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February 2021

Since the beginning of the Brexit process in 2016, Covington’s Brexit Task Force–comprised of over 40 lawyers and former senior diplomats and policymakers, in London, Brussels, Frankfurt, Dublin, and Washington–has advised clients in a wide range of industries on the challenges and opportunities created by this historic event. While the EU-UK negotiations have ...

December 2020, Practical Law Life Science

February 26, 2021, Covington Alert

Despite the challenges faced in 2020 and notwithstanding the difficulties of working from home, the UK Courts continued to operate with trials conducted remotely, with a number of significant judgments handed down in the last year. This alert considers some of the key decisions in the financial services sector from the past year, and considers what we might ...

February 2021, International Comparative Legal Guide

February 2021, International Comparative Legal Guide

February 17, 2021

WASHINGTON—Covington partners have elected Phyllis Jones and Lisa Peets to the firm’s eight-member Management Committee, which includes three women, two of whom are women of color. Ms. Jones and Ms. Peets will serve four-year terms and work with other members of the committee in setting the firm’s strategy, overseeing the firm’s operations, supporting the firm’s ...

February 17, 2021, The American Lawyer

February 15, 2021, Covington Alert

On 5 February 2021, the UK Supreme Court handed down its judgment in an appeal by KBR, Inc. (KBR) against the High Court’s refusal to quash a document production notice served on it by the Serious Fraud Office (SFO). Among other grounds, KBR—a U.S.-incorporated company that has UK subsidiaries but does not itself have a place of business or carry on business in ...

February 11, 2021, Covington Alert

On February 3, 2021, the UK Government’s Department for Business, Energy & Industrial Strategy announced plans to consult on the creation of a new national subsidy control system. This is an important Consultation as State Aid Rules were one of the three final issues that held up the agreement of the EU-UK Trade and Cooperation Agreement (TCA). In this alert, ...

February 10, 2021, Covington Alert

In this alert we look at a recent decision by the UK Court of Appeal and a separate prosecution brought by the Information Commissioner’s Office (“ICO”; the UK data protection authority), which together serve as a cautionary tale for employees and prospective future employers of the risks of civil liability and criminal conviction for confidential information ...

February 4, 2021

DUBAI–Covington advised on three “Deals of the Year” recognized at the annual Project Finance International (PFI) Awards 2020. The award-winning transactions are: Middle East Water Deal of the Year - Jubail 3A Covington advised ACWA Power Consortium on the $650 million IWP scheme, a 600,000 m³/day reverse osmosis greenfield independent water project Jubail ...

February 1, 2021, Covington Alert

Following the United Kingdom’s formal departure from the European Union regulatory regime on 31 December 2020, the UK now implements a unilateral export controls and economic sanctions framework. The post-Brexit UK trade controls regime is the product of a series of transitional statutory measures implemented by the UK Government, beginning in 2018 with the ...

January 27, 2021, Covington Alert

In her closing remarks at the end of the UK/EU Brexit negotiations, European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen quoted T.S. Eliot: “What we call the beginning is often the end / And to make an end is to make a beginning.” Elsewhere in the same poem, Eliot speaks of arriving where we started, yet knowing the place for the first time. Many aspects of the ...

January 25, 2021

LONDON—Covington advised Nasdaq-listed Oxford Immunotec Global PLC in its agreement to be acquired by PerkinElmer, Inc., in a deal valued at approximately $591 million. Under the terms of the acquisition, Oxford Immunotec shareholders will be entitled to receive $22.00 in cash for each outstanding ordinary share. The terms of the acquisition value Oxford ...

January 25, 2021

LONDON–Covington’s London corporate team has advised AIM- and Main Market-listed clients on multiple fundraisings and acquisitions over the past few months, marking a strong year in life sciences transactions. These include: Advising Sensyne Health plc, a UK clinical AI company listed on the London AIM market, on its £27.5 million equity fundraising The ...

January 21, 2021, Covington Alert

On 15 January 2021, the UK Supreme Court handed down its judgment in the test case brought by the Financial Conduct Authority (“FCA”), which is intended to clarify how commonly-used business interruption insurance wordings will respond to losses arising from the Covid-19 outbreak in the United Kingdom. The Supreme Court’s decision followed a ‘leapfrog’ appeal ...

January 21, 2021, Covington Alert

A series of recent high-profile English cases have considered the scope of what is called the Quincecare duty. That duty, owed concurrently in contract and in tort, obligates banks to refrain from executing customers’ orders where they are on inquiry that an order may be an attempt to misappropriate a customer’s funds. This alert discusses an important new ...

January 20, 2021, Law360

January 2021, Chambers & Partners

January 13, 2021

LONDON–Covington advised Sensyne Health plc, a UK clinical artificial intelligence company listed on the London AIM market, on its £27.5 million equity fundraising. The fundraise consisted of a placing with institutional investors, a subscription by directors and senior management, and an open offer to the company's existing shareholders. Covington also advised ...

January 13, 2021, Covington Alert

The EU legislation governing genetically modified organisms (“GMOs”) is over 30 years old. It states that an organism is classified as a GMO where its genetic material has been altered in a way that does not occur naturally. The rules around “contained use” of GMOs (essentially in laboratory settings) are relatively straightforward. The “deliberate release” GMO ...

January 11, 2021, Covington Alert

In early December 2020, the UK government published a consultation on potential reforms to the law on post-termination non-compete clauses in employment contracts (“non-competes”).  The proposals could, if implemented, have a significant negative impact on the ability of employers across a variety of sectors to protect confidential information, goodwill, and – ...

January 9, 2021, RTE

Maree Gallagher spoke with RTE about food exports under the EU-UK Trade and Cooperation Agreement. Ms. Gallagher says, “The rules of origin are key to international trade. Where does something originate? The way you determine the origin of a product is where the last substantial process happened.” She adds, “If you're sending cheese to Donnybrook Fair or ...

January 2021, Covington Guide

The EU-UK Trade and Cooperation Agreement (EUTCA) reached on December 24th is a wide-ranging and complex agreement. Our Brexit Task Force offers these "bite-sized" recordings to give a snapshot of what you need to know in each area. Though the EUTCA provides the overall architecture of the future relationship in a number of areas, much of the detail must still ...

January 7, 2021, Law360

January 7, 2021, The Wall Street Journal

Carlo Kostka spoke with The Wall Street Journal about the financial growth banks and bankers experienced in 2020 despite the economic hardships of others in Europe. Mr. Kostka says banks will be alert to any backlash from politicians or customers, in a year when the gap between the rich and poor has widened. “The Covid crisis has created massive inequalities, ...

January 5, 2021, Law.com International

Louise Nash is quoted in Law.com International regarding the key life sciences and technology legal developments she expects to see in 2021. Ms. Nash senses there will be “high levels of activity across all areas, but particularly in life sciences and technology, which have generated a lot of corporate and regulatory work.” She adds, “Life sciences and ...

2021, Chambers ‘Anti-Corruption 2021’ Global Practice Guide

December 31, 2020, Covington Alert

On 24 December 2020, the EU and the UK reached agreement on the terms of the “EU-UK Trade and Cooperation Agreement” (the “Brexit Deal”). Despite this eleventh-hour agreement, the Brexit Deal is silent on judicial cooperation in civil matters. In this alert, we consider how Brexit, and the Brexit Deal, are likely to affect litigators in Europe going forward and ...

December 29, 2020, CNBC

Lord Francis Maude spoke with CNBC about the economic impacts of the recent Brexit trade deal.

December 28, 2020, Covington Alert

On December 24, 2020, exactly four and a half years after the result of the UK’s EU Referendum, the UK and the EU reached an agreement on their future trade and cooperation arrangements: the EU-UK Trade and Cooperation Agreement (“EUTCA”). The transition period that has run since the UK left the EU in January 2020 will end at midnight Central European Time on ...

December 17, 2020, Covington Alert

In April 2019, the UK Government published its Online Harms White Paper and launched a Consultation. In February 2020, the Government published its initial response to that Consultation. In its 15 December 2020 full response to the Online Harms White Paper Consultation, the Government outlined its vision for tackling harmful content online through a new ...

December 15, 2020, Financial Times

John Ahern spoke with the Financial Times about an investment fund that is profiting off the rents from social housing programs in the UK paid by taxpayers. The fund claimed to be a cheaper option than alternatives, such as hotels and bed and breakfasts. Mr. Ahern says, “It’s the lesser of two evils.” More high-quality homeless accommodation is good, even if ...

December 14, 2020, Covington Alert

The UK Supreme Court has ruled in favour of Walter Merricks, the former head of the UK Financial Ombudsman Service, in a hotly-anticipated judgment in the first opt-out competition class action brought in the UK. Background Mr Merricks is the proposed class representative for 46.2 million people who, between 22 May 1992 and 21 June 2008, purchased goods and/or ...

December 11, 2020, Bloomberg

Louise Freeman spoke with Bloomberg about the UK Supreme Court’s class action case against Mastercard over illegal swipe fees. Ms. Freeman says the ruling paves the way for further consumer class-action lawsuits, which were made possible by a 2015 law change, but have struggled to gain traction. The ruling means “it is not the job of the Competition Appeal ...

December 7, 2020, Covington Alert

On 27 November 2020, the UK Supreme Court handed down its long-awaited judgment in Halliburton Company v Chubb Bermuda Insurance Ltd [2020] UKSC 48. The Court unanimously dismissed Halliburton’s appeal to remove the court-appointed chair of its tribunal for “apparent bias” in a London-seated insurance coverage arbitration arising out of the Deepwater Horizon ...

December 2, 2020, Covington Alert

As discussed in the previous two installments in this series dealing with voluntary separation programs and global reductions in force, workforce reorganizations can take various forms and, even within a particular scenario, there can be many nuances. One constant, however, is usually advance planning. The importance of this cannot be overstated, especially in a ...

December 2, 2020, Covington Alert

Seizing a “once-in-a-generation” opportunity to work with the Biden-Harris team—potentially the most transatlanticist administration in decades—the European Commission and the European External Action Service today adopted a detailed and comprehensive plan to reinvigorate and reimagine the transatlantic partnership. The proposed strategy will be further debated, ...

November 27, 2020, RTE

Maree Gallagher was featured on the RTE podcast “Brexit Republic - Fish Fights & Sausage Wars.” 

November 24, 2020, Covington Alert

CJEU Confirms that CBD is Not a Narcotic Drug In a landmark judgment on 19 November 2020, the CJEU ruled in Case C-663/18 that cannabidiol (“CBD”) is not a narcotic drug under the UN Conventions. This is the case even where the CBD is derived from the whole cannabis plant. In this alert we look at how the ruling provides clarity on the non-controlled status of ...

November 24, 2020, Covington Alert

As large companies across the globe continue to navigate the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, many are considering workforce reorganizations as a way to reduce costs in light of geopolitical and economic uncertainties, flagging demand, and a rapidly changing outlook for recovery. Workforce reorganizations can take many forms; however, many companies will consider ...

November 24, 2020, Covington Alert

On November 20th, the Commons’ Treasury Select Committee launched an Inquiry looking at the future of financial services regulation in the UK after departure from the European Union. In this alert we set out the scope of the Inquiry and how companies can contribute evidence that may influence the Committee’s findings. The Committee is appointed by the House of ...

November 20, 2020, The Banker

John Ahern appeared on The Banker Podcast to discuss how banks can best prepare for a no-deal Brexit, as well as the fallout from the Wirecard scandal in terms of regulators’ views on the fintech community. 

November 19, 2020, Covington Alert

With the UK due to host the COP 26 climate summit in a year’s time, the UK Government is keen to set out its credentials as a global ‘green‘ leader and demonstrate not only that it can make good on its election promise to level up (with much of the promised Green Industrial Revolution investment being focused in old industrial heartlands in the North of ...

