JD Journal » Covington & Burling

Covington & Burling Keep “A-List” Ranking in American Lawyer Magazine

EmploymentCrossing — Tue, 12 Jul 2011 00:14:13 +0000

Covington and Burling was the only D.C. based law firm to make the “A-List” ranking in the American Lawyer Magazine this July. The firm came in at number 20 on the list this year. The firm Saul Ewing recently hired real estate specialist Palmieri as a partner in their project and resource development department. Graduating law school students are found to be earning less due to the tough job market and economy.

Read the full article here:

D.C. area legal briefs: Covington & Burling retains its place on magazine’s ‘A …

More New Homes for Howrey Partners

joshua — Mon, 14 Mar 2011 17:52:55 +0000

After last week’s decision to shutter the firm, more Howrey partners are making an early exit. Since the dissolution vote, Venable, Covington & Burling, and Arnold & Porter have all picked up partners.

The largest group went to Arnold & Porter who snagged a 13 lawyer IP litigation team, split between Washington, DC and LA. The team is made up of five partners and one of counsel, all of whom will join Arnold & Porter as of counsel, along with seven associates.

The partnership vote, which happened last week on the 9th, requires partners who were still at the firm as of that day to remain until the dissolution on the 15th. Any moves happening between the 9th and the 15th will not become official until Wednesday at the earliest.

Morning Roundup

joshua — Wed, 12 Jan 2011 17:47:59 +0000

Good morning everyone! Today is Wednesday, January 12, and here’s a look back at the first half of the week…

Dewey & LeBoeuf has a new vacation policy…

Winston & Strawn expanded it’s IP team…

Covington & Burling added a former Washington DC Attorney General…

and merger talks between Reed Smith and Thompson & Knight are off…

Former Washington DC Attorney General Joins Covington & Burling

marvins — Mon, 10 Jan 2011 21:53:32 +0000

Covington & Burling LLP, a leading international law firm, announced that the former District of Columbia Attorney General, Peter Nickles, has joined the firm to chair the new strategic risk and crisis management practice. Nickels will be based in the firm’s Washington DC office as senior counsel. He will lead a powerful team that includes former Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff; former U.S. Ambassador to the European Union Stuart Eizenstat; former NFL Commissioner Paul Tagliabue and Thomas Williamson, the former U.S. Solicitor of Labor. The strategic risk and crisis management practice was formally added on January 6. This practice will counsel national and international clients on bolstering their marketing strategies, investigations and litigations.

Nickels served as a litigation partner at Covington before he became DC Attorney General. He is an expert on the area of litigations including antitrust, securities fraud, corporate control, and toxic tort claims. Throughout his career, he handled and advised various clients such as theKerr-McGee Corporation, the NFL and British Airways. Nickels is a graduate of Princeton University. He studied law at Harvard Law School.

Morning Roundup

joshua — Wed, 22 Dec 2010 15:59:34 +0000

Good morning everyone! Today is Wednesday, December 22, and after a brief hiatus we are returning to bring you a quick review of the week’s top stories.

King & Spalding is expanding its government investigations practice in California…

Jones Day has a new Partner In Charge of its Dallas office…

Fulbright & Jaworski is relocating its Austin office…

Covington & Burling picked up a former Bush appointee…

Quinn Emanuel announced its new partnership class…

And Cleary Gottlieb has a new managing partner…

Former Comptroller of the Currency Dugan Joins Covington & Burling

marvins — Wed, 22 Dec 2010 00:25:36 +0000

In line with the firm’s plan of expanding its work on the Dodd-Frank law, Covington & Burling LLP announced the addition of John C. Dugan, former Comptroller of the Currency, to their firm beginning in January 2011. Dugan will be based in the firm’s Washington office and will work as the leader of the financial institutions law group of Covington & Burling, a leading international law firm. Dugan was a former partner at Covington before he accepted the appointment of Ex-President George W. Bush to a five-year term as comptroller in 2005. Dugan has worked with both the Bush and President Barrack Obama’s administrations working with the national banks during the peak of the financial crisis, overseeing the taxpayer-funded bailouts and lobbying during the debate on the Dodd-Frank regulatory law, the most sweeping financial regulation renovation since the 1930s.

