Covington & Burling LLP - The Inside View

How does that old saying in business go? “It’s not what you know, it’s who you know.” Well, lucky then that Covington & Burling has both the reputation and connections to make many a BigLaw rival green with envy. The firm has a long and strong history in its DC hometown for its government and regulatory expertise but has plenty more tucked up its sleeve: “Covington has a wide swath of practice groups, interesting clients, and works on different engaging legal issues. Within that, we have different industry groups. Really, there is the opportunity to do everything here which is what makes Covington stand out.”

To give a flavour of range of work the firm covers, over in Chambers USA, the firm shines in areas including corporate M&A, government relations, white collar, corporate crime & investigations, life sciences, privacy & data security, product liability, sports law, international trade, and insurance (and more!) Covington offers variety when it comes to location too. There are five other national offices in Los Angeles, San Francisco, Boston, Palo Alto and New York, as well as eight abroad in locations such as Johannesburg, London, Brussels, and Beijing.

“Really, there is the opportunity to do everything here which is what makes Covington stand out.”

We’d be remiss not to mention the firm’s emphasis on pro bono, which is particularly legendary - the firm has consistently topped our charts for the most pro bono hours per attorney each year for quite some time now! This is clearly felt at the junior level too, as one source helpfully surmised, “If you genuinely want a lot of pro bono in your practice, including times you might be busy, then Covington is a great option.”

Strategy & Future

The firm’s heavy investment in the London office over the last few decades has paid off with expanding growth. There, the firm is particularly focused on scaling its healthcare, life science, tech and financial services offerings. The firm has also been focusing on making strategic lateral hires throughout practice areas and jurisdictions. In the Brussels office, the firm recently hired former European Court of Justice judge Nils Wahl to its competition and litigation practice.

The Work

Covington’s DC office, unsurprisingly, was home to most of the associates on our list, followed closely by New York and California. Our interviewees had high praise for the firm’s hybrid work assignment system, one associate explained: “It’s a central staffing system which is manned by the assigning partners, but there is a free-market element as you can go up to partners and ask for work if you’re interested.” So, associates have the flexibility to engage in the central staffing system or take the more informal route, and the firm is happy for you to do either. “An informal system allows you to do work which is more in tune with what you want to do and who you like to work with,” another newbie added.

This litigation & investigations department tackles a wide range of issues like white collar, internal investigations, antitrust, product liability, commercial litigation, patent litigation, insurance, class actions —the list goes on. So, it’s no wonder this practice group has the most associates on our list. One source explained: “At this point, I’m a general litigator, but I’m technically in the product liability group. But I’m able to reach out to people and ask to be assigned on work I’m interested in, so the free-market system has really benefited me. I thought it would be difficult to do anything outside of my department, but it’s not.”

One thing our interviewees especially appreciated was the variety of work available. “You get to write articles, summarize investigations, draft talking points for committees, take part in strategy calls and loads of other really substantive work,” said one junior. “I was even able to travel for 5 depositions in my first year! I got a tonne of experience really fast.”

Those in the white-collar group handle government contracts and investigations. We heard the work within this varies: “I was pleasantly surprised by the diversity of the work. In BigLaw you’re told you’re going to do doc review for seven hours a day, but I’ve also had the chance to do more substantive and interesting work.” In terms of the day-to-day, one source explained a lot of work is based on “legal research, claims on white papers, and work on claims we are defending.” There was plenty of chances to have a hand on deposition work too, like “attending sessions, doing some of the prep work, attending the depositions as second chair.”

Litigation & Disputes clients: Meta, Amazon, Sony Music. The team won on behalf of ByteDance/TikTok in Iowa State Attorney General’s motion for a preliminary injunction against TikTok.

Work assignments in the appellate group, which is part of the litigation & investigations department, tends to come from the co-chairs. They “make sure everyone is being allocated appropriately,” but it is still “free market in a way that is not really advertised.” The clients and industries vary “pretty widely,” according to one associate, who added that “one of my biggest matters is for Meta, and we work with loads of other big companies.”

“I’ve been able to go all the way to the federal court of appeals on a pro bono matter and do the oral argument.”

The team encourages juniors looking to get experience, including through pro bono work. One newbie beamed, “I’ve been able to go all the way to the federal court of appeals on a pro bono matter and do the oral argument.” Typical tasks in this group include conducting research, writing, presenting and drafting. The firm also regularly works on amicus briefs, one junior shared: “I’ve helped with a tonne of amicus briefs all the way to filing. The firm actively encourages you to get involved.”

Appellate clients: PhRMA, JPMorgan Chase, McKesson Corporation. Represented American Petroleum Institute in an appeal regarding an antitrust dispute in the Northern District of California which alleged that major oil producers conspired to cut production to raise retail prices.

Pro Bono

“They don’t deprioritize pro bono work and it’s treated the same as billable matters.”

One of the biggest perks of Covington is their commitment to pro bono work. One junior confirmed, “a lot of firms tout pro bono work throughout recruitment and when they get there, it isn’t totally the reality. Here, one of the first big projects I got was pro bono and it is still ongoing!” Proving its commitment, there is no cap on how much can count towards the billable hours target, and to prove it, one source noted “I have some friends who have really put that to the test, and it's been a non-issue!” Another surmised that “they don’t deprioritize pro bono work and it’s treated the same as billable matters.”

Associates were very aware that “we do some of the most pro bono out of any firm I believe, and it makes sense!” Clearly, as Covington really does have a large variety of different pro bono matters to get involved in. The firm regularly provides expertise in anything from veterans’ work, disability rights, safeguarding human right, and housing and family law. We were also informed that: “The firm is very respectful of different ideologies and encourages you to even bring in your own work. Or, if you express an interest in a certain space, they’ll work hard to find a case for you.”

Pro bono hours

• For all (US) attorneys: 207,576
• Average per (US) attorney: 183

Hours & Compensation

Billable hours: 1,950

Associates have a billable target of 1,950 hours, which we were assured was “totally attainable,” and consistent with BigLaw expectations. Thanks to the unlimited pro bono, associates felt they didn’t need to worry about finding work if things slowed down in their department. Associates reported that at least ten to twenty percent of their billables were pro bono matters. Time off work was also described as “very protected” and when associates did let their team know they were taking time off in advance, “they will ensure you have full coverage on your matters.”

Overall, “the hours are doable, and you can avoid burnout,” one newbie noted. Another even mentioned, “I am actually happy with my hours, which is kind of a crazy notion in BigLaw.” Bonuses and salaries are in line with the market and Covington also operates a hybrid working model.

Culture

“You can reach out to partners, and they always then make time to take you out for coffee.”

Our sources pointed out that the firm has a “quite intellectually nerdy” vibe,and people are “very smart but palpably driven,” with the Covington crowd tending to lean more on the introverted side. The firm places “a very high premium on being respectful, with every interaction between anyone in the firm being grounded in respect.” Despite being more of an introverted group, sources told us seniors are good at making themselves available to juniors: “You can reach out to partners, and they always then make time to take you out for coffee.”

Most practice groups have quarterly happy hours, and there are loads of social events in the summer, creating a “fun buzz around the office.” Associates described a strong sense of camaraderie overall. For example, “If you work on a team with a couple of associates, the email of the finished work always says thanks for x and y to the help on this.”

Inclusion

Insiders had positive things to say about the firm's efforts to be inclusive. The firm has plenty of department resource groups, both formal and informal. The informal groups include women in white-collar, and a group for new mothers. The different women’s groups were described as “events which provide senior women with the opportunity to be honest and vulnerable about the highs and lows of being a woman in a powerful career. We can tell the event coordinators what we want to hear about, and they organize panels and group conversations.”

Career Development

Associates shared that there is a new associate integration seminar when you start, where “all the associates from every office fly into DC to do training and a negotiations exercise.” This was seen as a great way to meet people, and gave ample opportunities for professional development, both formally and informally. During these two or three days, you are not expected to be available for any other work.

Beside the initial seminar, “there are constant development training opportunities offered by different practice groups.” This means that juniors at Covington don’t have to wait to get assigned things like depositions – they can dive right in. There are formal and informal mentors available too, but several interviewees spoke about forming mentor relationship with more senior colleagues through resource groups or by reaching out directly. Some did feel that the firm could be more transparent on what is required of them to move up the ranks, though we also heard “other associates are more transparent, they are very willing to chat about it, you just have to be proactive about it!”

Get Hired 

The first stage: recruitment on and off campus  

OCI applicants interviewed: 1,175  

Covington participates in over 25 OCI programs and job fairs/consortiums. In addition to the firm’s OCI process, prospective candidates can submit a resume, law school transcript, writing sample, and a list of two to three professional references.

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: 469

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: 247  

Acceptances: 134

“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.”