Covington Forum

[Anonymous User]

Seems to be doing well financially (even in the current economy). No layoffs, no deferred start dates, 14 week summer program etc. From what I hear, it's got a good reputation for giving associates good work, decent work/life balance.

Any drawbacks to the firm?

[Anonymous User]

Seems to be doing well financially (even in the current economy). No layoffs, no deferred start dates, 14 week summer program etc. From what I hear, it's got a good reputation for giving associates good work, decent work/life balance.

Any drawbacks to the firm?

I was a Covington DC SA this summer. I really enjoyed my time with the firm and would second all of the positive factors you cited. In addition to those, I would say that the hours seem pretty sane, the people are friendly and extremely bright, the job security seems really high, and the office location is pretty convenient for commuters. Overall, a great place to work.

In terms of drawbacks, I think there are three main ones I've heard thrown around, none of which seemed to be a big deal in my experience. First, people say that the firm's bonus structure is very opaque and that relative to peer firms, the bonuses are smaller. Associates did say that the bonus system was a little hard to understand, but I didn't hear anyone complain about it. Also, obviously in this economy bonuses are mostly a moot point, since most firms are at or below Covington's usual levels, and many firms are going to zero bonus in'09. Second, I will be up front in saying that the firm is not a "work hard, play hard" type of place. So if you want raucous after-work camaraderie with your co-workers, Latham or Kirkland is going to be a better fit. Third, I recall reading somewhere that the firm specializes in less interesting, "low margin" work. This criticism seems to emanate from New Yorkers who have no idea what a Washington practice actually consists of. The work I had this summer was extremely interesting from start to finish, and my clear impression is that clients hire the firm for cutting edge litigation, insurance, sports, regulatory, and corporate work. So while there may be less deal flow than other firms, I do think the work that does come in is, pound for pound, more intellectually stimulating.

[CE2JD]

Third, I recall reading somewhere that the firm specializes in less interesting, "low margin" work. This criticism seems to emanate from New Yorkers who have no idea what a Washington practice actually consists of.

Moral of the story: New Yorkers are retarded because they trade job security for fanciful bets on high stakes M&A work which they deem "interesting" but in times of economic trouble secretly wish they had the higher job security that comes from D.C. connections and more government-related work

[M51]

Third, I recall reading somewhere that the firm specializes in less interesting, "low margin" work. This criticism seems to emanate from New Yorkers who have no idea what a Washington practice actually consists of.

Moral of the story: New Yorkers are retarded because they trade job security for fanciful bets on high stakes M&A work which they deem "interesting" but in times of economic trouble secretly wish they had the higher job security that comes from D.C. connections and more government-related work

Yes. We are retarded because all New Yorkers only care about job security, and then only work in M&A depts. Our single miscalculation of our own job security hangs over our entire career as we pine away for D.C.

[CE2JD]

Third, I recall reading somewhere that the firm specializes in less interesting, "low margin" work. This criticism seems to emanate from New Yorkers who have no idea what a Washington practice actually consists of.

Moral of the story: New Yorkers are retarded because they trade job security for fanciful bets on high stakes M&A work which they deem "interesting" but in times of economic trouble secretly wish they had the higher job security that comes from D.C. connections and more government-related work

Yes. We are retarded because all New Yorkers only care about job security, and then only work in M&A depts. Our single miscalculation of our own job security hangs over our entire career as we pine away for D.C.

Finally, a New Yorker who admits it!

[Anonymous User]

Out of curiosity, what were Covington's usual bonus like? And what hours did you (as a summer associate) and junior associates work? Thanks!

[Anonymous User]

Out of curiosity, what were Covington's usual bonus like? And what hours did you (as a summer associate) and junior associates work? Thanks!

I generally worked 8:45 or 9:00 until about 6:15 or 6:30, with lunches frequently stretching 90 minutes. Sometimes I stayed a little later than that, but not often. On two or three occasions, I worked until around midnight because something was due the next day. Some summers worked more hours than that, others less. I got the sense that we worked a little bit less than summers at DC firms where everyone knew there'd be no-offers, and much less than SAs in New York. Billable hours were never an issue for us as summers, even though we were required to track our time. Seeing my friends working at NY firms posting facebook photos of all-night doc review and gchat status messages to the same effect was pretty funny, considering the fact that I don't think any of my fellow SAs did doc review even once over the course of the summer. There was no face time expectation, and as long as we were getting our work done nobody seemed to care what our hours were. If we had to come in late or leave during the day for a doctor's appointment or something like that, there was no need to clear it with anyone.