Dugan expressed his sentiments over his upcoming post in the firm. “There is a tremendous appetite and demand for individuals with regulatory expertise because of the crisis, Dodd-Frank, [and] changes in capital requirements. The world had kind of moved away from regulation and Washington in a lot of ways, and now regulation is a part of so many different things, for better or worse.”

Once in the firm, Dugan aims to be an adviser on capital requirements, mortgage regulations and the new Consumer Financial Protection Bureau created by the recent enactment of the Dodd-Frank law. Since there is a one-year ban on lobbying the Treasury Department and OCCC, Dugan said that he will not yet be lobbying the federal government.

Morning Roundup

joshua — Thu, 21 Oct 2010 00:20:59 +0000

Good morning everybody! Today is Thursday, October 21st. Here’s a quick look back at yesterday’s stories.

The Children’s Law Center, Washington D.C.’s largest provider of free legal services, launched a new six-week campaign, dubbed the Lawyers for Children Campaign….

Winston & Strawn expanded its transactional capabilities in China with a three-person team from Cadwalader…

BigLaw Lends A Hand in New Children’s Law Center Campaign

joshua — Wed, 20 Oct 2010 23:06:21 +0000

The Children’s Law Center, Washington D.C.’s largest provider of free legal services, has launched a new six-week campaign, dubbed the Lawyers for Children Campaign, that’s designed to expose area lawyers and their colleagues to opportunities to improve the lives of D.C.’s children.

In conjunction with the campaign, an 18-member advisory board was selected that’s made up of attorneys from law firms, law schools and corporations throughout the D.C. area. Among the organizations represented are Arnold & Porter, Blank Rome, Bryan Cave, Clifford Chance, Covington & Burling, Crowell & Moring, Fish & Richardson, Hunton & Williams, Jones Day, Latham & Watkins, McDermott Will & Emery, McKenna Long & Aldridge, Patton Boggs, Sidley Austin, Skadden, Williams & Connolly, American University and the Podesta Group.

Evelyn Becker, pro bono director at Children’s Law Center, said the groups “enthusiasm to launching the campaign and introducing their colleagues to Children’s Law Center has been tremendous.”

The campaign will run from October 18 through Thanksgiving. A Campaign Kickoff Happy Hour will be held Tuesday, Oct. 26 from 6 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. at the Children’s Law Center offices.

Carmen McLean, CLC Board Member and Chair of CLC’s Advisory Board, and attorney at Jones Day, commented on the campaign in a press release.

“At Jones Day, we just took on our 20th pro bono case through Children’s Law Center and we know how important this work is,” McLean said. “We are excited to spread the word about CLC’s new Lawyers for Children campaign.”

Morning Roundup

joshua — Fri, 13 Aug 2010 12:17:15 +0000

Good morning everyone! Today is Friday, August 13th. Here’s a quick look back at yesterday’s stories.

Baker McKenzie reported its revenues were flat but profits were up…

Ventricelli joined Capstone Advisory Group LLC as Managing Director…

The stay was lifted in California same-sex marriage ban…

Brinks Hofer laid off 18 workers this week…

Law Firm Best, Best, & Krieger was subpoenaed by the Attorney General’s office during its investigation of overpaid employees in the city of Bell…

A top compliance officer from BAE Systems joined Covington & Burling as a partner…

Covington Acquires BAE System’s Top Compliance Officer

joshua — Thu, 12 Aug 2010 16:35:59 +0000

Peter Lichtenbaum, who most recently was the top compliance officer for defense contractor BAE Systems Inc., has joined Covington & Burling as a partner in the firm’s Washington D.C. office.

According to a firm press release, Lichtenbaum will concentrate in the firm’s international trade and finance practice, working in the defense, homeland and national security industry group.

“Peter’s senior-level positions at both the Commerce Department and BAE Systems have provided him with exceptional experience working with defense contractors and other companies active in the defense, aerospace, intelligence and homeland security fields,” said Peter Flanagan, a partner in Covington’s international practice and a member of the firm’s management committee. “In particular, his expertise and senior policy experience with US trade control matters will be a tremendous asset to our international trade and national security practices.”

