Hogan Lovells Cadwalader
- London
"..."the friendly firm in the City,” Hogan Lovells and Cadwalader combine global breadth with Wall Street prowess."
About the firm
- 90
- Trainees
- 392
- Associates
- 2
- National Offices
- 46
- Overseas Offices
Lovells is a fitting name for a firm born from a series of successful unions. Its impressive family tree most recently culminated in Hogan Lovells Cadwalader, when Hogan Lovells and Cadwalader, Wickersham & Taft tied the knot in July 2026 to create the world’s fifth-largest law firm by revenue.
The combination marries Hogan Lovells’ global platform with Cadwalader’s Wall Street smarts, resulting in a tidy 58 Chambers UK department rankings, most notably for things like commercial administrative & public law, trade finance commodities, consumer finance, data protection & information law, financial services payments law, and civil fraud. With expertise in spades, the more pressing question for aspiring trainees may be whether the new firm has retained the nurturing environments of its predecessors.
"I'm really, really pleased with the choice that I made."
The reassuring answer is that little appears to have changed on that front. Interviewees repeatedly foregrounded the firm’s reputation as “the friendly firm in the City,” with several flocking to the firm for that very reason. Additionally, with mandatory seats across corporate, finance and disputes, trainees appreciated the breadth of experience on offer. Ultimately, as one trainee put it, "I'm really, really pleased with the choice that I made."
Why trainees joined the firm
Friendly reputation
Breadth of seats
International platform and quality of work
Friendly reputation
Across the board, interviewees noted gaining a lasting impression that folks at the firm were friendly and approachable. “A big draw was speaking to a couple of people at the firm before applying and I noticed that everyone was really friendly and willing to give you their time of day,” said one trainee. Another added, “I never felt like I was being a pain when reaching out to people at the firm; it can be clunky and awkward to grow your network as a student, but I never felt embarrassed reaching out.”
Breadth of seats
"One thing that stood out to me was the range of practice areas the firm has,” noted one interviewee, with another adding, “The most important thing for me was seat variety because I wasn’t sure what I wanted to specialise in.” As an additional note, trainee seat options are available across the corporate, finance, disputes and global regulatory departments to ensure they get exposure to that breadth of work.
International platform and quality of work
“I wanted an international firm with high-profile clients,” said one interviewee. Thanks to a combination of mergers of late, the firm has a strong transatlantic presence with a whopping 46 overseas offices.
Trainee satisfaction rankings
- Excellent
- Training & development
- Strong
- General satisfaction
- Strong
- Hours & work/life balance
- Strong
- Compensation
- Strong
- AI adoption
Training contract structure
- 4x6
- Seat Structure
Seat allocation
Trainees have the option to complete seats in the corporate, finance, disputes and global regulatory departments . The firm uses an AI platform called OptiSeat, where for each rotation, trainees can rank up to eight seat preferences. The system balances individual choices against business need and previous seat allocations, and the early careers development team reviews outcomes and makes accommodations for trainees’ preferences where possible. “The firm is open and transparent about allocations,” sources reassured: “It’s important to them that we’re satisfied.”
- Yes
- Client secondments
- Yes
- International secondments
Client secondments
Client secondments are available through the firm’s seat allocation process and are typically aligned with a selected practice area. Opportunities vary from year to year, though past examples have seen trainees undergo stints with clients across the healthcare, automotive and banking & finance industries.
International secondments
International secondments are available to the firm’s New York, Washington DC, Dubai, Hong Kong, Singapore, Paris and Frankfurt offices. Trainees can apply for these opportunities through OptiSeat by ranking the secondment alongside their other seat preferences and submitting a personal statement. “The secondments abroad are popular,” noted insiders: “The US seats in particular are competitive.”
Seat Experiences
The mergers & acquisitions seat sees trainees work with companies that buy and sell subsidiaries, including the likes of Metro Bank, Ford Motor Company, and Brookfield Asset Management. In a recent deal, the firm advised DICK’s Sporting Goods on its $2.4 billion acquisition of Foot Locker.
On the sale side, trainee tasks include reviewing and conducting due diligence checks on documents like share purchase agreements and documents in the data room, as well as drafting corporate authorisations and taking board minutes.
The team was described by insiders as relatively fast-paced, allowing trainees to step up to the plate on occasion: “The nature of the team is really busy; they need you to be able to do the trainee tasks and, where capable, take on more stuff. You could run a mini process if you felt like you were up to it.”
