Covington & Burling LLP - The Inside View

There are some firms that seem at home in the corridors of power, and then there’s Covington & Burling, which has practically moved in there. When it comes to all things regulatory, the firm has an abundance of connections and a depth of expertise shaped by years and years in the game.

This is amply confirmed by its best-in-class accolades in areas such as government contracts, political law, and food & beverages:regulatory & litigation (among many others), according to our sister guide Chambers USA. Moreover, as one of the kingpins of the Capitol, the firm scoops up further rankings within the DC market for practices working on antitrust, pharmaceutical regulation, insurance, IP litigation, and telecom, broadcast & satellites, as well as recognition for its employee benefits and corporate/M&A & private equity know-how.

“There is an enormous depth of regulatory expertise across lots of different areas.”

Our associate sources confirmed that the chance to tackle top-drawer regulatory work undoubtedly forms a huge part of the firm’s appeal. “There is an enormous depth of regulatory expertise across lots of different areas,” one enthused, while another described being drawn to Covington as the “biggest firm in DC, one of the oldest and with a long reputation of being good at government-facing work.”

However, if you’re starting to worry that the firm sounds like it’s only for ruthless political operators, associates were also keen to emphasis the second pillar of its USP: a crusading commitment to pro bono. Covington is a consistent fixture amongst the firms racking up the most pro bono hours per attorney each year, a fact which clearly isn’t lost on prospective applicants. “Pro bono is the big one,” one associate said of their reasons for joining, and another rated “emphasis on pro bono” alongside Covington’s culture of teamworkas the firm’s “big selling points.”

The point about teamwork was also echoed by many others (with one noting that it’s baked into the firm’s lockstep incentive structures, which “create a collaborative culture without sacrificing excellence”), hopefully providing additional reassurance that this politics-focused firm is more of a welcoming home than a House of Cards.

In terms of where exactly that home is located, most of the junior associates we spoke to could be found (unsurprisingly) in the Washington, DC office, closely followed by New York. Outside this Beltway-to-Broadway axis, the firm also assigns newbies to its bases in San Francisco, Palo Alto, Los Angeles and Boston. Meanwhile, its international network includes eight hubs in cities such as London, Dubai, Frankfurt, Brussels,and Beijing.

Strategy & Future

“Our bread and butter is a combination of regulatory expertise and knowledge of policy and policymakers, that is really unmatched,” Douglas Gibson, chair of Covington’s management committee, tells us. Nonetheless, he is also keen to stress that this isn’t the limit to the firm’s horizons, as “We combine that breadth of regulatory expertise with world class litigation, investigations and corporate expertise.” This combo seems to be paying off, judging by the numerous headline-grabbing matters the firm has handled over the past year, including: acting as regulatory counsel for ByteDance TikTok on the creation of its US business; advising Meta in over 1,000 cases filed on behalf of school districts and parents; and acting as antitrust counsel to Warner Brothers Discovery regarding its potential takeover by Netflix.

Although the firm has a storied history, it also remains attuned to the rapid shifts likely to reshape the legal industry. “The needs of our lawyers are constantly changing, even within generations,” Gibson acknowledges, citing this as motivation for the continual updating of the firm’s training, feedback, and mentoring policies. One aspect of that is artificial intelligence, Gibson explains; “we want to make sure that we’re using AI most effectively to deliver high-quality and efficient services to our clients and so, we’re very focused on having our lawyers and business professionals trained in those areas.”

The firm is also increasingly keen to help its attorneys manage people as well as bots. “We’ve heard from our lawyers that leadership and management training are very important, so we’re focusing more on this content for all levels of seniority,” Gibson notes, highlighting the availability of one-on-one coaching and bespoke resources, both in person and online.

Read more from our conversation with Douglas Gibson under the ‘Get Hired’ tab.