November 17, 2020, Vixio

Ian Hargreaves spoke with Vixio about the penalties around anti-money laundering violations. Mr. Hargreaves says, “AML offences generally do not result in custodial sentences. Instead, there is a focus on deterrence.” He argues the four-year maximum sentence for AML offences demonstrates that the EU is looking to ramp up the deterrent effect and the ...

November 12, 2020, Covington Alert

The UK government has published long-awaited draft legislation that, if made law, will introduce significant new powers to scrutinise Foreign Direct Investment (“FDI”). The National Security & Investment Bill (the “NSI Bill” or the “Bill”), is proposed to introduce mandatory filing obligations and pre-clearance requirements for all transactions in the most ...

November 3, 2020

LONDON–Ambassador Thomas Reilly has joined Covington’s Global Public Policy Practice in London as the head of the firm’s UK Public Policy team. Ambassador Reilly most recently served as the British Ambassador to Morocco between 2017 and 2020, building deeper political and economic ties between the two countries. During his time as ambassador, he led the ...

November 2, 2020, Covington Alert

On Saturday 31 October, the UK Government announced a new national lockdown and confirmed the extension of the existing Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme, more commonly referred to as the “furlough” scheme. In this alert, we set out what the UK Government has announced and what this means in terms of the support available to employers, including the status of the ...

November 2020, Concurrences N° 4-2020

October 29, 2020, Covington Alert

This month, the UK Supreme Court issued a decision of fundamental importance to the field of international arbitration, undertaking to answer a simple, but timelessly vexing, question: what law governs the validity and scope of an arbitration agreement, where the law that governs the parties’ contract differs from the law of the seat of arbitration? Is it the ...

October 28, 2020, Covington Alert

In this alert, we review a welcome English High Court decision, which confirms that legal advice privilege extends to communications with foreign lawyers who provide legal advice in their capacity as in-house counsel.

October 26, 2020, Covington Alert

Recent press coverage reports that 2020 has seen a significant drop-off in enforcement activity by the UK’s financial services regulator, the Financial Conduct Authority (the “FCA”) with new enforcement cases against companies down 76 percent and a number of open cases now closed. However, this will likely be a temporary shift only as the FCA pivots to meet the ...

October 22, 2020, Covington Alert

Whether or not a deal is reached with the EU prior to the end of the Brexit transition period on 31 December 2020, the period leading up to 2021 and for some time afterwards is likely to be an uncertain time for many businesses in the UK and beyond. In particular, the commercial effects of Brexit may cause a previously favourable contract to become a bad ...

October 22, 2020, CleanEquity Monaco 2020

Covington & Burling's Gary Guzy, Sebastian Vos, and Lindsay Brewer discuss policy considerations and implications surrounding decarbonisation in the EU and U.S. This presentation premiered at the recent CleanEquity Monaco 2020 conference. Once the presentation begins, you may hover over the table of contents icon in the bottom right for links to advance the ...

October 16, 2020, Politico

Kevin Coates spoke with Politico about a move unveiled by the U.S. Secretary of State demanding greater foreign funding disclosure. Mr. Coates described the move as “Partly right, partly wrong.” Right that “think tanks disclose foreign governments. Wrong that it doesn’t also cover think tanks disclosing all funding, foreign and domestic, state and private. ...

October 16, 2020, Sky News

Francis Maude provided updates on Brexit negotiations in an interview with Sky News.

October 15, 2020, Red Box

Francis Maude recently appeared on The Red Box Politics Podcast to discuss COVID-19, Brexit, and other current issues in the UK.

October 2, 2020, Global Risk Regulator

John Ahern and Francis Maude are quoted in Global Risk Regulator regarding trade deals that will significantly impact the city of London. Mr. Ahern spoke about a UK-Japan trade deal that will improve financial services access. He says, “It is good the UK reached an agreement with Japan, it gives confidence that deals can be concluded elsewhere, but Japan is not ...

October 2, 2020, Global Risk Regulator

John Ahern and Francis Maude are quoted in Global Risk Regulator regarding the European Union’s pursuit to compete with the UK in financial services. Mr. Maude says, “One of the criticisms of the EU generally is that it tends to focus on competition within the EU. The UK focuses on competitiveness globally and the balance is not on lower levels of regulation. ...

October 1, 2020

WASHINGTON—Covington has promoted 14 lawyers to its partnership.   “Our new partners practice in a wide range of the firm’s key practices and add importantly to our strengths,” said Doug Gibson, Covington’s chair. “This new partner class demonstrates that we continue to build an exceptional pipeline of superbly talented lawyers, across our offices and ...

September 29, 2020, Covington Alert

How is Brexit likely to affect litigators in Europe after the end of the transition period on 31 December 2020, if no deal is agreed between the UK and the EU to cover their future relationship? In this alert, we consider the “run-off” period created by the Withdrawal Agreement, what is left thereafter, and the implications for drafting choice of law and ...

September 29, 2020, Covington Alert

The UK Government has responded to growing pressure to support those who may be worst affected by the ending of the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme (“CJRS”) on 31 October 2020. In this alert, we outline the rules of the new scheme and highlight key practical considerations for employers. Further Governmental guidance is expected soon. What Was Announced? On ...

September 25, 2020, Politico

Maree Gallagher and Marie Doyle-Rossi are quoted in Politico regarding Brexit’s impact on the U.K. and Irish pharmaceutical industry. Ms. Gallagher explains that as things currently stand, on January 1, the MHRA will be responsible for regulating medicines in Northern Ireland. However, medicines moving from Great Britain into Northern Ireland (or indeed, from ...

September 25, 2020, LexisNexis

September 14, 2020, Covington Alert

The EU Regulation on Foreign Direct Investment (2019/452) (the “EU FDI Regulation”) will enter into force fully on October 11, 2020. Most notably, on this date, a cooperation and information sharing mechanism among Member States and the European Commission in respect of foreign direct investment (“FDI”) that has an “EU-dimension” will come into effect.

September 14, 2020, Covington Alert

The English High Court has recently awarded damages in a data privacy case, with two features of particular interest1. First, the nature of the claim is more reminiscent of a claim in defamation than for data privacy breaches, which is a development in the use of data protection legislation. Secondly, the damages awarded (perhaps influenced by the nature of the ...

September 4, 2020, Covington Alert

It has been over twenty years since the OECD Anti-Bribery Convention came into force, over a decade since the enactment of the UK Bribery Act, and over three years since the passage of France’s Sapin II law. Alongside those ground-breaking developments have come a host of other measures across the Europe, Middle East, and Africa (“EMEA”) region to strengthen ...

September 2, 2020

BRUSSELS–Covington has named Dan Cooper to lead its European data protection practice as co-chair of the firm’s global Data Privacy & Cybersecurity Practice, and he has relocated to Brussels to be closer to the institutions and courts that govern the European data privacy landscape. The firm has more than 100 lawyers focused on data privacy and cybersecurity ...

August 23, 2020, The Wall Street Journal

John Ahern is quoted in The Wall Street Journal regarding the restructuring of European banks following the COVID-19 pandemic. Mr. Ahern says geographical diversification used to be seen as a way to offset weakness when one market cooled. “In coronavirus, you have a global economy almost in shutdown. You're not leveraging an advantage and can be exposed to too ...

August 18, 2020, Covington Alert

On Friday 14 August, the Court of Appeal handed down judgment in the FX dispute CFH Clearing Limited v Merrill Lynch International [2020] EWCA Civ 1064. This appellate success, coming one year after Merrill Lynch obtained summary judgment at first instance against all CFH Clearing’s claims, was a comprehensive victory for the clear wording of standard ISDA ...

August 18, 2020, Waters Technology

John Ahern is quoted in Waters Technology regarding the unintended consequences of AI regulation. Mr. Ahern shares that if the EC isn’t careful in writing future AI legislation, that the old law of unintended consequences could kick in. “What we need to be attentive to is where in the chain of liability are individuals affected. Think, for example, of the CTO: ...

August 13, 2020, Covington Alert

While the world continues to battle the coronavirus, another battle wages on in the courts, as insurers continue to issue blanket denials for COVID-19 business interruption losses. Many are closely watching how the judicial and legislative branches will answer what have emerged as two key questions: Do the causes of COVID-19 business interruption losses ...

August 12, 2020, Covington Alert

In recent weeks, the English High Court has conducted a trial in an unprecedented test case that the UK Financial Conduct Authority (the “FCA”) commenced to resolve legal issues concerning the interpretation of common business interruption (“BI”) policy wordings (the “FCA Action”). The judgment in the FCA Action is likely to address issues that will be among the ...

August 6, 2020, Covington Alert

In July 2017, the UK Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) announced the likely discontinuation by the end of 2021 of the London Interbank Offered Rate (LIBOR), the interest rate index used in calculating floating or adjustable rates for many loans, bonds, derivatives and other financial contracts.

August 5, 2020, Law360

John Ahern is quoted in Law360 regarding the UK’s increased crackdown on market abuse during the COVID-19 pandemic. Mr. Ahern says tackling market abuse appears to be "very close to the heart" of Mark Steward, the FCA's head of enforcement and market oversight, who reiterated in May that the FCA is continuing to monitor and investigate firms' conduct in real ...

August 3, 2020, The Law Society Gazette

Ian Hargreaves spoke with The Law Society Gazette about the increase of internal investigations through the COVID-19 pandemic. Mr. Hargreaves says “If you want to retain privilege over a document mark it ‘Privileged and Confidential’. It may not ultimately be treated by a court of law as such, but it will help to carve out what the team regard as covered by ...

August 2020, Privacy Laws & Business

2020, Global Legal Insights - Pricing & Reimbursement

July 31, 2020, Covington Alert

The High Court of Justice, Business and Property Courts of England & Wales, Queen’s Bench Division (the Commercial Court) has ruled on the status of “illustrations” and “worked examples” in the context of general contractual interpretation.

July 29, 2020, Covington Alert

Last week, the European Commission launched a public consultation on the possible adoption of a new EU Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (“CBAM”). This consultation is yet another of the initiatives that the Commission is taking to roll out its ambitious European Green Deal (for a recent overview webinar see here). Manufacturers in virtually all industrial ...

July 27, 2020, Covington Alert

On 21 July 2020, the UK Intelligence and Security Committee (the “Committee”) published a long-awaited report regarding evidence of Russian threats against the United Kingdom. In addition to setting out the nature and extent of what the Committee considered to be hostile activities on the part of operatives with ties to Russia, the report addressed the powers ...

Summer 2020

Covington's European privacy team offers insights on the current state of play with respect to the intersection of European data privacy laws, and the transition around Europe and further abroad as government lockdown restrictions are lifted and companies begin to plan their return-to-work programs. In this on-demand briefing, we cover the guidance and positions ...

Summer 2020

  In this video, Covington's Business and Human Rights practice team members Daniel Feldman, Tom Plotkin, and Hannah Edmonds-Camara address: how is human labor in the spotlight? how are supply chains impacted? how can companies address business and human rights challenges?

July 17, 2020, Legaltech News

Kristof Van Quathem is quoted in Legaltech News regarding the continuation of shared data between the EU and the United States after the invalidation of the Privacy Shield. Mr. Van Quathem says companies are exploring encryption and other technical safeguards for EU data transferred to the U.S. He added that more organizations are also considering prohibiting ...

July 17, 2020, AmLaw Litigation Daily

AmLaw Litigation Daily named Craig Pollack, Greg Lascelles, Eddy Eccles, Jonathan Heath, Charlotte Raynor, and Alex Gudko as runners-up for "Litigator of the Week" for their comprehensive defense win in a multi-billion dollar dispute in the English Commercial Court between two Ukrainian businessmen and the firm’s client, Mr. Oleg Mkrtchan and his related ...

July 16, 2020, Covington Alert

On July 16, 2020, the European Commission (“Commission”) announced that it has launched an antitrust sector inquiry into "consumer-related products and services that are connected to a network and can be controlled at a distance, for example via a voice assistant or mobile device."