Prior to his stint at BAE Systems, a U.S. subsidiary of the world’s largest defense contractor, Lichtenbaum served in the Commerce Department as the assistant secretary of commerce for export administration from 2003 to 2006.

Covington & Burling is a full-service international firm with offices in Beijing, Brussels, London, New York, San Diego, San Francisco, Silicon Valley, and Washington D.C.

Akin Gump Led the Way in Lobbying Revenue in ’09

joshua — Tue, 06 Apr 2010 17:29:40 +0000

Led by Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld, law firms filled eight of the top 10 spots in the National Law Journal’s “Influence 50” ranking of the top-grossing Washington D.C. lobbying practices.

The 50 highest-grossing lobbying practices took in more than $1.1 billion in fees in 2009, according to the study. Overall revenue for the firms on the list was up 5.5 percent, which followed an increase of just 2.3 percent in 2008. No fewer than 33 of the firms on the list posted an increase in gross revenue in 2009.

“Clearly, this was a great year to be a Democratic lobbying firm,” said David Brown, editor in chief of The National Law Journal. “In the decade that we’ve been producing this survey, I can’t recall a time when so many firms saw such significant increases in revenue over the prior year. There’s no recession on K Street.”

Law firms took in about 66 percent of all lobbying revenue, which is about the same percentage as 2008. A major catalyst for the increase in lobbying revenue was the overhaul of the nation’s health care system. Big winners included the Podesta Group, which publicly reported $8.2 million in fees from clients lobbying on health issues in 2009; Alston & Bird with $3.9 million; Holland & Knight with $4.2 million; and Capitol Tax Partners with $3.6 million.

The top ten firms on the “Influence 50” were:

1.		Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld
2.		Patton Boggs
3.		Hogan & Hartson
4.		Covington & Burling
5.		K&L Gates
6.		Holland & Knight
7.		DLA Piper
8.		Sonnenschein Nath & Rosenthal
9.		Podesta Group
10.		Dutko Worldwide and Van Scoyoc Associates (tie)

Morning Roundup

joshua — Thu, 25 Feb 2010 11:33:56 +0000

Good morning everyone! Today is Thursday, February 25, and here’s a quick look back at yesterday’s news…

Morrison Foerster added a lateral in New York…

A former US Attorney joined up with Locke Lord…

Marc Daniel joined Arnold & Porter in Washington DC…

Latham & Watkins added one in Hong Kong…

Revenues dipped slightly while profits stayed flat at Arent Fox…

And speaking of Arent Fox, the firm picked up a lateral from Jones Day…

Jenner Block had a good year in 2009…

Jones Day picked up another California lateral…

Covington & Burling grow in Beijing…

Three Google executives have been convicted in absentia by an Italian court for privacy violations…

And Morgan Stanley’s chief legal officer has stepped down…

Covington & Burling Bolster Beijing Office

joshua — Wed, 24 Feb 2010 17:46:15 +0000

Timothy P. Stratford, the former assistant U.S. trade representative for China affairs, has joined Covington & Burling as a partner. He will be resident in the firm’s Beijing office, where he will practice in the international trade and finance group.

Stratford has lived and worked in China for more than 25 years, according to a firm press release. During his time at the USTR, Stratford worked with government officials in the U.S. and China on developing and implementing U.S-China trade policy.

Stratford will be joining several other former trade officials in Covington & Burling’s Beijing office, which opened in mid-2008. Also in China are Stu Eizenstat, former deputy treasury secretary; former deputy U.S. Trade Representative John Veroneau; and Al Larson, former undersecretary of state for economic affairs.

In addition to Beijing, Covington & Burling also has offices in Brussels, London, New York, San Diego, San Francisco, Silicon Valley and Washington D.C.

Morning Roundup

joshua — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 18:13:49 +0000

Today is Wednesday, November 11. At 11 am on November 11, 1918, all fighting stopped in World War 1 and Woodrow Wilson proclaimed the day Armistice Day. It wasn’t until Veterans started to return from World War 2 that the day became a day to celebrate all of our vets.

