NY Old Guard Firms Seek Shelter in Deals With Deep-Pocket Rivals

December 19, 2025, 10:00 AM UTC

Cadwalader Wickersham & Taft is the latest storied New York law firm forced to find a dance partner or face extinction.

Manhattan’s oldest law firm is merging with Hogan Lovells, Cadwalader announced Thursday. The move follows 150-year-old Shearman & Sterling’s combination with Allen & Overy last year.

Cadwalader’s deep financial sector ties once made it among the country’s most profitable firms, but its narrow focus became a liability as the legal services industry shifted. Like Shearman, the firm staked out a merger with a larger, blow-in competitor to avoid the fate of Stroock & Stroock & Lavan, which in ...

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