Hogan Lovells Cadwalader

Love(ll) brought this happy couple together, pairing a US style work output and a British cultural fit.

Hogan Lovells Cadwalader training contract review 2026

About the firm

*In July 2026, Hogan Lovells and fellow US firm Cadwalader merged to form Hogan Lovells Cadwalader.

The ‘special relationship’ between the UK and the US was a phrase first popularised by Winston Churchill way back in 1946, but over at Chambers Student we’d argue that the ‘special relationship’ only really hit its stride from 2010 onwards. Why? Because that’s when US firm Hogan & Hartston and UK’s Lovells merged to create the transatlantic powerhouse Hogan Lovells.

As a result of the union, the firm takes the best qualities of both nations: “It has an exciting client base,” one trainee told us, “I wanted to do important work that had a big impact on businesses in the city.” But context is important, and others were quick to highlight the fact that: “it’s quite a British culture and people are very relaxed and open to answering questions.”

“I wanted to do important work that had a big impact on businesses in the city.”

It's a sentiment echoed by training principal Victor Fornasier too, who highlights the positive atmosphere it creates: “By and large, we want it to be a place that people enjoy working. We aim to foster collaboration in both a working relationship sense and in a business development sense.” Insiders felt the firm was committed to developing them while also fostering a welcoming atmosphere: “They take a vested interest in both your professional and personal life.”

The generative impact this has had on the firm’s full-service work speaks for itself. A quick look at our sister site Chambers UK and you’ll see Hogan Lovells ranking in over 50 departments. This includes standouts in banking and finance, commercial and corporate litigation, real estate litigation, data protection and information law, financial services, fraud, product liability, life sciences and more.

Training Contract Structure

Hogan Lovells’ seat allocation process originally involved submitting preferences for all seats during their first six months, but that has since changed and those we spoke to were delighted that the firm had responded in this way: “I think this way makes more sense,” explained one, “as we develop over the course of the contract, we can make more informed choices.”

Trainees attend a practice area fair halfway through each seat and then put in preferences for where they’d like to end up next. No seats are mandatory, but trainees can expect to do a stint in a finance seat and either a disputes, corporate or global regulatory seat. The firm is also entering its second year of apprenticeships, something Fornasier is especially passionate about: “They've not gone to university, and this is another avenue to help people qualify into the profession.”

For those in their third or fourth seat, secondment opportunities come knocking in both the form of a client placement (usually at a bank) and deployment to one of HL’s overseas offices. “There’s a good number of options,” enthused one trainee, “they’re really popular as well.” The locations on offer include New York, Hong Kong, Dubai, Washington, Frankfurt, Singapore and Paris.

Pro bono is also incentivised for trainees, especially through HL BaSE (business and social enterprise) – a programme which assigns a sustainable business client to trainees that they can work with from the ground up. “It was great experience because I was dealing with a client from day one,” relayed one source, “it’s amazing exposure and helps you build that client relationship.”

Seat Experiences

Trainee Life

How hands-on supervisors are with trainees generally depends on whether they’re the ones assigning work, with interviewees reporting a mix of contact time: “It depends on the seat,” explained one source, “but they’ve all been really willing to help and answer my questions.” That sentiment carried across our interviews, and it’s something that evolves over time. As trainees become more senior, “they don’t want to spoon feed you. They let you get on with things.”

Mentorship comes in a couple of different forms, such as the optional partner mentor scheme and a buddy system that saw our sources have a second-year trainee in their practice group assigned to them: “Now I’m the buddy of someone just starting out, so I can give back.” Sources experienced varied training sessions during their induction and are now treated to structured sessions within each seat, a fact that our insiders praised: “I feel I know how to do everything, and I’ve been well prepared for the tasks I’ve been given.”

“…we had a revamp to our cafeteria, including vegan and veggie options and an improved salad bar!”

The London office came in for particular praise, in large part due to the extra incentives on offer there including “the gym, which is a huge perk. It’s completely free and on site.” That’s not all either, we heard about onsite dry cleaning, sleeping pods, a weekly free lunch and music rooms to name just a few bonus features. The subsidised cafeteria was also praised for its constant improvements. As one put it, “we had a revamp to our cafeteria including vegan and veggie options and an improved salad bar!” Great news for those hungry for more than just justice!

The firm operates on a general three days in the office policy with most of our sources working between 9.30am and 6/7pm. The longer hours popped up for those doing transactional seats, but current trainees weren’t too worried, especially with “one of the best trainee salaries in the city.”

The general consensus was that the culture at Hogan Lovells steers clear of many of the US firm stereotypes: “You really don’t feel there’s much of a hierarchy, everyone is very approachable and collaborative.” There’s also a plethora of events and activities on offer that go towards socialising at the firm including departmental Christmas parties, a firm wide summer party, pub quizzes, book clubs, sports teams, charity runs and trips to the pub. “They make you feel welcome early on,” one told us, “I feel very comfortable being myself and you’re not just a cog in the machine.”

Along those same lines, we heard the firm takes mental health seriously with an onsite counsellor and a private GP service. In terms of inclusivity, there are a number of employment networks, such as the multicultural, Pride and social mobility networks.

Qualification

Trainees were grateful that come qualification season, the firm didn’t keep them in the dark: “Towards the end of your third seat, they explain all the things you need to do. Generally speaking, it’s the same across the board.” This transparency helped keep things more relaxed, and those we spoke to explained that most departments hold a single interview (with its formality depending on the competitiveness of the seat).

The depth of homegrown partners was a huge source of optimism for insiders: “My whole team basically started here as trainees. It’s like a little family tree!” In 2025, the firm did not disclose the number of qualifiers.