Here’s a look back at yesterday’s news…

Scott Rothstein was spotted and filmed having lunch and sounding upbeat…

Covington & Burling are freezing associate salaries…

Katten split its deferrals into three groups, with group number three losing their jobs…

Reed Smith cut associate salaries….

and the DC Sniper was executed by lethal injection last night….

In memoriam for Veterans Day:

Michael Cahill

Eduardo Caraveo

Justin DeCrow

John Gaffaney

Frederick Greene

Jason Hunt

Amy Krueger

Thomas Nemelka

Michael Pearson

Russell Seager

Francheska Velez

Juanita Warman

Kham Xiong

Salary Freeze at Covington & Burling

joshua — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 21:43:30 +0000

Stick this one in the “It could be worse…” file.

At an all associates meeting today, Covington & Burling announced a freeze on associate salaries for all offices other than New York. Although Covington’s associates are probably not thrilled with the news, things could be worse. If Covington can reign in costs without having to lower salaries or cut jobs, it puts them a step ahead of most firms.

Back in April, Covington & Burling’s Diversity Update included a statement that they had not frozen salaries. It took longer than a month, but now we can finally link back to it.

Ten Partnership Promotions at Covington & Burling

joshua — Wed, 07 Oct 2009 23:01:34 +0000

Covington & Burling announced its new partners, nine in Washington and one in London. Last year’s class had twelve new partners, but two years ago there were only six. Congratulations to Marney Cheek, David Fagan and Kimberly Strosnider in the international practice group, IP lawyers Kevin Collins and Lucinda Osborne, litigators Sarah Wilson and Matthew O’Connor, Yaron Dori in communications and media, Miriam Guggenheim in the food and drug practice group and Seth Safra who does employment law.

Covington & Burling LLP is an international law firm with offices in Beijing, Brussels, London, New York, San Francisco, Silicon Valley, San Diego, and Washington, DC. It consistently ranks among the top 20 on The American Lawyer’s prestigious “A-List.”

Yale Law Women Choose 2009 Top Ten ‘Family-Friendly’ Firms

Erik Even — Thu, 20 Aug 2009 21:05:03 +0000

Yale Law Women has announced its 2009 Top Ten Family Friendly Firms List:

Arnold & Porter
Cleary Gottlieb
Covington & Burling
Jenner & Block
Katten Muchin Rosenman
Mayer Brown
Munger, Tolles & Olson
Patton Boggs
Sidley Austin
WilmerHale

From the press release:

YLW believes that the discussion of family friendly firm policies remains salient in the midst of the current recession… YLW hopes leading firms will use this period of transformation as an opportunity to develop more flexible work arrangements and career paths for their attorneys…

Twenty-five percent of firms who responded to our survey offer formal “off-ramp/on-ramp programs,” which allow attorneys to leave the firm for a number of years to pursue other types of legal practice or to take time off to spend with their families.

Flexible and part-time work options are also becoming the norm: 99% of part-time requests were granted on average, and 41% of responding firms automatically grant part-time requests if conditions in a written policy are met…

…YLW remains concerned about the dearth of women in leadership positions, the gender gap in those who take advantage of family friendly policies, and the possibility that working part-time can derail an otherwise successful career.

Yale Law Women is a non-partisan organization that promotes the interests of women within the law school and beyond. To this end, YLW cultivates debate and discussion of issues pertaining to women and gender broadly defined; promotes speech and action by YLW members on issues of import to women; devotes resources to student support and professional development; recognizes and fosters outstanding achievement; and advocates in service of women’s interests in society.

Covington & Burling Picks Up Heavyweights from Rushton Stakely

Erik Even — Wed, 12 Aug 2009 17:27:32 +0000

Covington & Burling has hired two prominent attorneys away from Montgomery, Alabama’s Rushton, Stakely, Johnston & Garrett.

Robert Brock joins the Washington DC office of Covington & Burling as a partner in the litigation group. He will chair the product liability & mass tort practice group. Brock was with Rushton Stakely for 25 years. His practice focuses on trial work and civil litigation. His JD is from the University of Alabama School of Law in Tuscaloosa.