Junior associates clearly worked longer hours than we did as SAs. The hours seemed to vary by practice group. I can say for sure that the place was dead the few times I went in on the weekend (few in the summer class did this, and I mostly did it to see how many people would be around). Also, most associates seemed to head home by 7 or so, but that could have just been the people near my office. Based on one of the associate panel discussions the firm hosted, I think some associates take their laptop home with them to do a little bit more work after dinner sometimes, esp. if they have to leave work earlier to pick a child up from day care or whatever. All-in, I got the impression that associates definitely work DC biglaw hours at Covington, but on the saner side of that scale.

Regarding bonuses, I honestly don't know. I recall reading somewhere--maybe Above the Law--that bonuses a year or two ago were in the 10 to 20 thousand range. I'm not sure that the firm does lockstep bonuses, however, so it seems like there might be some deviation both above and below that level. There seem to be more than a few attorneys, including several partners, at Covington who could hit it even harder as far as hours or go to other firms to make more money, but who stay because they value the relatively better work-life balance the firm offers. That’s not to say that working at Covington is all vacation and easy street—to be clear, there’s a lot of work involved. Rather, the point is that relative to many other firms, the pressure to kill yourself working is marginally less.

[Anonymous User]

Thanks. I recently got an SA offer from Covington's New York office. Do you know anyone who worked there? And do you think much of what you said about the DC office can be generalized to the New York office (e.g., hours worked)? Thanks for taking the time to share your thoughts.

[Anonymous User]

Junior associates clearly worked longer hours than we did as SAs. The hours seemed to vary by practice group. I can say for sure that the place was dead the few times I went in on the weekend (few in the summer class did this, and I mostly did it to see how many people would be around). Also, most associates seemed to head home by 7 or so, but that could have just been the people near my office. Based on one of the associate panel discussions the firm hosted, I think some associates take their laptop home with them to do a little bit more work after dinner sometimes, esp. if they have to leave work earlier to pick a child up from day care or whatever. All-in, I got the impression that associates definitely work DC biglaw hours at Covington, but on the saner side of that scale.

I work at Covington, and completely agree with this assessment.

[Anonymous User]

Has anyone had an offer call more than a few days after the callback? I keep hearing 2-3 days.

[Anonymous User]

For those with offers from Covington, did you receive an offer letter in the mail in addition to a phone call? I got a phone call offer a little more than a week ago, but still haven't received an offer letter in the mail.

[Anonymous User]

For those with offers from Covington, did you receive an offer letter in the mail in addition to a phone call? I got a phone call offer a little more than a week ago, but still haven't received an offer letter in the mail.

I'm another former Covington summer (going back... woo!). Last year, it took a good two weeks or so to get my letter after my phone call. I remember bc I was nervous about letting my other offers go until I had my Covington one in writing.

I agree with what others have said about hours... no face time... work hard and get it done, but no one is making sure you're at your desk to do it. They seem sincere about providing you with the technology you need to fit your work into your life. As the other summer said... some people with kids go home at 5 and then log in later in the evening.

It seems like people really take their vacation time, too. The thing I'm nervous about is that, based on at least one associate I know, it seems like partners will call you on your vacation and expect you to do work in response. I hate the idea of not really being on vacation when you're on vacation. I'm hoping that this is one of the situations where people will do it to you if you let them but will also respect your boundaries if you set up their expectations properly.

The social culture seems good to me... nice, friendly people to work with, but without a lot of pressure to spend your life with them after work. Of course, if what you want is for everyone to go to bars together after work... maybe not so much.

And, yeah, the bonuses aren't supposed to be anything to get your hopes up about.

Overall, I'm really pleased with Covington, though! They have such diverse practice areas that it gives you a lot of opportunity to find something that fits you. Nice people, financial stability (comparatively), good hours (again, comparatively), fantastic entry on your resume.

