of a total of 46 in Paris. It has also signed Autre Cercle’s LGBT+ engagement charter in France, to create a more inclusive working environment – a courageous choice given the current attitudes surrounding DEI in certain parts of the world. But there’s nothing political about it. For people to work well, the firm believes, they have to feel good.

It’s in the DNA of Hogan Lovells which, like any self-respecting big-law firm, advocates “a performance culture,” one, according to Zaldivar, that’s based on, “honesty, being ethical in your behavior, precision, being very good in what you write and what you say, and hard work.”

The Paris office dates back to 1990, when Lovell White Durrant landed in the French capital

To make work and personal life compatible, the firm was an early adopter of home office, in 2015, which stood the managers of Hogan Lovells in good stead when covid hit. The firm has since expanded the horizons of its work-from-home policy to the benefit of both staff and clients. More availability and more flexibility in the service of the business and the tasks of its lawyers. “Well-coordinated flexibility expands working opportunities immensely,” estimates Legendre, which leaves each team with a certain amount of latitude to determine its own method of operating.

Number one for innovation
Over time, one piece of technology inevitably gives way to another, and so the legal profession finds itself having to get to grips with artificial intelligence. “I have been practicing law since 1986,” states Zaldivar, “and have seen so many inventions that have changed the profession, from the fax to be Blackberry to AI.”

At Hogan Lovells, the AI assistant is called Craig. It helps lawyers young and old extract data pertinent to due diligence, compose timelines and summaries, etc, although they are still expected to prove themselves intellectually. “We will incorporate technological solutions but not replace technical know-how,” explains Zaldivar, who oversees the co-foundation Eltemate, the legaltech behind Craig, alongside German Hogan Lovells partner Sebastian Lach. This legaltech employs 70 people, including nearly 20 software developers, data scientists and AI experts.

Another figure crucial to retooling of the firm for the AI age is Mark W. Brennan, in the role of global managing partner for digitalization since January. This June, the Financial Times named Hogan Lovells the law firm with the most consistent track record of innovation over the past 20 years.

Giving back
Miguel Zaldivar isn’t demure about Hogan Lovells’ ambitions: The firm has designs on becoming one of the biggest and most influential in the world, one that’s in the vanguard of the new globalization. An imperative, given the political, economic and technological shifts of recent years. Globalization of the 2000s, the merger years, these are well and truly in the rearview. According to Zaldivar, a firm that “was set up to thrive in a globalized economy is now getting more success in a localized economy, in an economy that is segmented,” due to the excellence of its practices across the board. “We operate in a way that allows us to be able to navigate all sorts of crises, wars, trade wars, supply chain issues, inflation, etc.”

The firm is already positioned at the heart of major global events – advising Ukraine, for instance, in its negotiations with the United States over mining rights – and setting ambitious targets for 2030 to combat climate change. It secured compensation for the families of the “Essex 39”, victims of illegal trafficking of migrants to the UK via Belgium who died during transit in a refrigerated lorry container – a successful legal outcome secured thanks to masterful inter-office collaboration (London, Paris, Hanoi and Brussels).  

Hogan Lovells allocates no less than 175,000 hours per year to pro-bono work designed to make a tangible impact on the lives of others. “I require each of our lawyers to carry out a minimum of 25 hours of unpaid legal work. It’s actually a condition, to be a member of our community,” stresses Zaldivar.

And at a rate of $1,000 an hour, this translates to millions in top-level legal services given free-of-charge each year to those who do not have the means to defend themselves. Some Hogan Lovells lawyers, including partners, even work pro-bono on a full-time bases, “something I am extremely proud of,” concludes Zaldivar.

One might say that, at Hogan Lovells, they have a deeper understanding than most of what it means to truly build a society.