Admittedly, a source noted that in this department, you’re “unable to predict weeks and weekends, but on the whole, I found the team very supportive and they explained the work going on so you felt part of the team.” Overall, they concluded, “You’re given a lot of responsibility and quite a bit of autonomy as well.”
The commercial disputes, financial services & investigations team, referred to by trainees as “in short, financial services regulation,” deals with disputes in relation to financial services for companies including Vodafone, British American Tobacco and Equifax. In a recent matter, the firm successfully represented Vodafone in an appeal brought about by Phones 4U, a British mobile retailer that filed for administration in 2014, relating to alleged collusion between major telecom companies.
As a broad practice, trainees explained that “different partners in the team have specialisms that they focus on.” As such, trainees are involved in a number of matters at any given time. “At the moment, I’m working on about three different matters…” mused one source. Thankfully, however, tasks for each matter tend to lean quite similar, allowing trainees to get up to speed quickly. Our source continued: “I’ve had a pretty consistent workload in the sense that I have repeated tasks I do every week.”
These tasks include anything and everything from drafting agendas, taking notes on client calls, conducting searches on Companies House, updating matter and action lists, and conducting plenty of research. “If an associate comes to me with a question I go away and do some research, and they either use my research to advise a client or decide next steps,” explained an insider.
Further, trainees can get involved in trial preparation, which includes preparing bundles, proofreading court documents, keeping track of correspondence from opposing counsel, and carrying out disclosure review.
Leveraged finance is one of the firm’s busiest transactional teams, taking on around three trainees per rotation. The team primarily advises lenders and borrowers on the financing that underpins major acquisitions. As one trainee explained, they help “legally structure financing that would be used by the lender, sometimes the borrower,” enabling companies to fund takeovers and other large-scale transactions. This team’s clients include the likes of HSBC, Ares Management and Hayfin. The firm is also currently representing Pemberton Asset Management in relation to the refinancing of the facilities of Genesis Cancer Care UK Limited.
Insiders noted this seat is fast paced; “The deal flow is quite high; you’d finish a deal in a couple of weeks,” said one source. The added benefit to this sort of pace is trainees are able to experience the full lifecycle of multiple transactions during a single rotation. Adding to the dynamism, one insider noted, “We’d work for everyone rather than for one supervisor who assigns you work.”
Across various transactions, trainees take on tasks like running CP checklists, carrying out due diligence, drafting corporate authorisations and other ancillary documents, and plenty of Docusign coordination. “It’s very organisational work,” noted one insider.
The firm’s real estate team works on a range of commercial property transactions, including leases, acquisitions and property finance for clients like British Land, King’s Cross Central, and The Crown Estate. In fact, the firm is sole legal adviser to the latter on its offshore, wind, tidal, carbon capture and storage and gas storage portfolio in England, Wales and Northern Ireland.
Compared to some of the firm’s faster-paced departments, trainees noted the “hours were more predictable.” With the steady workflow, insiders described being able to take on a lot of responsibility. “It was my favourite seat!” one interviewee beamed: “I got my own matters to run, and I was in charge of progressing matters which I really enjoyed.”
Day-to-day tasks for trainees include acting for landlords on various commercial leases, completing Land Registry applications, assisting with lender-side mortgages and reviewing title documents.
In real estate finance, trainees mainly work on lender-side transactions, running CP checklists and helping draft loan documents.
Trainee life
Culture and environment
“The firm lives up to its reputation of being really friendly,” one trainee headlined: “On the whole, everyone’s really approachable and happy to help you.” Indeed, ‘friendly’ was a common adjective used to describe the culture by the various trainees we spoke to. Of course, with any big company, “there’s always variety and different personalities, but in general, I’ve felt able to ask questions when I’ve needed to,” another source added.
“...in terms of culture, it’s great across the board and they take that very seriously when it comes to hiring."
One trainee admitted they had initially been apprehensive about joining a City firm, explaining, “I was quite worried about the culture because I wouldn’t thrive in a really tough environment, but I’ve found it very comfortable.” That said, trainees were clear that friendliness should not be mistaken for lower standards. “Being a City firm, you have to be on the ball,” one noted. They added that “in terms of culture, it’s great across the board and they take that very seriously when it comes to hiring; they pay attention to how people work in a team.”
On the social side, trainees enjoy annual summer and winter parties; “They’re really lovely and absolutely everyone is included,” said one. Team socials take place throughout the year and trainees have their own social budget to plan get-togethers. To facilitate cohesion with the merger, legacy Hogan Lovells and Cadwalader folks also had networking events to get to know one another.