Summer Program

Covington’s ten-week summer program was described by its alumni as a well-oiled machine, which is “very well planned in terms of the professional work, the networking and fun team bonding.” Summer associates are able to take on significant responsibility quickly: “You get treated like a first-year associate in terms of substantive expectations (although the timing expectations are different!),” an insider recalled. This can include getting involved in research tasks, drafting memos for NGOs and commercial clients, and business development work. There are also mock exercises to provide further insight into the associate experience. Summers are paired with a senior lawyer mentor, and we heard that “the firm does a good job at matching personalities and interests.”

As for the social calendar, this includes its fair share of lunches and dinners, as well as activities ranging from minigolf and ‘paint and sips’ to baseball games and Broadway shows. However, be warned: one associate reports that it was “very difficult for me to go back to law school after the program,” as they got so much more out of their summer at Covington.

The Work

Sources were pleased with the hybrid work allocation system, calling it the “best of both worlds.” The centralized staffing system is operated by assigning partners who distribute assignments, with oversight into associate capacity levels. Associates are also encouraged to raise their hands for work outside of the system. “The staffing system is a good backstop to have,” a junior explained, as “it lends itself to building relationships and working with people that you mesh well with.”

One of the jewels in the Covington crown is its litigation and investigations department, which handles a wide array of matters, including antitrust, white-collar, internal, and congressional investigations, as well as commercial, insurance, product liability, and class action disputes. Typically, juniors operate as generalists, although some have dedicated practices from the get-go. As one insider explained, “Covington specializes in high-stakes, government-facing litigation and investigations, and that has been borne out by the work – but it runs the gamut.”

Responsibilities include doc review, fact development, analyzing key legal issues and producing chronologies, which requires “being really curious and following threads as you find them.” Depending on the matter, juniors also pick up the pen to draft interview outlines (as well as assisting with witness preparation and taking notes during depositions), government presentation materials, motions, and other court filings. Sources acknowledged that some tasks are “menial,” particularly on larger matters, but stressed that “there are a number of opportunities to take on substantive responsibility” too.

Litigation clients: Johnson & Johnson, Uber, Peloton. Acted for Hino Motors in a $1.6 billion criminal and civil resolution to claims that false test results and fuel consumption data were submitted for over 100,000 diesel vehicles sold in the American market.

“… it’s an uphill climb to becoming a subject matter expert – being comfortable with pushing through that is important.”

Moving along to the firm’s equally sizeable and renowned regulatory and public policy practice, Covington’s offering here is made up of a multitude of groups, includingthose working on privacy & cybersecurity, government contracts, financial institutions, CFIUS, advertising & consumer protection, and food, drug & device, to name just a few. “It’s a regulatory group at its core,” an associate explained, but “we work across the spectrum from regulatory advice and deal support to compliance and investigations matters.”

As a rule of thumb, rookies can expect more traditional research and drafting responsibilities, as well as product counseling, which offers plenty of client contact early on. Business development is another aspect of the role, including producing publishable materials. “It varies on any given day; you can start with regulatory research and writing back to a client, and then later in the day, you’ll be marking up comments,” an insider reported. “You need to be comfortable with not understanding things at first,” we were told, as with lots of complex issues at play, “it’s an uphill climb to becoming a subject matter expert – being comfortable with pushing through that is important.”

Regulatory clients: Samsung, Democratic National Committee, National Football League. Secured approval for Nippon Steel Corporation’s $14.9 billion acquisition of US Steel and negotiated the related National Security Agreement – featuring an agreement on $11 billion in additional investments – with CFIUS.

Over in the corporate practice, Covington handles a variety of transactional work primarily on behalf of public and private companies, as well as for the financial institutions, private equity, and venture capital clients which make up the rest of its books. Associates in the generalist stream work across finance, capital markets, and M&A matters, whereas others are in the dedicated groups for technology transactions, real estate, finance, and tax. While the work spans industries such as financial services, energy, and manufacturing, we heard that there are lot of life sciences and technology clients in particular.