July 16, 2020

BRUSSELS-- Today, the European Court of Justice (“CJEU”) issued a landmark decision striking down the EU-U.S. Privacy Shield — an agreement between EU and U.S. authorities authorizing transfers of EU personal data to the United States — but upholding the validity of standard contractual clauses (“SCCs”), another mechanism that EU-based organizations use to ...

July 16, 2020, The Guardian

Lisa Peets spoke with The Guardian about the European Court of Justice’s decision to invalidate the EU-U.S. Privacy Shield, in which social media companies could be prevented from sending data to the United States from Europe. Ms. Peets says the ruling is not a total halt on data transfers between the EU and U.S. The court upheld the use of “standard contractual ...

July 16, 2020, Global Data Review

Lisa Peets is quoted in Global Data Review regarding the European Court of Justice’s decision to invalidate the EU-US Privacy Shield. Ms. Peets, who represented software trade body BSA as an intervening party, says companies are unlikely to immediately stop their SCCs – saying that “halting existing transfers would be all but impossible from a practical ...

July 16, 2020, Law360

Lisa Peets spoke with Law360 about European Court of Justice’s invalidation of the EU-U.S. Privacy Shield. Ms. Peets, who represented the Software Alliance, says the decision to reject the Privacy Shield without holding arguments on the merits of the tool — an issue that wasn't directly before the high court in this dispute — was “disappointing to many.” She ...

July 14, 2020

LONDON—Covington secured a comprehensive defense win in a multi-billion dollar dispute in the English Commercial Court between two Ukrainian businessmen and the firm’s client, Mr. Oleg Mkrtchan and his related corporate entities. Valued at $2 billion, the complex proceedings involved wide ranging accusations of fraud made by Mr. Vitaliy Gaiduk and Mr. Sergei ...

July 14, 2020, The Lawyer

Craig Pollack is quoted in The Lawyer regarding Covington’s recent comprehensive defense win in a multi-billion dollar dispute in the English Commercial Court between two Ukrainian businessmen and the firm’s client, Mr. Oleg Mkrtchan and his related corporate entities. Mr. Pollack says, “The Mkrtchan Parties are delighted that the judge found in their favour on ...

July 10, 2020, Covington Alert

On 6 July 2020, the UK Government announced the creation of a new UK human rights sanctions regime, which is the first independent UK sanctions regime to be established under the Sanctions and Anti-Money Laundering Act 2018 (“SAMLA 2018”).

July 8, 2020, Covington Alert

In recent years and with increased vigor in recent months, stakeholders and governments, including the United States, have focused on labor-related and other human rights issues concerning the treatment of Uyghur and other minority Muslim groups in the Xinjiang region of China. In this post, we provide an overview of some of these developments and considerations ...

July 6, 2020, Law360

Charlotte Raynor spoke with Law360 about the potential licensing regime for litigation funders in the UK. Ms. Raynor says, “If a funder is a member of the ALF, then they're hallmarked as being a 'good player' in the marketplace.” However, she points to growing concerns about how litigation funders run their business, including the sources of their funds. “How ...

June 27, 2020

WASHINGTON—Covington represented Piramal Enterprises Limited (PEL) in the sale of a 20% stake in Piramal Pharma Limited (Piramal Pharma), a wholly owned subsidiary of PEL that will contain its pharmaceutical businesses, to CA Clover Intermediate II Investments, an affiliated entity of CAP V Mauritius Limited, an investment fund managed and advised by affiliated ...

June 25, 2020

WASHINGTON—The Women in Law Empowerment Forum (WILEF) has named Covington to its 2020 Gold Standard Certification list in both the United States and United Kingdom. This is the sixth year in which the firm has been recognized in the U.S. and the first for both countries. WILEF grants Gold Standard status to major law firms that meet objective criteria ...

June 22, 2020, Global Competition Review

James Marshall spoke with Global Competition Review about a new law in the UK that will review and block foreign takeovers that would otherwise threaten its ability to deal with public health emergencies. Mr. Marshall says the proposals “reflect a rapid uptick in foreign investment control across Europe” since the start of the coronavirus pandemic.

June 15, 2020, Computer Weekly

June 8, 2020, Covington Alert

On 19 May 2020, easyJet announced that personal data of approximately 9 million customers worldwide had been unlawfully accessed by third parties in a “highly sophisticated cyber-attack”. Data stolen by the cyber-attackers includes credit card details of 2,000 of the affected customers and, for most other customers, travel details such as departure and arrival ...

June 1, 2020

LONDON —John Ahern has joined Covington’s Financial Services Industry Group in London as a partner. With more than 30 years of experience in UK, European, and Asian financial markets, Mr. Ahern helps banks, multilateral trading facilities, broker-dealers, asset managers, and investment advisors solve their regulatory challenges. He offers clients deep knowledge ...

May 29, 2020, Covington Alert

In this update, we provide an overview of a number of recent international developments in the area of business and human rights ("BHR"). While public policy and corporate agendas have slowed in the past several months as a result of the response to the COVID-19 pandemic, there have been recent indications that key stakeholders—including governments, ...

May 29, 2020, Covington Alert

The UK Government has released the full details of its Future Fund scheme, including the application process, together with the template convertible loan agreement. The Future Fund, the headline terms of which were announced on 20 April 2020 (see our Alert of 22 April), launched on 20 May 2020 and will initially be open until the end of September 2020. The ...

Spring 2020, Covington Guide

As businesses across Europe prepare to reopen following the COVID-19 lockdown, Covington is providing practical resources and guidance on the broad array of issues companies face as employees return to the workplace, including employment, privacy, competition, policy, environmental and regulatory considerations at the EU level, with a focus on Germany and the ...

May 27, 2020, Covington Alert

The UK Government has tabled legislation to assist companies in financial difficulty and to make temporary changes to the law relating to the governance and regulation of companies. The Corporate Insolvency and Governance Bill1 (the “Bill”), which commenced its passage through the UK Parliament on 20 May 2020, is relevant to public companies as it provides for ...

May 19, 2020, Bloomberg

Daniel Cooper spoke with Bloomberg about new wearable technology devices that alert users when they are within close proximity of someone with COVID-19. Mr. Cooper notes that businesses are walking a fine line between keeping people safe and protecting their privacy. The absence of clear guidance from European regulators is forcing companies -- who could also be ...

May 18, 2020, Law360

Law360 interviewed Louise Freeman about  her role as co-chair of the firm’s commercial disputes practice, and her involvement in the firm's women's networks and diversity initiatives.. She discussed her thoughts about leadership, boosting diversity efforts, and how the firm is navigating  COVID-19.

May 17, 2020, Kyiv Post

May 14, 2020, Bruegel

Michael Leigh participated in a webinar with Bruegel entitled, “Democracy in the times of COVID-19 with Věra Jourová,” to discuss how Europe can uphold its democratic values during the COVID-19 pandemic. 

May 13, 2020, Law360

May 13, 2020, Covington Alert

The UK Cabinet Office has published ‘Guidance on responsible contractual behaviour in the performance and enforcement of contracts impacted by the COVID-19 emergency’ (the Guidance). The Guidance is expressly stated to be non-statutory and non-binding, and its purpose is to encourage what it coins, “responsible and fair contractual behaviour” in light of ...

May 12, 2020, Covington Alert

Litigation involving investment funds of all kinds has traditionally been rare, with funds keen to protect reputations and more willing to settle disputes behind closed doors. Nevertheless, the current impact on funds caused by the economic impact of the Covid-19 pandemic has led to a marked increase in redemptions accompanied by potential decreases in the value ...

May 7, 2020, Covington Alert

On 1 May 2020, one of the UK’s insurance regulators, the Financial Conduct Authority (the “FCA”), issued a statement that it intended to seek legal clarity on business interruption (“BI”) insurance in order to resolve doubt for policyholders facing uncertainty on their claims (the “Statement”). The FCA says that it will achieve this clarity by seeking court ...

May 6, 2020, Covington Alert

In the previous Covington alerts published on March 25 and April 7, we gave an overview on the various German State aid programs that are available for German companies facing liquidity difficulties due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and subsequent shutdown measures. It was clear from the beginning of the pandemic that many German companies would quickly face serious ...

May 6, 2020, Covington Alert

This article discusses a recent case before the English High Court (AA v Persons Unknown [2019] EWHC 3556 (Comm)) where a claimant successfully obtained an injunction in respect of Bitcoins transferred following a ransomware attack (which were ultimately traced to a wallet held at a crypto currency exchange). The case drew attention to the difficult situations ...

May 6, 2020, Covington Alert

On April 29, 2020, in a webinar hosted by the European Parliament’s Responsible Business Conduct Working Group, EU Commissioner for Justice Didier Reynders announced that the European Commission (the “Commission”) will move swiftly to introduce regulation on mandatory human rights and environmental due diligence for companies, with its legislative proposal to ...

May 5, 2020, Covington Alert

Every new team entering the Berlaymont to head up the European Commission starts out with bold and ambitious plans. Time after time, reality intervenes, and their plans are upended. This was true for the second Barroso Commission in 2010, when the aftershocks of the Global Financial Crisis and the Greek and Euro crisis that followed came to dominate their ...

May 1, 2020, Covington Alert

In the coming weeks many of England’s football clubs are likely to vote on whether to suspend or remove the regulatory framework that football authorities in England and Europe have developed over the past decade to prevent the financial mismanagement of clubs and protect the sporting integrity of competition.

April 30, 2020, Covington Alert

Recent developments have clarified the previously uncertain status of cryptocurrencies under English law. Two key court decisions and guidance released by the UK Jurisdiction Taskforce (UKJT) have determined that cryptocurrencies can be treated as property. This will have an impact on many areas of legal practice, as well as on clients working with ...

April 29, 2020, Covington Alert

On April 28, 2020, the U.S. Department of Commerce’s Bureau of Industry and Security (“BIS”) published two final rules and one proposed rule to modify certain license exceptions and definitions in the Export Administration Regulations (“EAR”) (15 CFR Parts 730 – 774), based on concern that sensitive products and technologies were being diverted to military uses ...

April 25, 2020, Law360

Ian Hargreaves spoke with Law360 about an increase in market manipulation cases amid the COVID-19 pandemic. Mr. Hargreaves says, “The FCA will be looking very closely at markets and insider dealing to see if there are any trends and fluctuations that are unexplained. We will only see the outcome of that in several months or even several years' time.” He adds, ...

April 23, 2020

LONDON—Global Investigations Review has named Mark Finucane to its third “40 Under 40” list, profiling 40 leading investigations specialists from around the world. Honorees were selected on a range of factors including their experience, third-party references, and the jurisdictions where they work. Mr. Finucane’s practice focuses on representing institutions and ...

April 22, 2020, Covington Alert

On 20 April 2020, the UK Government announced the new Future Fund scheme under which the Government will offer funding to innovative UK registered companies facing financial difficulties due to the COVID-19 outbreak.

April 21, 2020, Covington Alert

The Government has announced further information on the measures to be brought forward to assist public companies in meeting their statutory and regulatory obligations to hold annual general meetings (AGMs) during the current season. On 17 April 2020, the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS) and the Financial Reporting Council (FRC) ...

April 17, 2020, Law360

Ian Hargreaves spoke with Law360 about the delay of investigations by UK enforcement agencies due to the coronavirus pandemic. According to Mr. Hargreaves, interviews with individuals connected to active FCA investigations “seem to have slowed down significantly” since social distancing and lockdown measures have been introduced. “On one matter we had ...

April 16, 2020, Global Investigations Review

Ian Hargreaves is quoted in Global Investigations Review regarding the high court’s recent dismissal of three unexplained wealth orders (UWOs) obtained by the National Crime Agency. Mr. Hargreaves says the verdict showed that UK courts are not prepared to approve UWOs without scrupulously checking the facts underlying each application. He adds that while the ...