F. Chadwick Morriss also joins as of counsel. He was also a Rushton Stakely lifer. He handles class action defense; insurance fraud; drug & medical device defense; professional liability; and personal injury defense. His JD is also from the University of Alabama School of Law.

UPDATE

Thanks to the JDJournal tipster who pointed out that “heavyweights” only has one “w.”

50 Best Law Firms for Women Announced

Erik Even — Tue, 11 Aug 2009 20:33:38 +0000

Working Mother Magazine and Flex-Time Lawyers have announced their 2009 Best Law Firms for Women.

The accolade is awarded based on attention to work-life and women’s issues, and the increased use of part-time and other family-friendly policies.

Firms with at least 50 lawyers were eligible to apply, and the application included detailed questions about issues that are important to the retention and promotion of female lawyers. The winning firms were selected based on their workforce profile, family-friendly benefits and policies, flexibility, leadership, compensation, advancement and retention of women, among other criteria utilizing 2008 data.

The 50 firms chosen are not ranked in any order, but include:

Alston & Bird
Andrews Kurth
Arent Fox
Bass Berry Sims
Chapman and Cutler
Covington & Burling
Davis Polk & Wardwell
Debevoise & Plimpton
Dorsey & Whitney
Drinker Biddle
Foley Hoag
Folger Levin & Kahn
Fox Rothschild
Frankfurt Kurnit Klein & Selz
Fried Frank Harris Shriver & Jacobson
Frost Brown Todd
Gibbons PC
Goodwin Procter
Gray Plant Mooty
Hanson Bridgett
Hardy & Bacon
Holland and Hart
Honigman Miller Schwartz & Cohn
Ice Miller
Jenner & Block
Katten Muchin Rosenman Cornish LLP
Latham & Watkins
Lindquist & Vennum
Littler Mendelson
Lowenstein Sandler
Manatt Phelps & Phillips
McGuireWoods
Miller & Chevalier
Morrison & Foerster
Munger Tolles & Olson
Neal Gerber & Eisenberg
Orrick Herrington & Sutcliffe
Paul Weiss Rifkind Wharton & Garrison
Perkins Coie
Pillsbury Winthrop
Quarles & Brady
Shook
Sidley Austin
Simpson Thacher & Bartlett
Smith Moore Leatherwood
Steptoe & Johnson
Sterne Kessler Goldstein & Fox
Vinson & Elkins
Weil Gotshal & Manges
Wilmer Cutler Pickering Hale & Dorr
Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati

Huh. The list of firms not included might be shorter.

Heller Estate May Sue Covington Over Partner Poaching

Erik Even — Tue, 07 Jul 2009 17:48:20 +0000

The estate of Heller Ehrman, the San Francisco-based law firm that imploded spectacularly in November 2008, may sue Washington DC’s Covington & Burling, which hired 14 ex-Heller partners last September.

Heller contends that the partner defections contributed to the downfall of the firm, by causing banks to freeze firm accounts. The estate is suing Covington and the partners for breach of fiduciary duty.

Lovitt & Hannan is representing Heller Ehrman. It employs Heller dissolution committee member Jonathan Hayden.

The partners have replied that Heller had plenty of notice the group was moving to Covington.

Founded in San Francisco in 1890, Heller Ehrman LLP was an international law firm of more than 730 attorneys in 15 offices in the United States, Europe, and Asia. The firm dissolved in November 2008.

The Week in Law Firm Layoffs

Erik Even — Sat, 30 May 2009 17:07:12 +0000

This week in law firm layoffs:

LG: 12 lawyers

Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer: 14 lawyers

Weil, Gotshal & Manges: 79 staff

Snell & Wilmer: 40 staff

Covington & Burling: undisclosed lawyers

Ropes & Gray: 40 lawyers

Total: 66 lawyers, 119 staff

Previously:

Week of May 17th: 40 lawyers, 118 staff

Week of May 10th: 274 lawyers, 499 staff

Week of May 3rd: 274 lawyers, 160 staff

Week of April 26th: 352 lawyers, 220 staff, 70 undisclosed

Week of April 19th: 61 lawyers, 184 staff

Week of April 12th: 67 lawyers, 50 staff, 115 unidentified

Week of April 5th: 144 lawyers, 310 staff

Week of March 29th: 199 lawyers, 474 staff

Week of March 22nd: 455 lawyers, 219 staff

Week of March 15th: 91 lawyers, 177 staff

Week of March 8th: 574 lawyers, 812 staff

Covington & Burling Laying Off Staff Attorneys

Erik Even — Thu, 28 May 2009 18:28:14 +0000

According to stories in the blawgosphere, Covington & Burling is in the process of laying off an undisclosed number of staff attorneys.

Those affected have been offered one or two weeks of severance depending on length of service, in exchange for a promise not to sue the firm over the circumstances of their termination.

The firm says it has released staff attorneys as the number of projects has dropped.

Covington & Burling Brings on Lawyers [Correction]

Erik Even — Fri, 22 May 2009 19:30:18 +0000

Covington & Burling has brought on Demetrios Kouzoukas and David Kornblau.

Kouzoukas was principal associate deputy secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services. He is joining Covington’s health care and food & drug practice groups in Washington DC.

Kornblau was SEC chief litigation counsel. He joins Covington as a partner in the white collar & securities enforcement and litigation practices in New York.

CORRECTION: This story originally characterized David Kornblau as a “Bush administration refugee.” In fact, Kornblau joined the SEC in 1995, during the Clinton years, and was never a political appointee. From 2005-2009, he was with Merrill Lynch, so his move to Covington has nothing to do with the change in administrations.

JDJournal regrets the error.

Survey: Skadden is Nation’s Top Firm Again

Erik Even — Wed, 20 May 2009 16:59:59 +0000

Skadden has been ranked the top corporate law firm in the US for the ninth year in a row, according to Corporate Board Member magazine.

The rankings are based on a poll of 6,300 directors and general counsel.

Here are the top 20 on the America’s Best Corporate Law Firms list, including last year’s ranking:

1. Skadden Arps Slate Meagher & Flom, New York (1)
2. Jones Day, Cleveland (7)
3. Cravath Swaine & Moore, New York (2)
4. Wachtell Lipton Rosen & Katz, New York (3)
5. Sullivan & Cromwell, New York (5)
6. Weil Gotshal & Manges, New York (9)
7. Gibson Dunn & Crutcher, Los Angeles (13)
8. Kirkland & Ellis, Chicago (8)
9. Latham & Watkins, Los Angeles (6)
10. Fulbright & Jaworski, Houston (17)
11. Baker & McKenzie, Chicago (14)
12. O’Melveny & Myers, Los Angeles (19)
13. Davis Polk & Wardwell, New York (4)
14. Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati, Palo Alto (14)
15. Sidley Austin, Chicago/New York (-)
16. Shearman & Sterling, New York (11)
17. Paul Weiss Rifkind Wharton & Garrison, New York (11)
18. Covington & Burling, Washington DC (16)
19. Hogan & Hartson, Washington DC (20)
20. Fried Frank Harris Shriver & Jacobson, New York (-)

Corporate Board Member is a leading information resource for senior officers and directors of publicly traded corporations, large private companies, and Global 1000 firms.

Covington & Burling Hires More Bush Lawyers

Erik Even — Thu, 07 May 2009 16:35:51 +0000

Covington & Burling, which likes to hire former Republican bigwigs, is bringing on two more Bush administration veterans.

The firm is bringing on George Frampton, former chairman of the White House Council on Environmental Quality, as senior counsel in New York; and Gerald Masoudi, former chief counsel of the Food & Drug Administration, as a partner in Washington, DC.

Covington & Burling Does Absolutely Nothing

Erik Even — Tue, 21 Apr 2009 17:03:59 +0000

Legal bloggers have been thrilled to comment on this quote from Covington & Burling’s recently-published Diversity Update:

Our balanced mix of practices; our longstanding, deep and broad client relationships; and our careful management have mitigated some of the worst impacts of the economy to date. We have not seen a need for any cutbacks in the size of our legal and non-legal staff. We have not frozen salaries. We have paid bonuses. We will welcome our incoming class for 2009 at the usual time this fall, and we will offer a full summer program.