Project management forms part of junior associates’ responsibilities, which means “keeping the wheels on the track” with disclosure schedules, due diligence, and staying on top of the array of emails. Juniors also take on their fair share of ancillary documents. In time, their responsibilities can steadily increase to encompass transactional documents, such as merger agreements and purchase agreements, as well.

Corporate clients: Gilead Sciences, Siris Capital Group, Hewlett Packard Enterprise Company. Represented Novartis in its $12 billion acquisition of Avidity Biosciences, a pharmaceutical company developing novel drugs that deliver RNA to muscles.

Pro Bono

“Some of my favorite moments have been big pro bono wins.”

As we’ve already covered, Covington’s pro bono offering was a big hit amongst our sources. “It’s a robust program with incredible opportunities,” one told us, and “a really strong selling point of the firm!” Associates particularly valued having potentially unlimited pro bono work at their fingertips; we heard that “some have billed hundreds of hours and gotten credit for all of it,” with the caveat that they're able to appropriately balance their client-billable work as well.

In terms of the logistics, the firm’s dedicated pro bono team makes it “very easy to get involved and find projects that fit everyone’s interests.” Opportunities range from advising non-profits on corporate matters to immigration and asylum cases, as well as trusts & estates work, upgrading veterans’ discharge statuses, and even high-impact civil rights litigation. For those who want to take their involvement further, there are some secondments to NGOs available as well. In essence, “the firm spares no expense” when supporting its associates’ pro bono activity, frequently covering filing fees, travel costs, and more.

For juniors, all this represents a chance to step up to the plate and gain valuable skills. “It’s an amazing experience,” one shared, noting that they benefitted from “great opportunities with research and drafting motions, and having a say on the thesis of the case and trial strategy.” Of course, sometimes the work is its own reward; another source recalled that “some of my favorite moments have been big pro bono wins, and I vividly remember the message we got back after writing to let them know it had worked out!” We also heard that efforts are celebrated at a firm-wide level, with Gibson confirming that “We view this as really important and as part of our obligation as legal professionals.”

Pro bono hours

• For all US attorneys: 212,588
• Average per US attorney: 182

Career Development

Newbies begin their time at Covington with a new associate integration seminar over three days, providing an opportunity for attendees to meet other attorneys. Corporate juniors are also able to take part in a Corporate Associate Orientation Training. As they progress, associates attend first a mid-level and then a senior associate seminar to mark each stage of their career development. Throughout, additional training continues, covering essential skills, as well as subjects from implementing AI to other more specific practice-related topics. That said, many felt that “most development happens informally, in real time,” thanks to colleagues constantly volunteering to train them on any unfamiliar task they encounter.

“I have multiple partners and senior associates invested heavily in my development.”

Each junior is paired with a mid- to senior-associate mentor to answer any questions and to help them navigate firm life. “It has been really amazing,” was one mentee’s assessment, as “I have multiple partners and senior associates invested heavily in my development who are willing to show me the ropes and make me a good lawyer.” As for the path to partnership, some of our interviewees felt that this remained somewhat uncertain, although the firm’s strong track record of promoting homegrown talent was noted.

For those who do move elsewhere, we were told that “the firm maintains a robust alumni network – no matter where you go, there is an effort to stay connected.” Indeed, we also heard about the existence of a “revolving door” between the firm and government, which might be appealing to those whose long-term plan is to take their regulatory expertise into government itself.

Culture

When we asked associates about the typical Covington lawyer, one word kept coming up: “nerdy.”Combined with references to being “academically minded,”“intellectually driven” and “serious about the work,” this paints a clear picture of a firm where people are proudly passionate about their job.

Social events include a monthly happy hour and quarterly practice socials, though insiders were keen to note attendance was not compulsory. Most people we spoke to felt comfortable with the firm not being the center of their social life, with one reporting that “to me it’s a plus, not a minus.” They also enjoyed the atmosphere becoming temporarily livelier during the flurry of events organized for the summer program, which “brings us together.”