[Anonymous User]

For those with offers from Covington, did you receive an offer letter in the mail in addition to a phone call? I got a phone call offer a little more than a week ago, but still haven't received an offer letter in the mail.

I'm another former Covington summer (going back... woo!). Last year, it took a good two weeks or so to get my letter after my phone call. I remember bc I was nervous about letting my other offers go until I had my Covington one in writing.

I agree with what others have said about hours... no face time... work hard and get it done, but no one is making sure you're at your desk to do it. They seem sincere about providing you with the technology you need to fit your work into your life. As the other summer said... some people with kids go home at 5 and then log in later in the evening.

It seems like people really take their vacation time, too. The thing I'm nervous about is that, based on at least one associate I know, it seems like partners will call you on your vacation and expect you to do work in response. I hate the idea of not really being on vacation when you're on vacation. I'm hoping that this is one of the situations where people will do it to you if you let them but will also respect your boundaries if you set up their expectations properly.

The social culture seems good to me... nice, friendly people to work with, but without a lot of pressure to spend your life with them after work. Of course, if what you want is for everyone to go to bars together after work... maybe not so much.

And, yeah, the bonuses aren't supposed to be anything to get your hopes up about.

Overall, I'm really pleased with Covington, though! They have such diverse practice areas that it gives you a lot of opportunity to find something that fits you. Nice people, financial stability (comparatively), good hours (again, comparatively), fantastic entry on your resume.

I just got the offer letter in the mail and breathed a sigh of relief. Out of curiosity, which Covington office did you summer at? Did you find that the atmosphere was collegial? I ask because I'm trying to decide between Covington and another firm. In most respects, I prefer Covington, but the other firm is definitely making me feel more wanted (partners are contacting me to see if I have any questions, wanted to speak with any other attorneys, revisit the office, and spending 30-40 minutes sharing their views of the firm with me). With Covington, on the other hand, I haven't really heard anything since the offer phone call.

I'm wondering if this is indicative of the culture in general - i.e. not quite as collegial as other firms? (By collegial I don't mean colleagues who I would necessarily go out with after work, but more just people who really respect each other and get along well.) And what did you think of the partner-associate relations?

[Anonymous User]

For those with offers from Covington, did you receive an offer letter in the mail in addition to a phone call? I got a phone call offer a little more than a week ago, but still haven't received an offer letter in the mail.

I'm another former Covington summer (going back... woo!). Last year, it took a good two weeks or so to get my letter after my phone call. I remember bc I was nervous about letting my other offers go until I had my Covington one in writing.

I agree with what others have said about hours... no face time... work hard and get it done, but no one is making sure you're at your desk to do it. They seem sincere about providing you with the technology you need to fit your work into your life. As the other summer said... some people with kids go home at 5 and then log in later in the evening.

It seems like people really take their vacation time, too. The thing I'm nervous about is that, based on at least one associate I know, it seems like partners will call you on your vacation and expect you to do work in response. I hate the idea of not really being on vacation when you're on vacation. I'm hoping that this is one of the situations where people will do it to you if you let them but will also respect your boundaries if you set up their expectations properly.

The social culture seems good to me... nice, friendly people to work with, but without a lot of pressure to spend your life with them after work. Of course, if what you want is for everyone to go to bars together after work... maybe not so much.

And, yeah, the bonuses aren't supposed to be anything to get your hopes up about.

Overall, I'm really pleased with Covington, though! They have such diverse practice areas that it gives you a lot of opportunity to find something that fits you. Nice people, financial stability (comparatively), good hours (again, comparatively), fantastic entry on your resume.

I just got the offer letter in the mail and breathed a sigh of relief. Out of curiosity, which Covington office did you summer at? Did you find that the atmosphere was collegial? I ask because I'm trying to decide between Covington and another firm. In most respects, I prefer Covington, but the other firm is definitely making me feel more wanted (partners are contacting me to see if I have any questions, wanted to speak with any other attorneys, revisit the office, and spending 30-40 minutes sharing their views of the firm with me). With Covington, on the other hand, I haven't really heard anything since the offer phone call.

I'm wondering if this is indicative of the culture in general - i.e. not quite as collegial as other firms? (By collegial I don't mean colleagues who I would necessarily go out with after work, but more just people who really respect each other and get along well.) And what did you think of the partner-associate relations?

