Hogan Lovells Cadwalader Adds Pro Bono Pledge
The combined firm has written a formal commitment to pro bono work and community support into its partnership constitution.
Updated on Nov. 5, 2026 in Law
Hogan Lovells Cadwalader, formed by combining Hogan Lovells with Cadwalader, Wickersham & Taft LLP, launched July 1 and incorporated a pro bono and citizenship commitment into its partnership constitution. The commitment was written into the new partnership deed alongside provisions covering ownership, leadership and operations.
Why it matters
Placing pro bono obligations in a governing document signals that community work is a structural part of the firm rather than an optional practice. The move comes as large US law firms face scrutiny over their diversity, equity and inclusion policies.
The firm's global workforce logged more than 256,000 Responsible Business hours in 2025, including over 174,000 pro bono hours. The global citizenship policy has required a minimum of 25 hours annually since 2015, though the extraction does not report how many staff met that threshold.
The players
Hogan Lovells
Hogan Lovells is a global law firm with origins in the 2010 merger of Hogan & Hartson and Lovells, and it is one of the largest international practices in the world.
Cadwalader, Wickersham & Taft LLP
Cadwalader, Wickersham & Taft is a New York-based law firm founded in 1792 that merged into Hogan Lovells to form the combined partnership.
Equal Employment Opportunity Commission
The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission is a US federal agency that enforces laws against workplace discrimination.
The details
The commitment sits within the partnership's governing framework and is founded on nearly three decades of investment in pro bono leadership, beginning with the 1997 appointment of Yasmin Waljee, the first such appointment across Europe. The pledge arrives shortly after the US Equal Employment Opportunity Commission warned 20 large law firms, including Hogan Lovells, in March 2025 about the possible illegality of their DEI employment policies.
Timeline
1997: Yasmin Waljee appointed as pro bono leader, the first such role in Europe.
2015: Global citizenship policy set a 25-hour annual minimum for pro bono and citizenship work.
March 2025: EEOC warned 20 large law firms about their DEI employment policies.
2025: Firm logged more than 174,000 pro bono hours.
July 1: Hogan Lovells Cadwalader combination launched.
Legal Context
The pledge arrives after the EEOC's March 2025 warning to 20 large US law firms, including Hogan Lovells, that their DEI employment policies could be illegal. Written pro bono commitments of this kind are one way large firms document community engagement amid that federal scrutiny.
For clients and staff, a constitutional pro bono requirement means community legal work is built into the firm's governance rather than left to individual lawyers' discretion. The 25-hour annual minimum set in 2015 is the concrete benchmark the partnership has used to measure that work.
The takeaway
Writing pro bono obligations into a partnership constitution makes community service a binding feature of firm governance. Readers tracking law firm responsibility should watch whether the 25-hour benchmark and the constitutional language are applied in practice.
Further reading
Explore more in Law coverage on how firms are structuring their public-interest obligations.
