Hogan Lovells is set close its offices in Johannesburg, Sydney and Warsaw, citing a focus on “strageic makets”.

The firm will lay off its lawyers and support staff based across the three offices, with more than 120 professionals to be affected. 

Hogan Lovells CEO, Miguel Zaldivar, said the firm was focused on markets where clients looked to it for support on “sophisticated, high-end work”.

“Closing these three offices was a difficult decision, but one that was needed so that we can continue our path to achieve transformational growth and drive greater success – particularly in London, New York, California, Texas, Washington DC and key international markets,” Zaldivar said.  

The firm did not give a specific date for the closures but said they would happen ”in the coming months”. Its website lists 33 lawyers in Warsaw, 19 in Sydney and nine in Johannesburg, including a total of 13 partners. 

Hogan Lovells is the product of a 2010 merger between US law firm Hogan & Hartson and UK law firm Lovells and now has more than 2,800 lawyers globally according to its website. 

The firm reported record revenues and partner profits in 2023, growing profit per equity partner by about 20% to $2.74m and global revenue by just over 10% to $2.68bn.

The closure of the Sydney office follows Hogan Lovells shuttering its base in Perth in 2022; the firm said at the time that its clients in the region “would be better served from a consolidated base in Sydney”.

Zaldivar told American Lawyer the firm was not “turning its back” on the Australian market, noting it already had ties to firms in the region working with its clients. Similarly despite the fact it will no longer have an on-the-ground presence in Africa once its Johannesburg office is shut, the firm has a network of African firms with which it works and teams based in Europe doing cross-border work. 

Hogan Lovells’ Johannesburg closure follows A&O Shearman confirming last week it will shutter its own office in the city after 10 years, as part of post-merger cuts that will also see it shed 10% of its global partnership and close its consulting business. 

It is also not the only international firm to have pulled out of Warsaw in recent years, K&L Gates and Weil Gotshal & Manges having done so in 2019. 

Zaldivar commented: “We are confident in our strong global strategy and offering across our key practice groups and sectors, and will continue to serve our clients in the markets that are most critical to their success.

“We are deeply grateful to our colleagues in Johannesburg, Sydney and Warsaw for all their contributions to the firm and we are committed to supporting them through this process.”