Our sources enjoyed being in the office and are expected there four days a week: Monday to Thursday. It helps that “Even first years have their own offices” in the firm’s DC HQ, which is “in the city center and beautiful – all glass!” Other attractions include a free lunch on Wednesday across all offices, although a source reports that “my only gripe is there are no daily snacks.” The firm also recently moved into new digs in the Big Apple.

Hours & Compensation

Billable hours: 1,950 target

Associates have a 1,950 billable target to achieve in order to be bonus eligible and deemed it “achievable.” That said, sources highlighted the need “to be intentional about hitting it,” especially those in regulatory practices where “the work tends to be lots of little projects to make up those eight-hour days.” Associates also have up to 50 hours which they can credit to activities focused on advancing the firm's values, and the unlimited pro bono bucket, to count towards the overall target. For first years, especially during the ramp up period, the combination of the centralized staffing system to allocate work and unlimited pro bono made the target reachable.

On average, sources reported billing between 40 and 50 hours a week, with the caveat that this is subject to the usual ebbs and flows of each practice. In turn, across all the US offices associates are compensated in line with the market’s going rate and rewarded with a market bonus too. And for those that go above and beyond, there are supplemental increases at each stage.

Inclusion

When it came to inclusion, an associate told us that “it’s a key factor in making us a strong firm and they work hard to make it an emphasis.” The aforementioned billable credit available to associates who get involved is a case in point. Sources felt that “the primary driver is the resource groups, which are very well funded and strongly supported by the firm.” These resource groups span categories such as gender, identity, and common interests. In particular, the resource groups were highly praised for their focus on community and mentorship opportunities.

As such, there is plenty going on; a recent cross-section includes the Women’s Forum hosting a luncheon and attending a hockey game for National Women in Sports Day, and the Pride group hosting a secret snowflake in the run up to the holidays. Multiple associates shared their confidence that Covington’s inclusion commitments were here to stay, with one telling us that they were “proud that the firm didn’t back down when certain forces tried to suppress those efforts.”

Get Hired  

The first stage: recruitment on and off campus   

Applicants interviewed: 967  

Law students may submit direct applications via Covington’s applicant portal. Candidates should submit a resume, cover letter, law school transcript, undergraduate transcript, writing sample, and a list of references. Covington also participates in a limited number of law school-sponsored interview programs, with participation varying by office. 

Students will meet with a range of attorneys, both partners and associates, from the offices in which they are applying. There will be a meeting with one of the firm’s attorneys as a part of an initial screening interview. At this stage, the folks at Covington are looking at candidates’ background and strengths to assess their suitability for summer associate positions. According to Karema Page, Senior Director of Legal Recruiting, this includes (but isn’t limited to) academic distinction in law school and undergraduate education: “We also look for students with strong motivation and initiative, the ability to take on responsibility, and enthusiasm for private law practice. The firm has long been committed to the highest standards of the profession and public service, and we look actively for new lawyers to continue in that tradition.”   

Callbacks   

Applicants invited to second-stage interviews: 380 

Students submit an online questionnaire indicating their interests when scheduling a callback interview. Candidates then meet with 4 attorneys, including a mix of partners, counsel, and associates, during one-to-one interviews that last around 30 minutes each.   

Summer program   

Offers: 196   

Acceptances: 118 

“Our interactive and individualized assignment system is the foundation of our program,” Page adds, “We actively solicit input from summer associates on desired assignments and encourage them to try projects in multiple practice areas.” Covington’s summer training programs include depositions, advocacy writing, communication skills, and transaction and settlement negotiations. Summer associates are also invited to participate in client meetings, internal strategy meetings, and court hearings. The firm also looks for opportunities to ensure that summer associates get to know Covington’s lawyers, which includes activities ranging from sporting events, concerts, wine tastings, and hiking. All summer associates are assigned both a senior and a junior mentor who facilitate their introduction to the firm, advise on work assignments, and provide insight into life at Covington. “We pride ourselves on providing summer associates with constructive feedback on their work throughout the summer. We also help summer associates develop their writing, research, and advocacy skills as the summer progresses.”  