April 16, 2020, Financial Times

Ian Hargreaves spoke with the Financial Times about the risk of fraud when checking the identity of clients in remote locations. Mr. Hargreaves says overall the rush to do business during the pandemic was having a negative effect on independent data verification. “Businesses making snap decisions on very limited data and information is a real problem,” he adds. 

April 14, 2020, Covington Alert

On 8 April, the UK Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) announced further measures to assist companies seeking to raise finance from the capital markets in order to meet the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic and position their businesses for recovery. The FCA Statement of Policy sets out guidance on the application and relaxation of certain pre-existing rules, ...

April 10, 2020, Covington Alert

On 18 February 2020, the UK Economic Secretary to the Treasury upheld a decision on the part of HM Treasury to impose monetary penalties against Standard Chartered Bank, for breaches of the EU-Russia sanctions and associated UK implementing legislation.

April 9, 2020, Covington Alert

The COVID-19 crisis has led to a sharp rise in fraud and cybercrime in the UK. Although many of the scams we have seen so far have targeted individuals, there is a growing concern that fraudsters are setting their sights on businesses who may now be more vulnerable to fraudulent schemes as a result of the crisis. The UK government’s imposition of stringent ...

April 6, 2020, Covington Alert

On April 3, 2020, the European Commission published its proposal for a new Regulation to amend the application date of the Medical Devices Regulation 2017/745 (“MDR”) by one year. The proposed new legislation also amends the MDR rules on exceptional special authorizations of non-CE-marked medical devices with immediate effect.

April 6, 2020, Covington Alert

Following a meeting of representatives from all English Premier League (EPL) clubs Friday April 3, it was announced that EPL fixtures were postponed indefinitely and would not be returning in May, as stated previously. The EPL announced that the 2019/20 football season would only resume when “it was safe and appropriate” to do so, subject to Government agreement ...

April 5, 2020, Covington Alert

With its announcements on Friday 3 April 2020, the UK government has now introduced three different schemes to facilitate access to Coronavirus finance for larger, mid-sized and smaller businesses in UK. Three separate schemes have been established to reflect the varied issues that business of different sizes have been encountering. Each scheme seeks to directly ...

April 3, 2020, Covington Alert

On 28 March, 2020, the UK Government announced that it intends to amend insolvency law to give companies breathing space and allow them to keep trading while they explore options for rescue. The changes include (a) a temporary suspension of wrongful trading by directors of UK companies for three months commencing on 1 March, 2020 and (b) the introduction of a ...

April 3, 2020, Covington Alert

At a time when many companies have been forced to close their offices and have almost all of their employees working remotely, the standard procedures for the execution of documents and addressing signing and closing matters have come under pressure. Below are some practical issues that can arise in the signing and closing of deals which are subject to English ...

April 3, 2020, Covington Alert

COVID-19 has created many challenges for both public companies and a range of regulators tasked with ensuring market functionality and integrity. In the past few weeks, Government, regulators and advisory bodies relevant to the capital markets have moved to act quickly where they can to announce new measures or provide guidance aimed to address areas of ...

April 2, 2020, Law360

Mark Young spoke with Law360 about a UK Supreme Court case involving the intentional breach of customer data information by an employee at Morrisons. The court ruled Morrisons will no longer  have to pay a fine. Mr. Young says this is the “dual-edged result” of the Supreme Court judgment. Although a company is off the hook if an employee “goes off the deep end” ...

April 1, 2020

LONDON—Covington represented Sitryx on an exclusive global licensing and research collaboration with Eli Lilly and Company. The collaboration will study up to four novel preclinical targets identified by Sitryx that could lead to potential new medicines for autoimmune diseases. Under the terms of the agreement, Sitryx will receive an upfront payment of $50 ...

April 2020, Privacy Laws & Business

April 1, 2020, Global Data Review

Daniel Cooper spoke with Global Data Review about a UK high court case involving the deliberate breach of personal information by a supermarket employee from Morrisons. The court ruled that the supermarket was not liable for the actions of the employee. Mr. Cooper described the decision as “dual-edged” and said that “when coupled with the Lloyd Court of Appeal ...

April 2020, International Comparative Legal Guide to: Enforcement of Foreign Judgments 2020

April 2020, International Comparative Legal Guide to: Enforcement of Foreign Judgments 2020

March 31, 2020

LONDON—James Marshall has joined Covington’s Competition Practice in London as a partner. Mr. Marshall advises on all aspects of competition law and sector regulation and regularly counsels clients on merger control, investigations, commercial deals, abuse of dominance, and compliance. He is recommended by Legal 500 in multiple categories and is recognized as a ...

March 27, 2020, Covington Alert

On Friday 20 March, the UK Government announced various support measures for UK businesses. One of these was the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme (the “Scheme”), which it is hoped will reduce the risk that UK employers promptly dismiss employees in response to the Coronavirus outbreak. Further guidance was published on 26 March, providing some much needed detail ...

March 20, 2020, Covington Alert

In recent days, both the EU and certain EU Member States have imposed new export licensing requirements on the export of certain types of medical equipment and medicines, in light of the COVID-19 outbreak. We summarize those measures below. The new measures are relevant for any companies who may export medical equipment or medicines from the EU or the United ...

March 20, 2020, Global Data Review

Dan Cooper spoke with Global Data Review about how telecommunications companies are providing data regulators location data to track the effects of social distancing in the wake of coronavirus. Mr. Cooper told GDR that the measures in Europe are “not too much of a concern” from a privacy perspective as the data being used by authorities is anonymized and ...

March 19, 2020, Covington Alert

The speed and severity of the current crisis means UK employers face very difficult and pressing decisions. Some intermediate steps can be taken to preserve workforces for a period and avoid immediate redundancies. Some form of individual or even collective consultation with employees or their representatives may be necessary. This can be used ...

March 17, 2020, Financial Times

Johan Ysewyn is quoted in the Financial Times regarding the potential monetary losses and risk of vanishing mergers during the coronavirus crisis. Mr. Ysewyn says, “Authorities are having a gut reaction in resetting their priorities, but in the meantime businesses are losing money every day the deal doesn’t close, while also dealing with the consequences of the ...

March 5, 2020

NEW YORK—A three-lawyer project finance and development team has joined Covington in the U.S. Joseph Tato, a New York-based partner, represents project sponsors, equity investors, financial institutions, and governments in the development and financing of power, oil and gas, LNG, renewables, water, mining, and other infrastructure projects in the U.S., Africa, ...

March 2, 2020, Covington Alert

Businesses operating in the UK now have less than two months to prepare for implementation of the new off-payroll working legislation on 6 April 2020. Non-compliance could leave organisations with a significant tax liability and may jeopardise important relationships with key contractors, and risk business processes. Companies should act now to ensure they are ...

February 21, 2020

WASHINGTON—Covington secured a major ruling for Ukraine in an arbitration against the Russian Federation under the U.N. Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS). The ruling, issued today by a five-member arbitral tribunal, rejected the majority of Russia’s jurisdictional objections and permits Ukraine’s case to proceed to the merits. “The Tribunal’s ...

January 31, 2020, Covington Alert

This evening, at 11:00 p.m. GMT, the UK will leave the European Union. Brexit day marks a beginning, not an end. The UK today embarks on a complex process of negotiating new arrangements for trade and cooperation with the EU and partners around the world. Regulatory divergence seems inevitable, given that the UK will want to make its own decisions on existing ...

January 31, 2020, Covington Alert

At 11 p.m. tonight, the UK will officially leave the EU. Although this is a significant milestone in the development of the UK’s data protection framework, the UK will remain very closely linked to the EU in the short term at least, and for many the change may be imperceptible.

January 30, 2020, Covington Alert

As it is now certain that the UK will leave the EU on Friday, 31 January 2020, on the terms of the Withdrawal Agreement, we take a closer look at what this will mean for commercial litigation, particularly during the transition period. In headline summary, civil judicial co-operation will remain largely unchanged during the transition period to the end of 2020. ...

January 28, 2020

LONDON—The Lawyer has named London life sciences partner Sarah Cowlishaw to its “Hot 100,” a list that recognizes the most daring, innovative and creative lawyers from in-house, private practice and the Bar around the U.K. The Lawyer highlighted Ms. Cowlishaw’s work for biotech company Sensyne Health on regulatory matters related to its AIM IPO and her ongoing ...

January 23, 2020

WASHINGTON—Global Competition Review has once again named Covington to its 2019 "Global Elite," a list of the top 25 firms practicing competition law internationally, as well as including the firm in the list of top ten antitrust litigation practices globally. Now in its 20th year, GCR100 undertakes extensive analysis of antitrust and competition law groups in ...

January 16, 2020

London—Covington represented Illumina on its partnership with Genomics England, to sequence up to 500,000 whole genomes for the NHS Genomic Medicine Service.  This partnership is part of the wider ambition to analyse up to 5 million genomes by 2024, to enable the UK to maintain its position as a global leader in genomics.   Under this partnership and guided by ...

January 14, 2020, Covington Alert

This year will see the European Commission put forward legislative proposals on mandatory human rights and environmental supply chain due diligence as well as on sustainable corporate governance (“SCG”). The EU’s Justice Commissioner, Didier Reynders, confirmed this timeline when launching a public consultation on how the Commission should approach this ...

January 10, 2020, Global Data Review

Daniel Cooper is quoted in Global Data Review regarding the UK ICO’s decision to fine DSG Retail £500,000 under pre-GDPR data protection law. The fine stems from the company being compromised by a cyberattack affecting at least 14 million people.   Mr. Cooper says, “the ICO's imposition of a maximum fine appears due, in part, to the fact that it felt DSG should ...

January 9, 2020, Global Data Review

Daniel Cooper spoke with Global Data Review about the European Commission’s recommended changes to artificial intelligence liability rules. Mr. Cooper says the commission is keen to stress that the conclusions drawn from the report remain those of the expert group only. “One has to assume that the commission wants to be careful to test the waters first and gauge ...

2020, International Comparative Legal Guide to: Litigation & Dispute Resolution 2020

December 23, 2019, CNBC

Francis Maude appeared on CNBC to discuss the risk and possibility of a Brexit no-deal. Lord Maude says, “The risk of a no-deal Brexit without a withdraw agreement is very unlikely because it is in no one’s interest for that to happen… But there has always been a risk that if both sides get into an absolute standoff that there could be an end to the ...

December 20, 2019, Covington Alert

On December 19, 2019, Advocate General (“AG”) Henrik Saugmandsgaard Øe handed down his Opinion in Case C-311/18, Data Protection Commissioner v Facebook Ireland and Maximillian Schrems (“Schrems II”). The AG’s Opinion provides non-binding guidance to the Court of Justice of the EU (“CJEU”) on how to decide the case.

December 18, 2019, Law360

December 13, 2019, International Financial Law Review

Francis Maude is quoted in the International Financial Law Review regarding the UK election results and its effect on the future of Brexit. Lord Maude says, “It is too early to say for definite what will come next, though I feel that London will continue to be the financial center of Europe. It is where the critical means of capability is. I’m confident that the ...

December 10, 2019, The Gazette

December 9, 2019, Covington Alert

From December 9, 2019, the Senior Managers & Certification Regime (“SM&CR”) will apply to all FSMA-authorised firms in the UK. This extension of the SM&CR to an additional 47,000 firms is predicted to increase regulatory, investigative and enforcement focus on individuals, including by expanding the number of individuals targeted.

November 8, 2019

WASHINGTON—Covington has secured a decisive win for Ukraine in proceedings against the Russian Federation before the International Court of Justice (“ICJ”) concerning violations by Russia of the International Convention for the Suppression of the Financing of Terrorism (“ICSFT”) and the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial ...