DC. Very collegial. I think even people who wish there were more social life would still tell you people are friendly and nice to work with. Re: partner-associate relations... it seems to me it varies widely depending on how easy the partner is to work with. Some are pretty beloved and some are avoided. I imagine that's the same everywhere. Associates have told me there aren't really "screamers," but there are still partners who are more demanding and less pleasant than others.

I think maybe you have had bad luck not to be contacted since your offer. My experience and the experience of others I've talked to about this, from my summer and who are currently 2Ls, has been the opposite.

[Anonymous User]

For those with offers from Covington, did you receive an offer letter in the mail in addition to a phone call? I got a phone call offer a little more than a week ago, but still haven't received an offer letter in the mail.

I'm another former Covington summer (going back... woo!). Last year, it took a good two weeks or so to get my letter after my phone call. I remember bc I was nervous about letting my other offers go until I had my Covington one in writing.

I agree with what others have said about hours... no face time... work hard and get it done, but no one is making sure you're at your desk to do it. They seem sincere about providing you with the technology you need to fit your work into your life. As the other summer said... some people with kids go home at 5 and then log in later in the evening.

It seems like people really take their vacation time, too. The thing I'm nervous about is that, based on at least one associate I know, it seems like partners will call you on your vacation and expect you to do work in response. I hate the idea of not really being on vacation when you're on vacation. I'm hoping that this is one of the situations where people will do it to you if you let them but will also respect your boundaries if you set up their expectations properly.

The social culture seems good to me... nice, friendly people to work with, but without a lot of pressure to spend your life with them after work. Of course, if what you want is for everyone to go to bars together after work... maybe not so much.

And, yeah, the bonuses aren't supposed to be anything to get your hopes up about.

Overall, I'm really pleased with Covington, though! They have such diverse practice areas that it gives you a lot of opportunity to find something that fits you. Nice people, financial stability (comparatively), good hours (again, comparatively), fantastic entry on your resume.

I just got the offer letter in the mail and breathed a sigh of relief. Out of curiosity, which Covington office did you summer at? Did you find that the atmosphere was collegial? I ask because I'm trying to decide between Covington and another firm. In most respects, I prefer Covington, but the other firm is definitely making me feel more wanted (partners are contacting me to see if I have any questions, wanted to speak with any other attorneys, revisit the office, and spending 30-40 minutes sharing their views of the firm with me). With Covington, on the other hand, I haven't really heard anything since the offer phone call.

I'm wondering if this is indicative of the culture in general - i.e. not quite as collegial as other firms? (By collegial I don't mean colleagues who I would necessarily go out with after work, but more just people who really respect each other and get along well.) And what did you think of the partner-associate relations?

DC. Very collegial. I think even people who wish there were more social life would still tell you people are friendly and nice to work with. Re: partner-associate relations... it seems to me it varies widely depending on how easy the partner is to work with. Some are pretty beloved and some are avoided. I imagine that's the same everywhere. Associates have told me there aren't really "screamers," but there are still partners who are more demanding and less pleasant than others.

I think maybe you have had bad luck not to be contacted since your offer. My experience and the experience of others I've talked to about this, from my summer and who are currently 2Ls, has been the opposite.

That's good to know. Maybe I'm just lower on their "we want him to work here" list.

[Anonymous User]

Or maybe the particular people you had interviews with have busy cases right now or just aren't as good with follow-through, compared to those who met with other callback interviewees. I wouldn't assume it's a slight.

[Anonymous User]

Has anyone had an offer call more than a few days after the callback? I keep hearing 2-3 days.

Anyone? Any idea when the committee meets?

[Anonymous User]

Has anyone had an offer call more than a few days after the callback? I keep hearing 2-3 days.

Anyone? Any idea when the committee meets?

I interviewed on a Wednesday and heard back on Friday.

[Anonymous User]

I interviewed on a Wednesday and heard back on Friday.

Thanks and congrats. I'm guessing <1 week for offers this year then? Was this recently?

[Anonymous User]

Has anyone had an offer call more than a few days after the callback? I keep hearing 2-3 days.

Anyone? Any idea when the committee meets?

I interviewed on a Wednesday and heard back on Friday.

Thanks. This was about 2 weeks ago. Good luck!