Working patterns
- 3 days a week
- Expected office attendance
- 47 (Varies by seat)
- Typical billable hours in a week
Data from our annual trainee survey
As to be expected, trainees reported that hours vary across departments. While some noted steady 9.30am to 6pm days, others in busier teams regularly stayed on until around 8 or 9pm, with occasional later nights in the run up to signings or hearings.
As one insider told us, “Most days I can leave the office and not think about working later than 7.30pm, but if there’s a hearing coming up and I have to prepare bundles, I’ll stay longer.” Sources were quick to also note though that “if you’re working late, you’re not the only one, and people are grateful for your help.” There’s also flexibility for trainees to head home from the office and pick things up later on those longer nights.
Pay
- £56,000
- 1st Year Salary
- £61,000
- 2nd Year Salary
- 85.2%
- Were satisfied with the salary
Data provided by firm and our annual trainee survey
Salaries sit towards the upper end of the market (just below the highest-paying US firms), which trainees felt was appropriate given that the hours can become intense at busier points in the year. Overall, sources were content with compensation, and the NQ salary ultimately received positive reviews, with one trainee noting that they were “very happy” with the offering.
Supervision and training
Trainees were consistent in their praise for their various supervisors, noting their approachability and investment in their development. One insider noted: “They’ve been really really good, and always make time for a weekly coffee chat; they’re all really engaged and want to know what I’m working on.” Style of supervision ultimately varies between supervisors, with some arranging weekly catch-up calls, while others are more readily available in-office for ad hoc questions. Formal mid-seat and end-of-seat reviews are also built into every rotation.
The firm hosts department and trainee-specific training sessions covering everything from new laws and Brexit developments to firm resources and technology. There’s also a programme called ‘HLC Launch’ which focuses on soft skills, like building confidence, time management, and building relationships with supervisors. “At the start there’s quite a lot of training,” noted one insider. As trainees progress, lots of learning takes place through doing.
Pro bono & CSR
Trainees described pro bono as “a pretty big deal” at the firm. Shortly after joining, trainees are enrolled in a programme called ‘HLC BaSE', which involves a week-long training course at the end of which trainees are placed into groups and assigned a client they have to advise over the next few months. Beyond that, all lawyers, including trainees, have to complete at least 25 hours of pro bono work annually, and all receive weekly emails advertising opportunities they can get involved in.
“It’s super easy to get involved in anything you’re interested in,” said one trainee. Opportunities are varied and include chances to attend court and carry out some advocacy for clients, as well as corporate-aligned opportunities like carrying out the paperwork to set up charities, and research-based work.
Other opportunities include
Asylum Aid UK
Domestic Abuse Response Alliance
The National Association of Care and Support Workers.
Inclusion
“I’ve been really impressed by the inclusion initiatives,” one trainee headlined: “There are a lot of different networks you can join.” These include those for Pride, wellbeing, multiculturalism, race and ethnicity, and social mobility, as well as the Breaking Barriers network for first generation lawyers.
The firm also partners with various organisations to support candidates from diverse backgrounds, including Aspiring Solicitors, the Law Society, and Rare Recruitment. Overall, trainees noted the firm is “proud of its diversity and encourages people to bring their full selves to work.”
Qualification
Trainees are given a presentation between their second and third rotations on the qualification process, and an official jobs list is sent out early on in their fourth rotation. Trainees can apply for up to three NQ positions, and the process involves either one-to-one or panel interviews. A few teams also require a written exercise.
“It’s quite long,” trainees noted of the overall qualification process. For September-starters: “The jobs list comes out in April, and job offers come out in late-June.” While interviewees appreciated receiving a clear roadmap of key dates, some found the wait stressful, particularly as vacancies depend on business need and there’s no guarantee a preferred team will be hiring.
- Undisclosed%
- Trainees Retention
TLC at HLC…
Insiders had rave reviews about their current digs, which they described as “buzzy and collaborative,” boasting subsidised lunches at the firm’s in-house canteen, Koulan, as well as a salad bar and a free gym.
Contact this law firm
Top Figures
- £56,000
- 1st Year Salary
- £61,000
- 2nd Year Salary
- £145,000
- Newly Qualified Salary
- Up to 45
- Training Contract Vacancies
- Undisclosed
- Application Closing Date
- Yes
- Apprenticeship