October 15, 2019

LONDON—Covington has advised BenevolentAI on its $90 million investment from Temasek, a Singapore-headquartered investment company. BenevolentAI aims to improve the lives of patients suffering from diseases with no effective treatment. The Benevolent Platform® is used by scientists and technologists to find new ways to treat disease, improve the efficacy, and ...

October 14, 2019, Covington Alert

The European Union directive known as DAC 6 requires EU “intermediaries” (including advisors, banks and businesses) to disclose to EU tax authorities details of any cross-border arrangements which feature a reportable “hallmark”.

October 10, 2019, Covington Alert

On October 2, 2019, the English Court of Appeal handed down a landmark judgment in Lloyd v Google LLC [2019] EWCA Civ 1599 (“Lloyd”) concerning Google’s alleged misuse of the personal data of over 4 million iPhone users via cookies placed on the Safari browser.

Autumn 2019, IJGlobal

October 2, 2019, The American Lawyer

October 1, 2019

WASHINGTON—Covington has promoted to its partnership 14 lawyers based in eight different offices, including nine women and six lawyers of ethnically diverse backgrounds.   “Our new partners are exceptionally talented lawyers from a wide range of the firm’s offices and most important practices, and they are extremely well-positioned to carry the firm forward,” ...

September 30, 2019, Covington Alert

Recent global trends have placed significant scrutiny on matters related to modern slavery and human rights issues in supply chains. New legislation has steadily been introduced across the globe (including in the U.S., the U.K., France and Australia). In this update, we provide an overview on a variety of international and national developments in the business ...

September 16, 2019, Covington Alert

Over the summer, Ursula von der Leyen, President-elect of the European Commission since July 16, prepared her 27-member Commission. On September 10, she presented her new team – five years to the day from when Jean Claude Juncker presented the current Commission. If approved by the European Parliament, her new team will take office on November 1, 2019. This ...

August 30, 2019, Law360

August 28, 2019, Bloomberg

Francis Maude participated in a discussion with Bloomberg on the prorogation of the U.K. Parliament and its effect on Brexit. Lord Maude says, “There is nothing radical about [proroguing].  It’s also the case that Parliament always rises for recess in the second part of September…I think, actually, the judgment, that this makes a deal potentially more likely, is ...

August 23, 2019, Covington Alert

The Serious Fraud Office (SFO) released its much-anticipated cooperation guidance on August 6, 2019. The five-page document sets out the steps an organization can take to assist the SFO in an investigation and thereby maximise the organization’s chances of avoiding prosecution. The publication represents a welcome change in direction on the part of the SFO, ...

August 22, 2019, Law360

Ian Hargreaves is quoted in Law360 regarding the U.K.’s minibond scandal and the regulatory response. Mr. Hargreaves says, “Customers are arguing that they believed the minibonds were FCA-authorized when they were not. Consequently, their impression was that the investments were safer than they actually were.” He adds, “Essentially, the FCA regulates by activity ...

August 8, 2019, Commercial Dispute Resolution

Ian Hargreaves spoke with Commercial Dispute Resolution regarding a recent National Crime Agency’s Unexplained Wealth Order (UWO) investigation. Mr. Hargreaves says, “For many years the U.K. has been criticized for allowing too much ‘dirty’ money to pass through its financial systems, reside in expensive residential/commercial properties and be invested through ...

August 2019, Covington Alert

The ECJ ruled on 14 May 2019 (C-55/18) that Member States must take measures to ensure that employers comply with the minimum rest periods and prevent workers from working in excess of the weekly maximum working hours, including introducing an "objective, reliable and accessible system" to measure daily working time.

July 31, 2019, Law360

Ian Hargreaves spoke with Law360 about unexplained wealth order enforcement by the NCA, specifically its fourth such case. One reason the NCA may only have used four unexplained wealth orders so far is that they require some work to carry out, according to Mr. Hargreaves. He says, “However, as those utilizing them become more familiar with the process their use ...

July 30, 2019, Covington Alert

On July 29, 2019, the Court of Justice of the European Union (“CJEU”) issued its judgment in Case C-359/18 P, Shire Pharmaceuticals Ireland v. EMA, dismissing the European Medicines Agency’s (“EMA”) appeal and reconfirming the position set by the General Court. Covington represented Shire Pharmaceuticals Ireland (“Shire”), which was recently acquired by Takeda.

July 26, 2019, Covington Alert

From April 2020, new rules will require all large and medium-sized private sector organisations to determine the employment status of their contractors and, where applicable, withhold tax and social security and pay employer social security on payments made to relevant contractors.

July 17, 2019, Covington Alert

On July 9, 2019, the European Court of Justice (“ECJ”) heard oral argument in Case C-311/18, Data Protection Commissioner v Facebook Ireland and Maximillian Schrems (“Schrems II”). The primary question before the ECJ is whether the European Commission’s standard contractual clauses (“SCCs”) are valid for transfers of personal data to the United States.1 Given ...

July 16, 2019, Law360

July 9, 2019

BRUSSELS—Today, a team of Covington lawyers argued before the European Court of Justice in a landmark data protection case, Case C-311/18, Data Protection Commissioner v Facebook Ireland and Maximillian Schrems (“Schrems II”). The case has significant ramifications for any organization that relies on the standard contractual clauses (“SCCs”) to transfer personal ...

July 2, 2019, Thomson Reuters Regulatory Intelligence

June 14, 2019

LONDON—The American Lawyer and Legal Week have named Covington its Transatlantic Arbitration Team of the Year. The award focuses on a single case that involved significant lawyering on both sides of the Atlantic and that demonstrated excellence in legal expertise and innovation, project management skills, and teamwork. The publications recognized Covington for ...

June 2019, Pharmind

June 2019, GIR Insight - Europe, The Middle East and Africa Investigations Review 2019

Accreditation: An extract from the 2019 edition of Europe, The Middle East and Africa Investigations Review. The whole publication is available at https://globalinvestigationsreview.com/edition/1001341/europe-the-middle-east-and-africa-investigations-review-2019.

May 21, 2019

WASHINGTON—Covington advised Merck & Co., Inc., in its definitive agreement under which Merck, through a subsidiary, will acquire privately held Peloton Therapeutics, Inc. in exchange for an upfront payment of $1.05 billion in cash. In addition, Peloton shareholders will be eligible to receive a further $1.15 billion contingent upon successful achievement of ...

May 20, 2019

NEW YORK—Covington advised LifeArc, a UK-based medical research charity, on its monetization of a portion of its royalties relating to Keytruda® for $1.297 billion (approximately £1 billion). This royalty monetization is the largest single-product royalty monetization ever done by a non-profit. The transaction closed on May 10, 2019, the culmination of efforts ...

May 13, 2019, Covington Alert

England’s Court of Appeal has decided that the Competition Appeals Tribunal (the "CAT") erred in rejecting certification of former financial ombudsman Walter Merricks’ class action against MasterCard, for £14 billion. As a result, the CAT will now reconsider whether to certify the class.

May 7, 2019, CNBC

Francis Maude appeared on CNBC to speak about Brexit’s effect on British markets and the upcoming election.  

May 2019, InCiDA

April 17, 2019, BBC News

Louise Freeman was interview by BBC News regarding the Mastercard Competition Appeals Tribunal class action case. She spoke about the potential damages payouts to individuals affected by the case.  

April 16, 2019, Financial Times

Louise Freeman is quoted in the Financial Times regarding a class action suit against Mastercard. Ms. Freeman said the Court of Appeal has “sent a clear signal” that the tribunal has set the bar too high in assessing whether the mass claim should proceed.

April 16, 2019, Commercial Dispute Resolution

Louise Freeman spoke with Commercial Dispute Resolution about the Competition Appeal Tribunal class action case against Mastercard. Ms. Freeman says the Court of Appeal has sent “a clear signal that the CAT applied too high a bar in its assessment of the application for a CPO”, which will “impact the assessment of both this application when it returns to the CAT ...

April 16, 2019, Global Competition Review

Louise Freeman spoke with Global Competition Review regarding the class action UK Competition Appeal Tribunal case against Mastercard. Ms. Freeman said the appellate court has sent a clear signal that the CAT applied too high a bar in its assessment of the application for a collective proceedings order. She adds, this will not only affect the assessment of this ...

April 5, 2019

LONDON—Two Covington transactions were recognized with the IJGlobal 2018 Awards for African Refinancing Deal of the Year and for Middle East & North Africa Power Deal of the Year. The IJGlobal Awards celebrate the top transactions that closed over the past calendar year across the international infrastructure and energy sectors, while recognizing the ...

April 5, 2019

WASHINGTON—Covington advised Elbit Systems of America, LLC, a subsidiary of Elbit Systems Ltd., in its definitive agreement with Harris Corporation for the acquisition of Harris' Night Vision business for a purchase price of $350 million. The closing of the transaction is subject to receipt of regulatory approvals. Elbit Systems Ltd. is an international high ...

April 4, 2019, Covington Alert

In a much-anticipated decision, the English High Court has confirmed that Brexit (in whatever form it may take) will not frustrate a long-term lease for the European Medicines Agency’s headquarters in London.

April 1, 2019, Life Sciences Law Review

April 1, 2019, Life Sciences Law Review

March 28, 2019

NEW YORK—Covington has partnered with the Columbia Law School’s Center for International Commercial and Investment Arbitration to hold the fourth annual Covington Academy on International Arbitration (CAIA). A team of Covington partners and associates from New York, Washington, and London will participate in this year’s program, which is open to Columbia’s J.D., ...

March 28, 2019, Legal Week

Bart Van Vooren is quoted in Legal Week regarding the potential decrease in work for law firms in the UK following Brexit. He says, “A general impression is that small and medium-sized enterprises don’t have enough resources to prepare, while our clients – large worldwide pharmaceutical companies – have invested millions into this. Many have done their homework, ...

March 26, 2019, Risk

Anne Termine is quoted in Risk regarding U.S. margin rules in the event of Brexit. To ensure continued access to the full range of services, EU-based swaps counterparties may wish to move their contracts to affiliates outside of the UK, says Ms. Termine. Swaps dealers may need to move their swaps, for example, to the EU from a UK platform because there is no ...

March 25, 2019, The Law Society Gazette

Sebastian Vos, Francis Maude, and Erika Mann are quoted in The Law Society Gazette regarding Covington’s expansion of public policy work in Europe.   Mr. Vos says, “The firm’s USP is the sheer number of former senior diplomats in our midst, on both sides of the Atlantic, as well as in Asia and Africa.” He adds, what clients “value most is the combination of law ...

March 13, 2019, Project Finance International

March 13, 2019, Law360

Carlo Kostka spoke with Law360 about Brexit’s effect on corporate contingency plans. Companies across the services and manufacturing industries have already invested enormous sums to prepare for the unknown, said Mr. Kostka. He added, “They have investment plans and, with some exceptions and caveats, the trigger has been pulled on many of those.”

March 11, 2019, CNBC

Francis Maude spoke with CNBC about Article 50 and the possibility of a Brexit extension. On the possibility of an Article 50 extension, Lord Maude says, "I think it's inevitable that we'll ask for one."

March 11, 2019, Covington Alert

This alert summarizes the major antitrust/competition developments in 2018 and offers a view on what to expect in 2019 in the U.S., EU and China.

March 8, 2019, Law360

Ian Hargreaves spoke with Law360 regarding the European Union’s latest round of anti-money laundering laws. Mr. Hargreaves says, “If the legal framework is observed and enforced, the PSC register will be incredibly powerful. Without verification and proper review, though, people will get around this.”   He adds, “One of the big criticisms with the way in which ...

March 7, 2019, Law360

Ian Hargreaves is quoted in Law360 regarding the U.K.’s tightened budget for investigation and prosecution of white collar crime. Mr. Hargreaves says, “The costs start to spiral out of control when you’re dealing with the sheer number of documents involved in highly complex cases. And so, if technology allows these documents to be collected, collated, reviewed ...

