Lovells, Hogan agree merger

International law firms Lovells and Hogan & Hartson have announced that their respective partnerships have approved the merger of their operations. The combined entity, which will be known as Hogan Lovells, will become effective on 1 May 2010. The merged firm will have approximately 2,500 lawyers operating out of more than 40 offices worldwide with distinctive strengths in dispute resolution, regulatory issues, antitrust, corporate finance, intellectual property and real estate.

The combination of Lovells and Hogan & Hartson is an unusual one since the former has its roots in the UK while the latter is based in the US. “I think this is the first true transatlantic merger of equals, of two very substantial law firms,” Crispin Rapinet, regional managing partner of Lovells, told India Business Law Journal. “We at Lovells have a great practice in Asia and we have a very active practice in terms of India-related transactional work. While we’ve had a very long-standing presence in the US – in New York and Chicago – that has never been a full-service presence and there has always been a limit on the practice areas we offer in the US.”

Rapinet believes the partnership with Hogan & Hartson will boost the firm’s service capabilities on both inbound and outbound transactions in Asia, including India. “In terms of inbound work and foreign investment into India and Asia, the US continues to be a major driver,” said Rapinet. “For us, the great attraction of the combination with Hogan is the strength of their client base. They have a fantastic client base of huge US corporates and multinationals who are very active around the world. A number of those institutions are going to be looking actively for opportunities in India and investment opportunities in China. We can clearly service that.”