Hogan & Hartson LLP, a Washington, D.C., law firm with a significant presence in Denver, and Lovells, a large law firm based in London, will merge operations, the two firms announced Tuesday.
“This will set us apart in terms of our ability to go anywhere in the world and represent clients,” said Cole Finegan, Hogan & Hartson’s managing partner in Colorado.
The combination, which starts May 1 pending regulatory approvals, will create the world’s ninth-largest law firm, with 2,500 lawyers spread across 40 offices in the U.S., Europe, Asia, the Middle East and Latin America. The combined firm will be known as Hogan Lovells.
Denver will benefit from the combination in two ways, Finegan said. Lovells should bring additional work from new international clients into Denver, which is the center of Hogan’s public-finance practice.
Likewise, Hogan’s local client base, which includes the Anschutz Co. and United Healthcare of Colorado, will gain access to a broader international network of legal advisers.
“It provides that additional expertise and opportunity for Colorado companies who are doing business in Asia and Europe,” said Kelly Brough, chief executive of the Denver Metro Chamber of Commerce.
Hogan is known for its regulatory and government lobbying work, while Lovells has a strong focus on intellectual property. Both are active in advising on corporate mergers and acquisitions.
Energy, financial services, telecommunications, media and technology, life sciences and pharmaceuticals, consumer goods, real estate, natural resources, and infrastructure are among the areas the combined firm will focus on.
“We have business going on every hour of every day,” said Finegan, who said the firm’s client list includes corporate giants such as Ford, General Electric, Motorola and IBM.
Finegan said no staffing changes are expected in Colorado, where the firm employs 80 to 100 lawyers and a total staff of about 200.
Hogan & Hartson, which started its practice in the state in 1994, is Denver’s seventh-largest law firm in terms of lawyers. It also operates offices in Colorado Springs and Boulder. Lovells doesn’t have a presence in the state.
Finegan, Denver’s former city attorney and mayoral chief of staff, joined the firm in February 2007.
Hogan & Hartson chairman Warren Gorrell and Lovells managing partner David Harris will manage the combined firm as co-CEOs.
Hogan & Hartson will contribute about 1,200 lawyers to the combined partnership, while Lovells will provide 1,300.
Aldo Svaldi: 303-954-1410 or asvaldi@denverpost.com
Hogan & Hartson
Headquarters: Washington, D.C.
Lawyers: 1,200 firmwide, 80 to 100 in Colorado
Famous alumni: Chief Justice John Roberts Jr., Sen. J. William Fulbright
Founded: 1904 by Frank Hogan
Colorado offices: Denver, Boulder, Colorado Springs, focusing on public finance
Source: Hogan & Hartson