Can you feel the air of quiet superiority? I guarantee you, in a month I’ll be linking back to this post from a story about layoffs at Covington & Burling. I wonder what The Cryptkeeper thinks?

I take that back. I hope things go well for everyone at Covington.

Former DHS Secretary Chertoff Joins Covington & Burling

Erik Even — Thu, 26 Mar 2009 17:11:33 +0000

Former Department of Homeland Security secretary and federal appellate court judge Michael Chertoff is joining Covington & Burling’s white-collar defense and investigations practice group in Washington, DC.

Chertoff will be counseling clients in government, regulatory, and internal investigations.

The 55-year-old Chertoff was the second United States Secretary of Homeland Security, under George W. Bush, and a co-author of the USA PATRIOT Act. He is also a Sith Lord.

Chertoff graduated magna cum laude from Harvard Law School in 1978, and clerked for former US Supreme Court Justice William Brennan, Jr. He spent a total of four years with Latham & Watkins.

Akin Gump Wins Big in Lobbying Revenues

Erik Even — Mon, 23 Mar 2009 22:41:34 +0000

Am Law 200 firms Covington & Burling, K&L Gates, Dickstein Shapiro, and McGuireWoods were among the law firms that made the most cash from lobbying in 2008, according to Legal Times’ annual listing of the “Influence 50.”

But Akin Gump came in first place, with $98 million in lobbying revenues in 2008, up 9% from 2007.

Covington saw a 36.6% increase in lobbying revenue, to $55.2 million in 2008.

The law firm with the biggest loss in lobbying revenues was Washington, DC’s Williams & Jensen, whose revenues fell 16.5% to $16.7 million.

In 2009, firms are scrambling to hire lobbyists to win federal stimulus package dollars for clients.

Ex-Senator Joins Covington & Burling

Erik Even — Tue, 03 Mar 2009 23:08:26 +0000

Former Oregon Senator Gordon Smith is returning to Washington, DC, where he will join Covington & Burling and focus on international trade and foreign relations.

Smith, 56, a Republican who lost a bid for a third term to Democrat Jeff Merkley, is barred from lobbying his former colleagues for two years, but can offer strategic advice to clients.

Smith, who owns a frozen-foods business in Weston, Oregon, will spend at least two-thirds of his time at the firm. He also will serve on corporate and charitable boards.

Obama Hires Am Law 100′s Top Legal Earners

Erik Even — Thu, 29 Jan 2009 17:46:54 +0000

The American Lawyer reports that new Obama administration appointees Eric Holder Jr., Jeh Johnson, Ronald Kirk and Tom Vilsack raked in the cash while working for Am Law 100 firms.

Holder, Obama’s nominee for attorney general, made $3.3 million at Covington & Burling last year… [he] stands to earn between $1 million and $5 million from Covington as part of a separation agreement with the firm. Holder also will receive a repayment of anywhere between $500,000 and $1 million from Covington’s capital account… If confirmed as AG, Holder’s annual salary would be $196,700…

…prospective Defense Department general counsel Jeh Johnson of Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison, earned $2.6 million last year as a litigation partner at the firm. Like Holder, Johnson will receive severance of between $1 million and $5 million…

Obama’s nominee for U.S. trade representative, former… Vinson & Elkins partner Ronald Kirk, received $556,740 from his firm last year… the firm will pay him a $150,000 bonus and other accrued benefits, which… includes an outstanding $80,000 partnership share.

…Vilsack, who made partner at Dorsey & Whitney shortly before [becoming] Obama’s nominee for secretary of agriculture… earned $300,000 from his firm last year.

Looks like everyone’s going down a pay grade.

Read the complete story. Also here.

Former DOJ Anti-Trust Czar Returns to Covington & Burling

Erik Even — Wed, 28 Jan 2009 23:01:05 +0000

Thomas Barnett, former head of the Justice Department’s antitrust division, will return to Covington & Burling next week to head its global anti-trust and competition practice.

