Firm Profiles
IN-DEPTH RESEARCH REPORT
on Covington & Burling LLP
- - Financial Information
- - Compensation
- - Billing Rates
- - Lateral Partner Moves
- - Pro bono
- - Key Contacts
Covington & Burling
- Designation: Washington, D.C.
- Head Count: 738
- Gross Revenues: $650,000,000
- Revenue Per Lawyer: $880,000
- Profits Per Partner: $1,265,000
- Year Over Year Change: 1
The first nongovernment tenant on Pennsylvania Avenue, Covington & Burling was and is a Washington firm. They have a world capital strategy—with outposts in Beijing, Brussels, and London. And they long ago checked the New York box, scooping up a corporate boutique that has grown into a 100–lawyer office. But this is the firm that’s defined as home to Dean Acheson before he became U.S. secretary of State under President Harry Truman, and more recently to Eric Holder before he was named attorney general. And its bread–and–butter work is what you’d expect of a major D.C. firm: regulatory matters, antitrust, international trade, guidance on public policy issues, and a busy appellate practice. Covington’s litigation group is first–tier, too: It was a finalist for The American Lawyer’s 2008 Litigation Department of the Year, and earned an honorable mention in 2010.
While the firm is certainly no nonprofit, it is one of the most civic–minded around, regularly ranking in the top three on The American Lawyer’s pro bono survey. On the 2011 survey—on which Covington placed first—the firm’s lawyers averaged a whopping 167 pro bono hours each, nearly 25 hours more than the number two firm. Covington’s pro bono work runs the gamut—everything from representing Guant namo detainees to work involving gay rights, education, homelessness, police misconduct, and nonprofit incorporation—and an innovative rotation program places attorneys within D.C. –based legal service organizations like the Children’s Law Center and the Neighborhood Legal Services Program.
Covington was also one of the few bright spots during the recent economic downturn. While other firms were slashing their attorney rosters, Covington’s head count grew nearly 25 percent between 2008 and 2010. The firm was number two on The American Lawyer’s Recession Performance Index, with both revenues and attorney levels benefiting from a compound annual growth rate of 12 percent between 2007 and 2009. Little wonder, then, that the firm has generally been scored well by its junior lawyers, placing twenty–fifth on The American Lawyer’s 2011 Midlevel Associates Survey. Indeed, nearly a century after its founding, Covington & Burling seems to be in better shape than its law–making neighbors.
—Updated as of 1/1/12
Firm Rankings
| Survey | Rank | Year Over Year Change | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| Am Law 100 | 45 | 1 | Gross revenue |
| Am Law 200 | 45 | 1 | Gross revenue |
| NLJ 250 | 53 | 2 | Lawyer head count |
| The A-List | 19 | 1 | Overall excellence |
| Pro Bono Scorecard | 1 | 3 | Pro-bono commitment |
| Diversity Scorecard | 71 | 3 | Minority head count |
| Midlevel Associates Survey | 25 | 15 | Job satisfaction |
| Summer Associates Survey | 66 | 7 | Summer programs |
In the News
White & Case, Fox Rothschild Steer Coda Into Chapter 11
Brian Baxter : The Am Law Daily : May 2, 2013
The two firms are advising Coda Holdings, a struggling Los Angeles-based electric car manufacturer, as it drove into bankruptcy this week in Delaware. Coda joins the ranks of other ailing green auto industry players, including Fisker Automotive, which recently hired Kirkland & Ellis as restructuring counsel.
INADMISSIBLE
: The National Law Journal : May 1, 2013
Reply hazy, try again; Breuer returns to Covington; new D.C. boutique; Supreme peeps; Nancy Pelosi thinks it oh-over; Lamberth won't stop working; and a sealed ruling in this week's column.
Greenberg Settles with Heller Estate for $5 million
Scott Graham : The Recorder : April 26, 2013
Another settlement domino has fallen in the Heller Ehrman bankruptcy litigation, with Greenberg Traurig agreeing to pay $4.9 million to settle the Heller estate's malpractice, conflict of interest and preference payment claims.
Greenberg Settles with Heller Estate for $5 million
Scott Graham : The Recorder : April 25, 2013
Covington, S&C, Brazilian Firms Advise on Big Latin American Deals
Brian Baxter : The Am Law Daily : April 24, 2013
Top Brazilian firms Barbara, Mussnich & Aragao and Mattos Filho, Veiga Filho, Marrey Jr. e Quiroga are working on a $2.5 billion all-stock merger that will create the world's largest for-profit education company, while Covington & Burling, Sullivan & Cromwell, and several South American firms have grabbed roles on the $516 million sale of a 50 percent stake in a Peruvian pension fund.
D.C. MOVES
: The National Law Journal : April 22, 2013
Judge, Counsel Tempers Flare at During Trial
Mark Hamblett : New York Law Journal : April 22, 2013
Tempers flared as federal Judge Shira Scheindlin demanded that the New York City Law Department produce two officers for identification by a black plaintiff who claims he was stopped, questioned and frisked on the steps of his home without reasonable suspicion. "I'm ordering it. I've really had it with this identification," she said.
Judge, Counsel Tempers Flare at Stop-and-Frisk Trial
Mark Hamblett : New York Law Journal : April 22, 2013
Southern District Judge Shira Scheindlin demanded that the Law Department produce two NYPD officers for identification by a black plaintiff who claims he was stopped, questioned and frisked without reasonable suspicion. "I'm directing the city to produce these officers," Scheindlin said, her voice rising. "I'm ordering it. I've really had it with this identification."
Introducing 50 California Lawyers on the Fast Track
: The Recorder : April 19, 2013
The Churn: Lateral Moves in The Am Law 200
Diane Jeantet : The Am Law Daily : April 19, 2013
Ogletree, Deakins, Nash, Smoak & Stewart opens a Richmond office, the firm's 44th location; Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher takes a practice group leader from Sheppard Mullin Richter & Hampton; and Hunton & Williams welcomes back a partner in Charlotte. The Churn is constant. Please send all announcements to thechurn@alm.com.
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- Dickstein Shapiro
- DLA Piper
- Duane Morris
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- Freehills
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