March 1, 2019

WASHINGTON—Covington secured a major victory on behalf of Ukraine’s state-owned oil and gas company, NJSC Naftogaz of Ukraine, in an international arbitration against the Russian Federation. A tribunal sitting at the Permanent Court of Arbitration, in The Hague, concluded that Russia unlawfully expropriated Naftogaz’s assets in Crimea, in violation of Russia’s ...

March 1, 2019, Covington Alert

Selections of Covington’s Intellectual Property Rights Practice Group for the “Top Ten” most significant and interesting developments in U.S. and European copyright law during 2018.

February 22, 2019, Law360

February 13, 2019, Project Finance International

February 6, 2019

NEW YORK—Covington has advised Sensyne Health, the British clinical AI technology company, on its agreement with Jefferson Health to evaluate the clinical and commercial potential of its GDm-Health™ system in the United States. GDm-Health is a direct patient-to-clinician blood glucose monitoring management system specifically designed for the management of ...

February 2019, Covington Alert

This International Employment Update summarises recent international employment law developments in China, France, Germany, Russia, the United Kingdom and the United States.

February 2019, Privacy Laws & Business International Report

January 29, 2019, Covington Alert

Welcome to our round up of what we consider to be the top 10 judgments of the English Court in banking and financial markets litigation in 2018.

January 28, 2019, Covington Alert

The past few weeks have been chaotic for both Brexit negotiations and UK politics overall. On January 15, 2019, British Prime Minister Theresa May’s Brexit plan succumbed to historic defeat in Parliament.

January 22, 2019, Covington Alert

On January 21, 2019, the French Supervisory Authority for data protection (“CNIL”) issued a fine of €50 million against Google for violations of the General Data Protection Regulation (“GDPR”) (the decision was published in French here).

January 17, 2019, Bloomberg

Francis Maude appeared on Bloomberg Daybreak Europe to discuss the future of Brexit after the no-confidence vote. Mr. Maude believes Theresa May will have to accept her country will remain in the European Customs Union among other concessions. He also told Daybreak Europe that Britain’s negotiations with the EU were constrained by the red-lines Theresa May will ...

January 14, 2019

The Concurrences Antitrust Writing Awards 2019 Editorial Committee has nominated three articles authored by Covington lawyers to its shortlist. We encourage you to share your opinion on our nominated articles: Compliance Plus? Proposed Fine Reductions for Audited, Strengthened Compliance Programmes by Kevin Coates and Andrea Zulli. Data, Innovation, and ...

2019, International Comparative Legal Guide to: Enforcement of Foreign Judgments 2019

2019, International Comparative Legal Guide

January 2019, GCR Insight - E-Commerce Competition Enforcement Guide

2019, Global Legal Insights to: Pricing & Reimbursement 2019

December 21, 2018

LONDON—Covington’s Project Development and Finance practice has been recognized at the PFI Awards 2018 for the team’s work on the Al Ezzel and Sakaka transactions, which won “Middle East and Africa Refinancing Deal of the Year” and “Middle East and Africa Power Deal of the Year” respectively. The $243 million new financing facility for Al Ezzel Power Company, a ...

December 14, 2018

LONDON— Global Arbitration Review and Who’s Who Legal: Arbitration have recognized Covington’s International Arbitration Practice Group in its 2019 report. The publication named Covington partners Nicole Duclos and Jeremy Wilson as “Future Leaders,” a ranking of “the most eminent lawyers in the field under 45,” and recognized Miguel López Forastier and Stephen ...

December 13, 2018, Covington Alert

The first EU-level rules on the screening of foreign direct investment (FDI) are about to be agreed. These do not provide for the direct screening of FDI by the institutions of the Union, but rather create a framework for national initiatives and the exchange of information, and impose certain obligations on Member States to ensure a certain harmonization of any ...

November 15, 2018

The proposed withdrawal agreement between the European Union and the United Kingdom was published by the European Commission on November 14 (see here). The text runs to 585 pages, and represents a tentative agreement reached between the UK and EU negotiating teams. It is accompanied by an eight-page outline of the proposed political declaration on the future ...

October 29, 2018, Legal Business

Craig Pollack participated in an interview with Legal Business regarding the future of big law. When asked about the structures within a law firm, he said, “I agree with what people have said subject to this caveat: our ability to predict is not great. However, I think there will be a law firm that has $7 billion in revenue. I doubt it will be an elite firm. We ...

October 23, 2018, The Law Society Gazette

Daniel Cooper spoke with The Law Society Gazette regarding a UK Court of Appeal decision that could make employers vicariously liable for employees’ actions even if they had taken preventative steps and bore no criminal responsibility.   Mr. Cooper said the employer should bear the enterprise risk and assume liability for the actions of its employees, as long as ...

October 15, 2018, Covington Alert

On August 23, 2018, the UK Government published several technical guidance notices relating to the regulation of medicines and medical devices in the event of a “no deal” or “hard” Brexit, i.e., a scenario where the EU and UK fail to conclude a withdrawal agreement and an associated transitional period and where the UK becomes a “third country” from midnight CET ...

October 15, 2018, The Law Society Gazette

October 10, 2018, Law360

October 2018, Privacy Laws & Business International Report

September 19, 2018, Global Arbitration Review

Monique O’Donoghue’s return to Covington is featured in a Global Arbitration Review article. Ms. O’Donoghue represents clients in commercial arbitration matter and has a particular focus on the oil, gas and construction sectors. Jeremy Wilson, co-chair of the firm’s international arbitration practice says, “We are delighted to welcome Monique back to the firm. ...

September 13, 2018, Legal Business

Louise Freeman spoke with Legal Business regarding the latest trends in disputes. She highlights the growing potential for litigation from the rise in cyberattacks impacting major companies. Ms. Freeman observed ‘The UK courts are increasingly adapting to deal with this kind of litigation,’ and points to the Clarkson v Person or Persons Unknown High Court case ...

September 10, 2018, Commercial Dispute Resolution

Eric Holder and Craig Pollack are featured in Commercial Dispute Resolution regarding the firm’s ambitions to be at the forefront of international dispute resolution. Mr. Holder and Mr. Pollack discussed managing complex disputes, diplomatic solutions, culture of collaboration, Brexit, and structure and strategy of a case.   Mr. Holder said in the interview, “We ...

September 5, 2018, Irish Examiner

Maree Gallagher is quoted in the Irish Examiner regarding Brexit’s impact on Ireland’s agri-food sector. Ms. Gallagher, also Chair of the British Irish Chamber of Commerce Agri-Food Committee, says, “The agri-food sector is Ireland’s largest indigenous industry employing around 250,000 people enabling €12.6bn in exports a year.” Ireland, who is a major source of ...

2018, Global Legal Insights to: Global Legal Insights - Pricing & Reimbursement 2018, 1st Ed.

September 2018, The Renewable Energy Law Review, Reproduced with permission from Law Business Research Ltd

August 23, 2018

LONDON—Covington has advised Ziylo on its acquisition by Novo Nordisk with a potential deal value that could exceed $800 million. Ziylo, a University of Bristol spin-out company based at the Unit DX science incubator, is a supramolecular chemistry company that has developed a third 'biomimetic' class of glucose binding molecules. The acquisition gives Novo ...

August 17, 2018

LONDON—Covington has advised Sensyne Health on medical device regulatory and data protection matters in connection with its £60 million IPO on London’s AIM market. The firm also represented Sensyne Health in negotiating strategic research and data processing agreements with the Chelsea and Westminster Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, the Oxford University ...

August 17, 2018

WASHINGTON— Law360 named Covington lawyers Alexander Berengaut, Michael Nonaka, and Ursula Owczarkowski to its list of “2018 Rising Stars.” This annual recognition honors top attorneys under 40 “whose legal accomplishments transcend their age.” Alex Berengaut represents clients in civil litigation, international arbitrations, and government enforcement ...

August 8, 2018, Covington Alert

The UK Payment Systems Regulator (PSR) announced on 24 July 2018 its intention to carry out a market review into the supply of card-acquiring services.

August 6, 2018, Covington Alert

We reported following the 2017 UN Forum on Business and Human Rights on the progress of an international treaty on the subject. On 19th July 2018, the Open-ended Intergovernmental Working Group (OEIGWG) presented the draft text of a treaty to the High Commissioner for Human Rights (through the Permanent Mission of Ecuador, acting as Chair in the process).

August 2, 2018, e-Competitions Bulletin Leniency, Art. N° 72355

August 2018, Radar

July 24, 2018, The Telegraph

Bart Van Vooren is quoted in The Telegraph regarding an extension of the Brexit deadline. According to Mr. Van Vooren, “For that to happen, Article 50 requires that the European Council decides unanimously on the extension in agreement with the UK.” Mr. Van Vooren added, “An extension is not likely if it will merely extend the painful process of the last 15 ...

July 17, 2018

LONDON—Global Investigations Review has named Covington’s Sarah Crowder to the second edition of “Women in Investigations,” highlighting 100 female practitioners from across the globe. Nancy Kestenbaum and Mythili Raman were selected to the list’s first edition in 2015. The survey highlights a variety of women not previously recognized by the magazine—from ...

July 11, 2018, Law360

July 5, 2018, Covington Alert

On June 27, 2018, China’s Ministry of Public Security (“MPS”) released for public comment a draft of the Regulations on Cybersecurity Multi-level Protection Scheme (“the Draft Regulation”). The highly anticipated Draft Regulation sets out the details of an updated Multi-level Protection Scheme, whereby network operators (defined below) are required to comply ...

June 26, 2018, Covington Alert

On June 21, 2018, the European Commission (“Commission”) started a new investigation to determine whether so-called destination clauses in Qatar Petroleum’s liquefied natural gas (“LNG”) supply contracts with European buyers infringe the European Union (“EU”) antitrust rules.

June 21, 2018, Global Investigations Review

Sarah Crowder was named to Global Investigations Review's "Women in Investigations 2018" list. Her profile can be found here.

June 20, 2018

SILICON VALLEY—Covington was ranked sixth among “The Best Law Firms for Minority Attorneys” and ranked seventh among “The Best Law Firms for Minority Partners” by Law360 for firms with more than 600 lawyers.  "While there is much progress still to be made, these results are a reflection of Covington's sustained efforts to recruit, mentor, develop, promote, and ...

June 15, 2018, BBC Two

Lord Francis Maude appeared on BBC Two's "Daily Politics" show to discuss the latest developments in Brexit negotiations in Westminster and beyond."

June 5, 2018, The Irish Times

Sir Michael Leigh and Lord Francis Maude recently participated in a roundtable with The Irish Times to discuss Brexit developments. Commenting on the status of finding a solution to the Irish Border issue, Leigh and Maude said that they do not envisage a solution to maintain an invisible border being agreed until there is a deal on the future EU-UK trading ...

June 5, 2018, The Wall Street Journal

Ian Hargreaves is quoted by The Wall Street Journal in an article regarding the appointment of Lisa Osofsky to Director of the UK Serious Fraud Office. Osofsky previously worked as assistant U.S. attorney at the U.S. Justice Department and as deputy general counsel and ethics officer at the Federal Bureau of Investigation. According to Hargreaves, "[The U.S. ...

June 4, 2018

JOHANNESBURG—Covington has partnered with Power Africa, Kaplan & Stratton, and Fieldstone Africa, with support from the African Legal Support Facility of the African Development Bank, to launch the inaugural Project Finance Master Class that will be held in Nairobi, Kenya from June 4 - 6, 2018. The Master Class is designed to strengthen the environment for ...

June 1, 2018, Covington Alert

On May 31, 2018, the Trump Administration announced that it would implement tariffs on steel and aluminum imports from Canada, Mexico, and the European Union (EU). The tariff rates will be 25 percent on steel and 10 percent on aluminum, and are effective June 1.

June 1, 2018, BBC Radio

Lord Francis Maude appeared on BBC Radio's "Today" programme to discuss new U.S. tariffs on steel and aluminum imports from the EU.