Barnett led the antitrust division for three years, working on matters like the Delta-Northwest merger and Google’s ill-fated joint advertising agreement with Yahoo. Barnett resigned in mid-November.

Barnett first joined Covington in 1990. He spent 14 years at the firm, rising to become one of several vice chairs in its antitrust group.

In April 2004, Barnett left Covington to become deputy assistant attorney general for antitrust. He was elevated to acting assistant attorney general in June 2005, and was confirmed by the Senate to permanently fill the role in February 2006.

Under Barnett’s watch, the antitrust division secured more than $2 billion in criminal fines against 50 corporations and 91 individuals. That includes one of the largest antitrust settlements in US history, when Barnett’s division extracted $504 million from four international airlines to settle air cargo price-fixing charges.

Washington, DC’s Covington had gross revenues of $467 million and profits per equity partner of $1.175 million in 2007.

Obama Makes Key DOJ Appointments [UPDATE]

Erik Even — Tue, 06 Jan 2009 20:02:37 +0000

President-elect Barack Obama announced the nominations of four well-known lawyers to key posts in the Justice Department, including deputy attorney general, the number two spot.

That appointment went to Wilmer Cutler Pickering Hale & Dorr’s David Ogden, a former head of the department’s Civil Division under President Bill Clinton, who has been overseeing the DOJ transition work for Obama.

His deputy on the transition team, Thomas Perrelli, managing partner of Jenner & Block’s Washington, DC office, was tapped for the number three slot, associate attorney general. Like Ogden, Perrelli served in several positions in the Clinton Justice Department, leaving in 2001 as the head of the Civil Division’s Federal Programs Branch.

A surprise came in Obama’s selection of Elena Kagan, dean of Harvard Law School, to serve as solicitor general, and Dawn Johnsen, a law professor at Indiana University School of Law, to head the Office of Legal Counsel, the high-profile arm of the Justice Department that provides legal advice to the president and all executive branch agencies.

Kagan and Johnsen too served in the Clinton administration.

Johnsen was legal director of the National Abortion & Reproductive Rights Action League, and has been a frequent critic of the Bush administration. Her most recent publication is entitled, “What’s a President to Do? Interpreting the Constitution in the Wake of the Bush Administration’s Abuses.”

Kagan would be the first Senate-confirmed woman to serve as the government’s chief advocate before the Supreme Court. She has also been mentioned as a potential nominee to the Supreme Court, and her role as solicitor general could burnish her appeal.

Obama’s announcement of four more DOJ nominees comes little more than a week before the January 15th Senate confirmation hearing for his attorney general pick, Eric Holder Jr., now a partner at Covington & Burling.

Via Legal Times.

UPDATE

An interesting note on Holy Hullabaloos:

Yale Law School must be celebrating Harvard’s loss of Kagan, though, since Kagan was a superstar dean who made all sorts of great improvements at Harvard, which now threatens Yale as the top law school in the US.

GOP to Put AG Choice Through the Ringer

Erik Even — Mon, 15 Dec 2008 17:54:17 +0000

While no one expects the Senate to vote down the confirmation of Covington & Burling partner Eric H. Holder Jr. as the nation’s next attorney general. But key Republican lawmakers are signalling that they do not intend to make it easy.

From Legal Times:

While congressional leaders negotiated behind closed doors over proposed loans to Detroit automakers, several Republicans took the floor Wednesday and Thursday to discuss Covington & Burling’s Eric Holder Jr. They called for Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Patrick Leahy, D-Vt., to delay the Jan. 8 confirmation hearing for Holder, who of late has been dogged by his involvement in pardoning fugitive financier Marc Rich in the waning hours of the Clinton administration.

But the comments from Republicans went further. Sen. Jeff Sessions of Alabama questioned Holder’s fitness to be attorney general. Sen. Charles Grassley of Iowa said he wanted to delve into Holder’s career in private practice. Sen. Tom Coburn of Oklahoma threatened to prevent a vote.

The likely motive behind the attacks on Holder is to extract concessions and compromises from the incoming Obama administration.

Holder was a deputy attorney general under Janet Reno in the Clinton Administration. If confirmed, he will be the first African-American attorney general.