Interview with Douglas Gibson, chair of Covington's management committee

Commercial strategy, market position and trends 

Chambers Associate: How would you define your firm’s current position and identity in the legal market? What differentiates your firm from your peer firms in the market? 

Douglas Gibson: Our bread and butter is a combination of regulatory expertise and knowledge of policy and policymakers, that is really unmatched. We combine that breadth of regulatory expertise with world class litigation, investigations and corporate expertise. We are known for this and so our clients bring us their most important, complex matters that require cross-disciplinary and often cross-geographic expertise. Because of that model, it’s incredibly important at Covington that our senior lawyers and partners work effectively together and collaborate well, and we’ve set up our compensation system to facilitate that. We don’t have a model for our partners that is originations based, or using the typical term ‘eat what you kill’; we have compensation model that incentivizes collaboration, and it works very well.  And so, our clients are increasingly focused on that for us, because they recognize that we can effectively bring teams together with the right experts.  

CA: Have there been any developments at the firm over the past year that you’d like law students to know about? 

Gibson: Let me start with regulation, enforcement and policy, an area where we have a breadth of expertise that is really unmatched. Just to give some examples of matters that we have handled in these areas: we helped secure approval for Nippon Steel Corporation’s $14.9 billion acquisition of U.S. Steel. We negotiated the National Security Agreement with CFIUS related to that deal which included about $11 billion in new investments by Nippon Steel and US Steel facilities by 2028. That deal also had commitments related to governance, including a Golden Share issued to the US government for domestic production and trade matters.  

Similarly, we represented and served as lead regulatory counsel for ByteDance/TikTok on the creation of its U.S. business, which was established in compliance with the Executive Order signed by President Trump. The firm supported the development of the Joint Venture’s comprehensive national security safeguards, including protections for U.S. user data, rigorous algorithm security, robust trust and safety authority, and ongoing third-party auditing and certification.  

Then the third one I’d note is that, currently we’re advising Warner Brothers Discovery as global regulatory and antitrust counsel on their cash and stock deal valuing Warner Brothers Discovery assets at close to $83 billion including debt.  

We also continue to handle bet-the-company litigation and investigations often including novel legal questions, cross-border dimensions, or intense public and political scrutiny. Some examples include, currently serving as lead national counsel for Meta in over 1,000 cases in one of the largest mass tort litigations in the history of the United States.   

In addition to representing TikTok in its efforts to deal with the Administration’s ban on its operations in the U.S., Covington also prevailed for TikTok in multiple lawsuits against the Attorney Generals of Indiana, Montana and Iowa, enjoining unconstitutional state legislation and defeating requests for preliminary injunctions.  

Clients have been increasingly turning to Covington not only to execute their transactions, but to assess risk holistically before, during and after a deal, drawing on the firm’s deep experience with government review, compliance and post-transaction scrutiny. To give an example, Covington represented Novartis in its $12 billion acquisition of Avidity Biosciences, a San Diego-based biopharma company focused on a new class of therapeutics enabling RNA delivery to muscles – the second largest deal of the year in the pharma industry.  

CA: Are there any domestic or international events/trends that are affecting any of the firm’s practices at the moment? Are there any trends that you think are affecting the business of law firms more generally, and how is that playing out with your firm? 

Gibson: I will give an obvious example here, which is that we’re living in a time of great geopolitical change and uncertainty. For us, we have a range of practice expertise in different areas that are well suited to advise clients and help them navigate through these times. When I’m discussing those practices with clients, I’m thinking about customs and trade expertise, export controls and sanctions, privacy, data protection and cybersecurity, and areas like antitrust and consumer protection – these are all areas that are increasingly complex and increasingly important in today’s world.  

CA: What is your firm’s commercial strategy focusing on, and how do you expect the next year to unfold? 

Gibson: What we are going to have over the next year is continuation, and while it is always evolving, a continuation of the firm’s current strategy to offer clients a breadth of practice expertise that we think is unmatched. We have an unbelievable base of existing clients of the world’s most dynamic companies. We have a very industry focused approach to our strategy and development across sectors like life sciences, tech, financial services, energy, sports, media and entertainment. These are all areas where we have unbelievable industry knowledge and depth of expertise, and we focus on delivering services to our clients through a one-stop shop that we can service all of their legal needs. 

Inside the Firm 

CA: How is the firm evolving to accommodate the needs/expectations of the next generation of lawyers? 

Gibson: The needs of our lawyers are constantly changing, even within generations. We think it’s essential to have our training, feedback and mentoring programs consistently re-evaluated and refreshed so that our offerings evolve. Our professional development team is focused on industry trends so that they can make enhancements and develop relevant and timely programming. One example, not surprisingly, is AI. We want to be very forward leaning; we want to make sure that we’re using AI most effectively to deliver high-quality and efficient services to our clients and so, we’re very focused on having our lawyers and business professionals trained in those areas. Another example is we’ve heard from our lawyers that leadership and management training are very important, so we’re focusing more on this content for all levels of seniority. We know that relying on lectures alone isn't really that effective, so we format our trainings to offer combinations of one-on-one coaching, face to face meetings, online learning, and interactive tools. We think that most effectively helps our lawyers get trained up in all these different areas.  

CA: Associates have spoken highly of the firm’s pro bono offering. What role does pro bono play in an associate’s development and how does it contribute to the wider culture of the firm? 

Gibson: Year in and year out, we’re ranked, if not the top pro bono firm, among the top pro bono firms with respect to the type of work we’re taking on and the number of hours that our  lawyers on average are devoting to pro bono. We view this as really important and as part of our obligation as legal professionals that we take on pro bono work. Pro bono work is also incredibly helpful in giving associates great opportunities to be trained up, handling depositions and standing up in court – the full range of experience that will help them progress in their careers. It has been part of the firm since it was founded. It's part of the firm's culture and we remain deeply committed. 

The Legal Profession 

CA: How do you predict the legal profession will change in the next five years? Are there any particular challenges the industry is facing? 

Gibson: Well, it’s both a challenge but also a great opportunity. I’ve already noted AI; it’s something that across the industry all law firms are very focused on and grappling with. It’s a great opportunity because it may present the ability over time for us to deliver work to our clients that is of equal or maybe even better quality than it is now more efficiently. We want to be leaning forward and ensuring that we’re using all the tools available to deliver those services to our clients most effectively. Right now, AI’s promise is great but there aren’t really tools right now that you can use to deliver legal services to clients where all the work doesn’t need to be double checked. I think this will change overtime, but while that’s a great opportunity, we also need to ensure that as the use of AI increases, we’re finding the right opportunities to make sure our associates are getting adequate training and a range of experiences that make their careers useful and fulfilling. I’m confident that we can do that but it’s going to require attention and thought in the coming years for sure.  

The Fun Bit  CA: Throwing it back to law school: it's been a long day of classes and studying. What's your go-to easy meal to have before you crash? 

Gibson: Oh, back then it was something simple, probably spaghetti, because I could throw a pot of water on and get it done quicky! 

CA: What was the first concert you attended? 

Gibson: It was Lionel Richie a long time ago - and the Commodores.  

CA: Thinking about the ways in which the legal profession is developing, what is the one skill you have learnt in your career that you think is key for young attorneys to learn? 

Gibson: Just being forward-leaning and make sure whatever you’re working on, you give it your full attention and best efforts, make sure you do the work as well as you can. Sometimes for first- and second-year associates, some of the work may not be as much fun as you would hope it would be. But if you do good work on those types of projects, it's a great still learning opportunity, and you’re going to get much more senior level responsibility and much more interesting work quickly. And so, it's always do your best, I would say in simple terms.