May 31, 2018, Bloomberg Surveillance

Lord Francis Maude appeared on "Bloomberg Surveillance" to discuss the latest developments related to Brexit.

May 17, 2018, Global Investigations Review

May 10, 2018, Covington Alert

The Court of Appeal in London has handed down a judgment of significance to both the insurance and international arbitration communities in Halliburton v Chubb. The judgment raises serious questions about the apparent reluctance of English courts to police arbitrators for “apparent bias” and to set aside arbitrator appointments and awards in London-seated ...

May 9, 2018, Covington Alert

On May 8, 2018, President Trump announced his decision to end U.S. participation in the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (“JCPOA”) and re-impose sanctions against Iran that had been suspended as part of this 2015 nuclear agreement between the United States, Iran, and certain other governments. This action will have far-reaching effects for both U.S. and ...

May 9, 2018, Covington Alert

On May 8, 2018, President Trump announced his decision to end U.S. participation in the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (“JCPOA”) and re-impose sanctions against Iran that had been suspended as part of this 2015 nuclear agreement between the United States, Iran, and certain other governments. This action will have far-reaching effects for both U.S. and ...

May 2, 2018, CNBC

Lord Francis Maude appeared on CNBC to discuss the UK's future trading relationship with the EU. According to Maude, “It remains the case that it is hugely in the interest of the UK and of the EU 27 for there to be a sensible, pragmatic deal that, with good will on both sides, means that Britain remains in a deep and special partnership with the EU.”

May 1, 2018

WASHINGTON—Covington advised Elbit Systems Ltd. in its $120 million acquisition of the assets and operations of the privately owned U.S. company, Universal Avionics Systems. Elbit Systems is an international high technology company engaged in a wide range of defense, homeland security, and commercial programs throughout the world. Universal Avionics is a ...

April 23, 2018, The Pink Sheet

Grant Castle is quoted by The Pink Sheet in an article regarding comments from head of the UK BioIndustry Association stating that authorities are jumping the gun by reallocating all UK centralized rapporteurships to other EU member states before it is clear whether there will be some form of continued regulatory relationship between the UK agency, the MHRA, and ...

April 20, 2018, Covington Alert

On March 27 2018, the UK Equalities and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) published a report, Turning the tables: ending sexual harassment at work, in which it makes a number of recommendations for legal changes to better protect the victims of sexual harassment at work.

April 20, 2018

Camilla Gare and a team of Covington lawyers advised BenevolentAI on an £80 million equity investment by new and existing investors, including Woodford Investment Management, at a pre-money valuation of £1.4 billion. The firm also recently advised BenevolentAI on its acquisition of Proximagen Limited, a Cambridge, UK-based drug discovery and development company, ...

April 20, 2018

LONDON—Covington advised BenevolentAI on an £80 million equity investment by new and existing investors, including Woodford Investment Management, at a pre-money valuation of £1.4 billion. The firm also recently advised BenevolentAI on its acquisition of Proximagen Limited, a Cambridge, UK-based drug discovery and development company, for an undisclosed ...

April 18, 2018, Thomson Reuters Regulatory Intelligence

April 2018, Digital Health Legal

Brian Kelly and Raj Gathani are quoted in a Digital Health Legal article regarding a report published by the UK’s Care Quality Commission on "The state of care in independent online primary health services." According to Kelly and Gathani, “The report illustrates some of the teething problems in the inspection system, particularly when applied to online ...

March 28, 2018

LONDON—Covington will open an office in Frankfurt, Germany on April 3 led by eight partners. Frankfurt will be the firm’s third European office and will work closely with the firm’s five offices in the United States, its three offices in Asia, and its offices in the Middle East and Africa. “Covington will offer German companies a unique capability to help them ...

March 27, 2018, Covington Alert

On March 23, 2018, Congress passed, and President Trump signed into law, the Clarifying Lawful Overseas Use of Data (“CLOUD”) Act, which creates a new framework for government access to data held by technology companies worldwide.

March 26, 2018, CIOReview

March 23, 2018, Covington Alert

On March 15, 2018, the Government introduced legislation to Parliament that would strengthen the state’s ability to scrutinise the national security implications of foreign investment in cutting-edge technology sectors.

March 22, 2018, Covington Alert

European General Court confirms that a new medicinal product containing the same active substance as a company’s existing medicinal product may be entitled to its own period of orphan exclusivity.

March 20, 2018, African Law & Business

Graham Vinter is quoted in an African Law & Business article regarding the recent arrival of Robin Mizrahi and Laure Berthelot to Covington. According to Vinter, the pair’s “particular skills and practice focus, combined with our existing capabilities, will allow us to serve clients in energy and infrastructure projects throughout Africa, including ...

March 15, 2018

LONDON—Robin Mizrahi has joined Covington as a partner and Laure Berthelot as special counsel in the firm’s Project Development and Finance practice. Based in London, Mr. Mizrahi and Ms. Berthelot will work closely with the firm’s project finance lawyers in Dubai, Johannesburg, London, New York, Seoul, and Washington. Their arrival follows the firm’s opening in ...

March 14, 2018, IJGlobal

Graham Vinter is quoted in an IJGlobal article regarding the recent arrival of Robin Mizrahi and Laure Berthelot to Covington. Vinter comments, “Robin and Laure’s particular skills and practice focus – combined with our existing capabilities – will allow us to service clients in energy and infrastructure projects in all over Africa and the Middle East, including ...

March 8, 2018, Covington Alert

Corporate Human Rights Benchmark Ltd (CHRB) has published its 2018 research methodology and is currently encouraging relevant companies to disclose information relevant to this year’s research and ranking exercise.

March 8, 2018, Biotech and Money

James Gubbins, Lucinda Osborne, and Brian Kelly are quoted in a Biotech and Money article providing an overview of Covington's Life Sciences practice and discussing the legal implications of issues facing the sector. “Having an international practice, having a team in London, on [the U.S.] East Coast and West Coast, and in Asia, who encompass that regulatory ...

March 7, 2018, Global Risk Regulator

Lord Francis Maude is quoted in a Global Risk Regulator article regarding the proposed transition period after the UK leaves the EU. "I’m not worried about the transition period if it is for a couple of years,” says Maude. “Typically, when new regulation is introduced, there is at least a two-year implementation period. It is possible some new regulation is ...

March 6, 2018, Covington Alert

The Commercial Court in London has recently held that breach of a specific policy provision described as a warranty in a buildings insurance policy allowed an insurer to avoid coverage for a fire claim, but was not grounds for making the policy completely void from inception, as the insurer had argued. The case is BlueBon Ltd v Ageas (UK) Ltd [2017] EWHC 3301 ...

March 2, 2018, Chartered Management Institute

Daniel Cooper is quoted in a Chartered Management Institute article regarding wearable technology. Providing the legal perspective, Cooper says, "Any employer processing personal information is subject to a range of obligations–this includes making sure they’re very transparent about what they collect, ensuring they have a legal basis for processing that data. ...

March 1, 2018, Covington Alert

Selections of Covington’s Intellectual Property Rights Practice Group for the “Top Ten” most significant and interesting developments in U.S. and European copyright law during 2017.

February 14, 2018, Law360

February 6, 2018

WASHINGTON—Law360 has named five Covington practice groups among its “2017 Practice Groups of the Year.” The practice groups recognized by Law360 are as follows: Government Contracts International Trade Product Liability Sports White Collar  

February 2018, CPI Antitrust Chronicle

February 2018, Digital Health Legal

February 1, 2018, Covington Alert

This International Employment Update summarises recent international employment law developments in China, India, Italy, Russia, the United Kingdom, and the United States.

February 2018, Competition Law & Policy Debate

January 31, 2018, Covington Alert

In the EU, a sponsor can obtain an “orphan designation” for a medicinal product pursuant to Regulation 141/2000. Adopted in December 1999, the regime aims to encourage investment in R&D for treatments for rare diseases. The most important incentive is the 10-year market exclusivity for designated products. Other incentives include protocol assistance and fee ...

January 30, 2018, Law360

Law360 highlights the promotion of Covington's newest partners, including John Balzano, Lindsay Burke, Bradley Chernin, Christopher DeCresce, Guy Dingley, Matthew Dunn, Laura Flahive Wu, Pamela Forrest, Alexa Hansen, Megan Keane, Sam Pyun, Kyle Rabe, Ansgar Simon, Andrew Soukup, Emily Ullman, and Mark Young.

January 25, 2018, Covington Alert

The Equality Act 2010 (Gender Pay Gap Information) Regulations 2017 (the “Regulations”) came into force in the UK on April 6, 2017 and require private sector employers with 250 or more employees to calculate and disclose mandatory gender pay gap information.

January 25, 2018, Behavox

Louise Freeman is quoted in a Behavox article regarding the UK Financial Conduct Authority's (FCA) statement of objections to four asset management firms, signifying the first time the FCA has used its competition enforcement powers. According to Freeman, firms should expect further scrutiny, and to prepare accordingly. “They started with a very wide asset ...

January 2018, Digital Health Legal

Raj Gathani is quoted in a Digital Health Legal article regarding the UK Department of Health's decision to expand the Care Quality Commission's (CQC) quality rating powers. “In a sense, the announcement simply corrects an imbalance between NHS and private providers,” says Gathani. “The announcement comes after a year in which online doctor services have come ...

January 22, 2018

WASHINGTON—Covington advised Bacardi Limited in its definitive agreement to acquire Patrón Spirits International AG and its PATRÓN® brand, the world’s top-selling ultra-premium tequila, from John Paul DeJoria, a founder of Patrón. The transaction reflects an enterprise value for Patrón of $5.1 billion. The transaction follows the successful relationship the ...

January 19, 2018, Covington Alert

In December 2017, the UK Government updated its proposals on the rights of European Union (“EU”) nationals and their families following the UK's exit from the EU (via a technical note setting out its proposed commitments).

January 19, 2018, Law360

Covington was named a 2017 International Trade Group of the Year by Law360. According to Peter Lichtenbaum, the Bombardier trade remedies case, which "presents very significant economic, legal, and political issues," was one of the group's biggest from the past year. "The company remains confident that the ITC will conclude that Boeing will not be harmed by the ...

January 18, 2018, Covington Alert

We summarise what we see as the ten most significant English Court judgments for financial institutions. The overriding theme to arise from these cases is that, when financial institutions look after their own interests and protect themselves, those protections will be upheld by the English Court and their contractual arrangements will be respected. Financial ...

January 17, 2018, Covington Alert

This article “fact-checks” the “Notice to Stakeholders” published by the European Commission on November 21, 2017 (the “Notice”). The Notice has received widespread press attention, due to its stark warnings about the risks of choosing to litigate in the English Courts post-Brexit. We consider whether the Notice is factually accurate (yes), whether it gives an ...

January 16, 2018

WASHINGTON—Global Competition Review has once again named Covington to its 2018 "Global Elite," a list of the top 25 antitrust practices worldwide, as well as including the firm in the list of top ten practices globally for both Mergers and Antitrust Litigation. Each year, GCR undertakes extensive analysis of antitrust and competition law groups in 50 ...

January 9, 2018, Covington Alert

2017 was another year of active enforcement globally—including in the U.S., despite the start of a new Presidential Administration touting an aggressive deregulatory agenda. Transactions in consolidated industries drew enforcement fire in both Europe and the United States (Dow/DuPont, ChemChina/Syngenta, Bayer/Monsanto, AT&T/TimeWarner). And, in March, the UK ...

January 4, 2018, The Economist

David Miles is quoted by The Economist in an article regarding what the latest developments in the Dana Gas case mean for Islamic finance. Miles welcomes provisions that waive borrowers’ rights to challenge an arrangement’s sharia compliance but says they do not solve the enforcement problem.

2018, The International Comparative Legal Guide to: Litigation & Dispute Resolution 2018, Contributor

2018, International Comparative Legal Guide to: Enforcement of Foreign Judgments 2018, Contributing Editor

2018, International Comparative Legal Guide to: Enforcement of Foreign Judgments 2018, Contributing Editor

2018, International Comparative Legal Guide to: Litigation & Dispute Resolution 2018, Contributor

December 28, 2017, CNBC

Lord Francis Maude appeared on CNBC to discuss the backlash faced by Theresa May as UK Prime Minister and what lies ahead. According to Maude, "It is very easy in the moment to see things as more stark than they are. And if Theresa May gets through this period, which I would expect her to, then I think we will look back and see this as a bit of turbulence. But ...

December 26, 2017

SILICON VALLEY—The Financial Times has recognized Covington among the most innovative firms in 2017 in the category of "Enabling Business Growth," for advising "Tencent in its acquisition of a $8.6bn majority stake in Supercell, the Finnish gaming company, while maintaining Supercell’s creative culture and retaining its employees by introducing incentive ...

December 21, 2017

LONDON—Covington represented Autifony Therapeutics Limited in connection with an option and asset purchase agreement with Boehringer Ingelheim (BI), with respect to Autifony's Kv3.1/3.2 positive modulator platform. This agreement provides BI with an exclusive option to acquire Autifony’s Kv3.1/3.2 positive modulator platform, including Autifony's lead compound ...

December 18, 2017, Covington Alert

In 2012 the G20 initiated the Base Erosion and Profit-Shifting (BEPS) project, headed by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD). This aimed to tackle and reduce tax planning strategies which artificially shifted corporate profits to low- or no-tax jurisdictions.

December 15, 2017, Sky News

Lord Francis Maude appeared on Sky News to discuss phase two of the Brexit negotiation process. "Well it's good news it's progressing," says Maude. He added, however, that it is not going to be easy as there is a lot to discuss, and it will take time. Maude also said that he believes the process can be more cordial now. "I think…in the early days, there was a ...

December 14, 2017, Bloomberg

Lord Francis Maude appeared on "Bloomberg Surveillance" to discuss the Brexit process and Theresa May's role.

December 11, 2017, Better Wholesaling

Brian Kelly spoke at November's Food Matters Live event in London and is quoted in a Better Wholesaling article examining challenges facing the food industry in the wake of Brexit. Commenting on the threat of new tariffs, Kelly said, "It is very complicated and businesses will need to upskill on this.”

December 8, 2017, Covington Alert

On December 5, the European Union announced a “blacklist” of 17 countries it considers to be non-cooperative tax jurisdictions, with a further 47 countries at risk of being added to the list if they fail to meet EU criteria. The countries on the “blacklist” face possible economic sanctions and restrictions which businesses should be considering. The list is part ...

December 8, 2017, Covington Alert

Last week, the United Nations hosted the sixth annual Forum on Business and Human Rights in Geneva. The three-day event provided attendees with informative panels and important updates on the state of the field. Lawyers from Covington’s business and human rights initiative were in attendance and suggest five important takeaways for business.

December 7, 2017, Covington Alert

On 6 December 2017, the Court of Justice of European Union (CJEU) issued its long-awaited Judgment in Coty Germany GmbH v Parfümerie Akzente GmbH. Taking an approach similar to that adopted by Advocate General (AG) Wahl in his Opinion in July, the CJEU found that a supplier of luxury goods may prevent its authorised retailers from using third-party platforms in ...

December 6, 2017, Law360

December 1, 2017, Covington Alert

December 1, 2017, Covington Alert

November 30, 2017, African Law & Business

Ian Hargreaves participated in a panel discussing the management of compliance against anti-corruption and bribery laws at the African Law & Business Summit and is quoted in an article providing highlights from the event. Commenting on the impact of the "Paradise Papers," Hargreaves reminded the audience that many of the revelations were but allegations, and ...

November 28, 2017, African Law & Business

Ursula Owczarkowski participated in a panel at the African Law & Business Summit and is quoted in an article providing a highlights from the event. Drawing on her 12 years of experience in the energy and gas sectors in sub-Saharan Africa, Owczarkowski noted that there was “huge scope for development," and huge demand for power – but the pace of change was slow, ...

November 20, 2017, The Law Society Gazette

Helena Milner-Smith and Morag Peberdy participated in a roundtable hosted by The Law Society Gazette to discuss the importance of pro bono work. According to Milner-Smith, clients previously receiving poor paid-for advice is a major problem in immigration cases. Commenting on a briefing she received before working on her first immigration case, Milner-Smith ...

November 16, 2017

WASHINGTON—The Human Rights Campaign Foundation (HRC) has awarded Covington a perfect score of 100 percent for the tenth consecutive year on its Corporate Equality Index (CEI), a national benchmarking survey and report on corporate policies and practices pertinent to LGBTQ workplace equality. Covington is among 609 major U.S. businesses that earned a perfect ...

November 9, 2017, Law360

October 25, 2017, EP Vantage

Grant Castle is quoted in an EP Vantage article examining how the move of the European Medicines Agency from London will impact European drug approvals. According to Castle, the main consequence of lower staff numbers could be longer waiting times to file drugs. “Because of the regulatory timetable there isn’t a huge amount of scope for delaying reviews, but ...

October 18, 2017, Covington Alert

The European Commission published its Report today on the first-annual review of the EU-U.S. Privacy Shield (the Report is accompanied with a Staff Working Document, Infographic, and Q&A).

October 2, 2017

WASHINGTON—Covington has promoted 16 lawyers to its partnership. “It’s a great tribute to the firm’s vibrancy that we’re continuing to build an exceptional pipeline of new partners from within our ranks,” said Timothy Hester, Covington’s chair. “We’re confident that all 16 will add importantly to the firm’s strengths and will drive further expansion of core ...

October 2017, Digital Health Legal

September 28, 2017, CNBC

Lord Francis Maude appeared on CNBC to discuss the Brexit negotiations and the potential impact of Jeremy Corbyn.

September 27, 2017, Employment Webinar Series

September 22, 2017, Commercial Dispute Resolution

Ian Hargreaves chaired the fourth panel of CDR's Summer Litigation Symposium and is quoted in a Commercial Dispute Resolution article regarding the complexities of handling investigations and disputes with both criminal and civil law aspects. According to Hargreaves, with the recent implementation of various pieces of legislation, such as the Criminal Finances ...

September 21, 2017, Covington Alert

On September 14, 2017, the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) confirmed that it was making a Market Investigation Reference (MIR) to the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) in relation to services for investment consultancy and fiduciary management. This is the first time the FCA, which has significant numbers of competition lawyers within its ranks, has ...

September 18, 2017, Covington Alert

Last week, in his annual State of the European Union Address, the President of the European Commission Jean-Claude Juncker called out cybersecurity as a key priority for the European Union in the year ahead. In terms of ranking those priorities, President Juncker placed tackling cyber threats just one place below the EU leading the fight against climate change, ...

September 15, 2017

BRUSSELS—Sir Michael Leigh has joined Covington’s Global Public Policy and Government Affairs practice as a Senior Advisor. Dr. Leigh was Director-General of DG Enlargement at the European Commission from 2006 to 2011 and as such served as chief European Union negotiator with candidate countries. From 2003 to 2006, he was Deputy Director-General of External ...

September 13, 2017, BBC

Lord Francis Maude appeared on BBC to discuss Jean-Claude Juncker's State of the Union speech and Brexit.

September 5, 2017, Bloomberg

Helena Milner-Smith is quoted in a Bloomberg article regarding the European Court of Human Rights ruling on employee privacy in a case brought by Bogdan Mihai Barbulescu. According to Milner-Smith, the ruling should remind employers not to "go beyond what is necessary for a legitimate purpose." She adds, "However, the Grand Chamber’s ruling will have very little ...

September 5, 2017, The Law Society Gazette

Helena Milner-Smith is quoted by The Law Society Gazette in an article regarding the European Court of Human Rights ruling on employee privacy in a case brought by Bogdan Mihai Barbulescu. According to Milner-Smith, "The decision serves as a reminder for employers who monitor workplace communications to ensure their monitoring practices do not go beyond what is ...

September 5, 2017, Law360

Helena Milner-Smith is quoted in a Law360 article regarding the European Court of Human Rights ruling on employee privacy in a case brought by Bogdan Mihai Barbulescu. "The decision serves as a reminder for employers who monitor workplace communications to ensure their monitoring practices do not go beyond what is necessary for a legitimate purpose, that ...

September 2017, Covington Alert

On March 5, 2017, the Belgian parliament enacted the Flexible and Workable Work Law, which seeks to increase flexibility for both employers and employees.

August 31, 2017, Covington Alert

On August 31, 2017, China’s National Information Security Standardization Technical Committee (“NISSTC”), a standard-setting committee jointly supervised by the Standardization Administration of China (“SAC”) and the Cyberspace Administration of China (“CAC”), released an updated draft of the Information Security Technology - Guidelines for Data Cross-Border ...

August 25, 2017

NEW YORK—Covington has again been selected by Latinvex as a “Top International Law Firm” doing work in Latin America. In addition to this honor, Latinvex has recognized Covington as a leading firm in the FCPA & Fraud, International Arbitration, and Corporate/M&A subcategories. Covington’s Latin America practice draws on a dedicated team of lawyers and advisors ...

August 23, 2017, Strategic Risk

August 21, 2017, Covington Alert

The Payment Strategy Forum (“PSF”) has published a public Consultation Paper (the “Consultation”) entitled “Blueprint for the Future of UK Payments.” The PSF observes that whilst payment systems in UK are some of the best in the world, they are no longer fit for purpose, given their age and complexity. The PSF has therefore developed a New Payments Architecture, ...

August 16, 2017, Covington Alert

Two recent federal district court decisions involving computer “spoofing” scams highlight the uncertainty about whether such incidents may be covered under standard “computer fraud” provisions in widely used crime insurance forms. The conflicting results in these cases provide a stark reminder to policyholders that seemingly minor differences in policy wordings ...

August 14, 2017, GCR

August 10, 2017, The Wall Street Journal

Mark Young is quoted in The Wall Street Journal's "Morning Risk Report" in an article regarding the Network and Information Systems directive. According to Young, “This is another data-related compliance requirement and it carries heavy penalties for failure to have in place appropriate network security measures."

August 10, 2017

NEW YORK—Covington is representing IFM Therapeutics in its sale to Bristol Myers Squibb for $300 million in cash and the right to receive contingent payments upon achievement of specified milestones that could total in excess of $1 billion for each of its two oncology programs. Prior to closing, IFM will spin off its inflammation program to a newly-formed ...

August 8, 2017, Financial Times

Lisa Peets is quoted in a Financial Times article regarding the EU's new General Data Protection Regulation which will be introduced into UK law later this year. "Under the regulations, the definition of 'personal data' will be extraordinarily broad—any information that is related to a person," says Peets. "Companies are finding out that they are processing a ...

August 7, 2017, Covington Alert

On July 18, 2017, the UK published a new statutory instrument, The European Union Financial Sanctions (Amendment of Information Provisions) Regulation 2017 (S.I. 2017/754) (hereinafter, the “AIP Regulation”). The Regulation comes into force on August 8, 2017.

July 31, 2017, The Law Society Gazette

Graham Vinter was interviewed by The Law Society Gazette about his move to Covington and the importance of respect for the rule of law. Vinter, who serves as chair of a new independent body that aims to promote the rule of law across the international business community, says, "As multinational companies develop their supply chains and markets both at home and ...

July 28, 2017, Law360

Law360 highlights Covington's successful representation of Valores Mundiales SL and Consorcio Andino SL before the International Centre for the Settlement of Investment Disputes. The tribunal found that Venezuela had breached its international obligations with regard to the company's flour production business and ordered the country to pay nearly half a billion ...

July 27, 2017

NEW YORK—Covington advised The Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research (WEHI), