By Ben Rigby
Nearly 60 per cent of Hogan Lovells’ new 2023 partner cadre are women. The firm announced this in introducing 38 new partners (see full list below) – a significant rise on 2022’s promotion round when Hogan Lovells promoted just 27 partners. It is the firm’s largest partner class this decade so far.
Hogan Lovells’ CEO, Miguel Zaldivar, said he was “particularly pleased that 58 per cent of this year’s new partner cohort are women, the highest percentage in the firm’s history, which reflects the strides we have made in the advancement of women at the firm”.
He added: “Twenty-four per cent of our new partners and 27 per cent of our new counsel identify as racially/ethnically diverse or LGBTQ+, demonstrating our commitment to the recruitment, retention, and advancement of our diverse talent.”
The firm’s global diversity plan was first launched in 2012. Some 30 per cent of the firm’s US and UK partners are now women with the combined US and UK partnership making up nearly two-thirds of the partnership globally. From 2021 to 2023, 49 per cent of partners elevated have been women.
Three women among many partners are said to have been influential in enabling such progress; Susan Bright, previously the firm’s global diversity and inclusion lead, who retired in 2022; Anna Kurian Shaw, her successor and incumbent, and current chair of the board, Marie-Aimée de Dampierre, who also held the diversity brief.
Hogan Lovells has also been prominent in external initiatives promoting legal diversity, such as the 1 per cent Study, while individual partners have supported peer-to-peer mentoring networks for senior women leaders.
Last year Europe took the lion’s share of partner promotions, with 14 being made up across the network. This year, the US is the largest region, with 19 partners being made up in the Americas, spread across Baltimore, Boston, Denver, Houston, Los Angeles, New York, Philadelphia, and Washington DC.
There were 17 promotions in the EMEA region, with the EU and the UK particularly favoured: London accounted for six of the promotions and Paris four, with other elevations in Amsterdam, Dusseldorf, Frankfurt, Hamburg, Luxembourg, Rome, and Warsaw, alongside one partner-equivalent promotion, in tax, in Rome.
No partners were promoted in Africa or the Middle East, while there were just two Asia-Pacific promotions, in Hong Kong and Singapore. Hogan Lovells Fidelity, the firm’s joint venture with Fujian Fidelity Law Firm in Shanghai, promoted one partner and counsel.
Practice area promotions reflected a bet on transactions, with 14 promotions in corporate and finance, which includes tax, real estate and private equity, among others (up four from the last two years). Twelve lawyers were promoted in the firm’s IP, antitrust and regulatory group, an increase of four from 2022.
Disputes – across litigation, arbitration, and employment – saw eleven promotions, one more than in 2022, and the second straight increase in contentious practice area partners, year-on-year, reflecting a worsening post-pandemic economic climate. There was one internal appointment in the firm’s office of general counsel.
Last year, the firm made more than thirty partner-level lateral hires; although it closed its Perth office and its Moscow office became an independent law firm.
Last month, German legal title Juve reported that the firm was in early merger talks with Shearman & Sterling. A deal would create the world’s third-largest law firm revenue of around US$3.6bn.
Hogan Lovells also unveiled 77 new counsel.
The full roster of new partners
Robert F. Baldwin III – Global Regulatory & Intellectual Property, Media, and Technology (Antitrust, Competition and Economic Regulation) – Washington, D.C. – Technology/Telecoms
Jillian C. Beck – Litigation, Arbitration, and Employment (Litigation) – Houston – Technology/Energy & Natural Resources
Maria Benbrahim – Litigation, Arbitration, and Employment (Employment) – Amsterdam – Financial Institutions & Insurance/Automotive
Florian Brechon – Corporate & Finance (Private Equity & Funds) – Paris – Energy & Natural Resources
Joel D. Buckman – Global Regulatory & Intellectual Property, Media, and Technology (Public Procurement and Education) – Washington, D.C. – Education
Lauren W. Clarke – Corporate & Finance (Tax, Pensions & Benefits) – New York – Real Estate
W. James Denvil – Global Regulatory & Intellectual Property, Media, and Technology (Privacy and Cybersecurity) – Washington, D.C. – Consumer/Automotive
Arnaud Deparday – Corporate & Finance (Mergers & Acquisitions) – Paris – Financial Institutions & Insurance
Derrik E. Forshee – Corporate & Finance (Mergers & Acquisitions) – Baltimore – Consumer/Technology
Alexander Fortuin – Corporate & Finance (Tax, Pensions & Benefits) – Amsterdam – Financial Institutions & Insurance
Markus Franken – Corporate & Finance (Real Estate) – Frankfurt – Real Estate
Anthonia Ghalamkarizadeh – Global Regulatory & Intellectual Property, Media, and Technology (Intellectual Property, Media, and Technology) – Hamburg – Technology/Telecoms/Sports, Media & Entertainment
Sebastian Gräler – Litigation, Arbitration, and Employment (Investigations, White Collar, and Fraud) – Dusseldorf – Automotive
Maggie Hedges – Office of the General Counsel – Washington, D.C.
Ashley M. Howlett – Global Regulatory & Intellectual Property, Media, and Technology (Antitrust, Competition and Economic Regulation) – Washington, D.C. – Technology/Telecoms
Rita Hunter – Global Regulatory & Intellectual Property, Media, and Technology (Financial Services) – London – Financial Institutions & Insurance
Vassi Iliadis – Litigation, Arbitration, and Employment (Litigation) – Los Angeles – Technology/Telecoms/Life Sciences & Health Care
Katherine Keeley – Corporate & Finance (Mergers & Acquisitions) – Washington, D.C. – Real Estate
Emily E. Kimball – Global Regulatory & Intellectual Property, Media, and Technology (Environment and Natural Resources) – Denver – Transport & Logistics
Zachary S. Launer – Global Regulatory & Intellectual Property, Media, and Technology (Energy Regulatory) – Washington, D.C. – Energy & Natural Resources
Sara C. Lenet – Global Regulatory & Intellectual Property, Media, and Technology (International Trade and Investment) – Washington, D.C. – Financial Institutions & Insurance
Paul Leroy – Corporate & Finance (Private Equity & Funds) – Paris – Financial Institutions & Insurance
Tommy Liu – Global Regulatory & Intellectual Property, Media, and Technology (Strategic Operations, Agreements and Regulation) – Hong Kong – Technology/Telecoms
Wojciech Marchwicki – Litigation, Arbitration, and Employment (Litigation) – Warsaw -Manufacturing & Industrials
Ariane Mehrshahi Marks – Corporate & Finance (Capital Markets/Banking) – Luxembourg – Financial Institutions & Insurance
Stephen M. Nicolai – Corporate & Finance (Capital Markets) – Philadelphia – Life Sciences & Health Care
Melissa Ordonez – Litigation, Arbitration, and Employment (International Arbitration) – Paris
Jenna Ralfe – Litigation, Arbitration, and Employment (Litigation) – London – Financial Institutions & Insurance/Energy & Natural Resources
Niki Roberts – Corporate & Finance (Mergers & Acquisitions/Infrastructure, Energy, Resources and Projects) – Houston – Energy & Natural Resources
Kaveeta Sandhu – Corporate & Finance (Banking) – Singapore – Financial Institutions & Insurance
Lydia Savill – Litigation, Arbitration, and Employment (Litigation) – London – Financial Institutions & Insurance
Amelia Stawpert – Corporate & Finance (Private Equity & Funds) – London – Private Capital/Real Estate
Alice Wallace-Wright – Global Regulatory & Intellectual Property, Media, and Technology (Antitrust, Competition and Economic Regulation) – London and Dublin – Technology/Telecoms/Life Sciences and Health Care
Christopher W. Weigand – Corporate & Finance (Mergers & Acquisitions) – Denver – Sports, Media & Entertainment
Katie Wellington – Litigation, Arbitration, and Employment (Litigation) – Boston – Life Sciences & Health Care
Stella Wong – Global Regulatory & Intellectual Property, Media, and Technology (Intellectual Property, Media, and Technology) – London – Life Sciences & Health Care
Allison M. Wuertz – Litigation, Arbitration, and Employment (Litigation) – New York – Financial Institutions & Insurance
Samuel L. Zimmerman – Litigation, Arbitration, and Employment (International Arbitration) – New York – Life Sciences & Health Care/Energy & Natural Resources
