Covington & Burling LLP - True Picture

Firm profile
Covington & Burling LLP was founded in Washington, DC more than a century ago. Today, Covington has more than 1,300 lawyers and advisers across our 14 global offices. We advise clients on their most challenging and complex matters. Most of our work has an international element, and all our practice groups operate across borders. Our distinctively collaborative culture allows us to be truly one team globally, drawing on the diverse experience of lawyers across the firm.

What sets us apart is our ability to combine the tremendous strength in our litigation, investigations, and corporate practices with deep knowledge of policy and policymakers, and one of the world’s leading regulatory practices.

Our trainees tell us that they were attracted to Covington in London because we provide the responsibility and opportunity of a close-knit office, combined with the resources and prestige of a leading international firm. Above all, though, we recognise the importance of a great firm culture. At Covington you will find a firm with values of collegiality, high standards of lawyering, respect for others, a dedication to public service and a commitment to diversity, equality and inclusion. We have some of the best lawyers in the world because we understand that excellence in legal practice involves effective teamwork, clear and shared values and generosity to colleagues and clients as well as preeminent legal skills.

Our clients include technology giants Microsoft and Meta, as well as leaders in life sciences such as AstraZeneca and Oxford Biomedica. We have advised pharmaceutical manufacturers in relation to the manufacture and supply of COVID-19 vaccines, and acted for ACWA Power on the world’s most ambitious regenerative tourism project in Saudi Arabia. Additionally, we engage in cutting-edge pro bono matters, such as representing Ukraine against the Russian Federation at the ICJ.

Main areas of work

Corporate advisory (capital markets, M&A, finance, private equity, venture capital and funds), commercial litigation, data privacy, competition, employment, financial services, insurance coverage disputes, intellectual property, internal investigations and compliance, international arbitration, life sciences, project development & finance, tax, technology regulatory. In addition, all our lawyers are encouraged to undertake pro bono work.

Training opportunities

Trainees complete four six-month seats. 

All trainees complete a transactional and contentious seat. To ensure you get the best experience from your time, our Professional Development team will work closely with you to design a training programme that best suits your preferences (and the business needs). Trainees are able to choose two seats from five practice areas: Corporate, Dispute Resolution, Employment, Life Sciences Regulatory, Life Sciences Transactional, Project Development and Finance, and Technology Regulatory.

Client secondments are available, alongside secondments to our Brussels and Dubai offices. All trainees are supervised by two senior lawyers and have access to a support network and a mentoring programme. Trainees benefit from the responsibilities and opportunities found within a close-knit office, combined with the resources and prestige of a leading international firm. You are quickly able to start contributing to teams and participate in meaningful work.

Core Seats

Corporate

Our corporate clients range from startups to established multinationals, and include investment banks and investors (including private equity and venture capital).

Given the firm’s particular strengths, much of our work is within the pharmaceutical/life sciences, energy and clean energy, brands, technology, and media industries.

Our work includes premium cross-border M&A deals, advising PE funds on their investments complex worldwide licensing and collaboration transactions.

We help our clients with international project development and finance advice, venture capital financing for emerging companies and their investors, capital markets fundraisings, and fund transactions and formations.

Dispute Resolution 

Our Dispute Resolution team includes lawyers focused on litigation, arbitration and white collar crime and investigations.

Our litigators help clients with issues before Courts in England, Europe and beyond. Our work is often in groundbreaking, complex fields and we regularly advise on significant, high-profile cases including defending substantial class actions.

Our arbitrators help clients both with commercial arbitrations across a wide range of jurisdictions and bilateral investment treaty claims, including representing Ukraine.

Our white collar crime and investigations practice advise our multinational client base on a range of issues including bribery, money laundering, sanctions, and fraud.

Electives 

Trainees choose two elective seats from five areas. We make every effort to satisfy requests and tailor the traineeship to specific interests.

Life Sciences Regulatory 

Covington is widely acknowledged to have one of the world’s top life sciences practices globally. We advise companies and trade associations, including many of the major multinational pharmaceutical manufacturers, biotechnology companies and producers of medical devices, cosmetics, foods, food packaging, specialty chemicals and consumer products. Our advice covers a wide range of regulatory, transactional, and contentious matters. We represent our clients before regulators, policymakers and the national and European Courts.

The group has been heavily involved in most of the major regulatory developments in recent years, including the fight against COVID -19 and the use of AI in healthcare.

Life Sciences Transactional 

Widely recognised as a global leader in strategic transactions, Covington advises on many of the industry’s largest and most innovative life sciences transactions year after year. A hallmark of our transactional practice is our extensive experience structuring, negotiating, and drafting complex global alliances, strategic collaborations, joint ventures, licensing and other agreements that underpin the life sciences and healthcare sectors. We work with pharma, biotech, medtech, and digital health clients, ranging from start-ups through to the largest multinationals, giving us a deep understanding of the issues that arise in relation to agreements at all stages and across all fields within life sciences and healthcare.

Employment 

Covington’s international employment practice helps multinational employer clients manage HR- legal compliance projects. Our work includes the preparation of global policies and codes of business conduct, expatriate secondments/global mobility, multi-country project management, cross - border M&A, corporate restructuring, and litigation. Current projects in which we are involved include business and human rights- related compliance initiatives, Employment Tribunal litigation, and international workforce transactions.

Technology Regulatory 

We advise clients on a variety of technology regulatory issues. Our expertise spans such diverse topics as data protection, cybersecurity, copyright and other IP, e-commerce, the use of AI, platform regulation, Internet of Things, digital health, social media, behavioural advertising, geolocation tracking and biometrics, to name just a few.

Project Development and FinanceOur team advises companies, lenders and governments on a wide variety of energy and infrastructure projects. Our main focus in energy is on green energy rather than fossil fuels. We have substantial experience in renewables and are rapidly gaining experience in battery and hydrogen projects.

Vacation scheme

 

Our Winter and Summer Vacation Schemes are a great way for students to really learn about the firm and its people to ultimately decide if a career at Covington is for them.

Over the one week (Winter) or two week (Summer) Schemes, students have the opportunity to become integrated into the London office and gain an insight into the work of a Covington lawyer. Our vacation schemes provide an opportunity to participate in real work, group activities, and a series of presentations from across practice groups and offices. Students participate in an independent research project focusing on a practice area of interest, providing a valuable hands-on experience that will set them up for success when joining the profession. We also organise a number of social events so that students can network and get to know lawyers at the firm.

Students are eligible to apply from their penultimate year of a law degree or final year of a non-law degree. We also accept applications from students who have already completed their degrees.

Applications can be submitted here.

CovInsights (first year programme) 

Our CovInsights programme is aimed at first year law students and second year non-law students who are still researching their legal careers. This two day interactive programme provides a valuable insight into the firm, its practice areas, and the skills you will need to develop to become a successful lawyer. The programme is the perfect opportunity for candidates who are not yet eligible to apply for our vacation schemes.

Applications can be submitted here.

Mentoring Programme

Our mentoring programme is open to all underrepresented groups, with the aim of increasing diversity within, and access to the legal profession. The programme pairs mentees with a lawyer or trainee at the firm for the duration of the academic year. Mentees will also be offered upskilling workshops throughout the programme to start developing the skills needed to become successful lawyers.

Eligibility and application details can be found here.

Other benefits

 

Trainees have access to a full benefits package including: private medical insurance, telemedicine service, fertility benefits, dental insurance, employee assistance programme, mental wellbeing platform, eye tests, flu vaccine, group income protection scheme, group life assurance scheme, group personal pension scheme, business travel accident program, emergency back-up care services, season ticket loan.

Meet Us

 

We are pleased to be collaborating with a number of universities both locally and nationally for 2024/25 academic year. We will be participating in various fairs and events which will allow the students to network with our lawyers and the graduate recruitment team. This is a real opportunity to learn more about our firm, culture and career opportunities You can find a list of the universities career fairs we will be attending here.

Covington Insight Series 

Join us for a series of exclusive virtual insight sessions, where we dive deep into the multifaceted world of Covington. Applications are open to all students from any degree discipline and in any year of their degree including graduates. details and the registration link can be found here.

Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Wellbeing

Covington is committed to fostering a diverse, equitable, and inclusive firm, where all colleagues are supported and have access to opportunities. We recognise that diversity enriches our culture, enhances our work with clients, and strengthens the profession. Our efforts extend to traditionally underrepresented and historically excluded groups. We are intentional, deliberate, and focused, and implement a broad range of initiatives to support DEI within our firm while advancing these values in the legal profession.

Our approach includes the elements of a strong DEI program, including infrastructure, educational programs, communications, and events about the importance of DEI. We develop forward-looking initiatives and inclusive policies tailored towards strengthening the firm and celebrating the diversity of our colleagues, to ensure we provide equitable opportunities for everyone.

We also have diversity committees in each of our Europe, Middle East, and Africa (EMEA) and Asia offices, with which we partner to champion the integration of policies to support colleagues from our Firm Resource Groups. Senior lawyer leads work with local DEI committees in each of our EMEA offices who ensure we are progressing against our DEI goals at the local level. The committees host firm-wide educational heritage month programming to celebrate the histories, representation, and contributions of our colleagues.

Firm Resource Groups 

Our Firm Resource Groups are a critical part of Covington’s inclusive approaches and practices. These groups support our colleagues who historically have been under-represented, excluded, and/or marginalised in the legal profession. All Firm Resource Groups are open to lawyers and professional staff, and many actively engage allies. The Firm Resource Groups foster community-building and member connections, promote broad firm education and awareness on the experiences of their members, and advocate for practices that enhance our inclusive workplace.

CovPride 

The CovPride Resource Group creates an inclusive environment and community where LGBTQ+ colleagues feel safe, can bring their authentic selves to work, and can actively engage with and feel supported by members and allies. The group focuses on promoting community and belonging, supporting the growth of the LGBTQ+ community, fostering career growth (including providing members access to mentors and advocates), and championing education and advocacy.

Disability and Neurodiversity Network 

The Disability and Neurodiversity Network is a community that focuses on support of persons with disabilities (visible and non-visible) and neurodivergences. The network welcomes colleagues who are disabled and/or neurodivergent, as well as allies who are interested in supporting disability and neurodiversity-related issues. The network aims to cultivate a culture of accessibility and inclusivity at Covington by providing support for members, advocating for inclusive firm practices, and hosting learning programs to help educate colleagues, often in celebration of observances such as Disability Pride Month and International Day of Persons with Disabilities.

Multicultural Network 

The Multicultural Network (MCN) is a network for members of our Asian Pacific Islanders, Black, Latino, and Middle Eastern and North African Firm Resource Groups and allies. The MCN promotes DEI within our EMEA offices, through idea sharing and organised events and activities that focus on ethnic and racial diversity matters.

Social Mobility and First Generation Professionals 

The Social Mobility and First Generation Professionals Resource Group provides a support network for those already at the firm from socially mobile backgrounds. The network aims to raise awareness of the challenges faced by those from socially mobile backgrounds and reduce barriers.

Women’s Forum 

The Women’s Forum fosters greater interaction among women at all levels of the firm. Through regularly scheduled programs and initiatives, the Forum provides an opportunity for our women lawyers and professional staff to develop their internal network and address issues of common interest, such as career growth, mentoring, business and professional development. The Women’s Forum has chapters in each of our 14 offices globally.

Initiatives 

Examples of firm-wide DEI initiatives and programs, include:

• Inclusive Leader Training, firm leaders participate in inclusive leadership programmes, focused on strengthening their DEI fluency and competency. We developed Covington's Inclusive Leadership program with the knowledge that inclusive skills and behaviours practiced by leaders promote greater engagement and retention.

• DEI Goals in Practice Group plans and Senior Lawyers Annual Commitments, all senior lawyers at the firm are required to include a DEI goal in their annual commitments. Senior lawyers meet with leadership to review their commitments. In addition, DEI goals are required in our practice group and industry group annual business plans. The Management Committee meets quarterly with each group and reviews progress against plans, including their DEI goals.

• Women’s Mentoring Programme, connects junior women associates across the EMEA region with senior women lawyers, enabling junior associates to have connections across offices and in person with their mentors.

• DEI Billable Hours Credit policy, enabling associates and counsel to include up to 50 hours of DEI-related activities toward bonus eligibility.

• Covington Connected, our biennial DEI Summit, in Washington, D.C. The summit brought together more than 350 lawyers and advisors who are racially or ethnically diverse and/or identify with the LGBTQ+ community. This event provided a forum for colleagues to strengthen relationships with each other through programming designed to advance inclusion at Covington. Attendees heard from leadership experts and participated in activities centred around the primary theme of “Leading with Purpose," exploring ways in which we can connect ourselves, our work, and our organisations to a deeper sense of meaning – all of which leads to a stronger firm.

Awards & Recognition 

In recognition of our comprehensive DEI efforts, Covington has received the following external awards and accolades:

• Human Rights Campaign “Corporate Equality Index” Survey: scored 100 for 15 consecutive years.

• Law 360 Pulse’s 2023 Social Impact Leaders: ranked 4th among the 100 largest law firms.

• Law 360 Pulse’s 2024 Diversity Snapshot: ranked 19th among firms with 600+ lawyers, based on representation of attorneys who identify as racial/ethnic minorities.

• Mansfield Rule Certification Plus achieved every year since 2018.

• Seramount’s 2024 Best Law Firms for Women & Diversity: ranked among the top 20 firms and has been ranked amongst the top 50 firms for the past three years.

• Women in Law Empowerment Forum (WILEF): achieved U.S. and UK Gold Standard Certification in 2023, representing the ninth year the firm has been recognized in the U.S. and the fourth year it has been recognized for both countries.

• 2023 Chambers Student Survey: scored 100% on efforts to recruit and promote lawyers from underrepresented backgrounds.

Memberships 

• Black Solicitors Network (BSN) • Charta der Vielfalt • East Asian Lawyers Organisation (EALO) • InterLaw Diversity Forum • IntoUniversity • Legal Diversity and Inclusion Alliance (LDIA) • NOTICED • Social Mobility Pledge

Link

Learn more about DEI at Covington here.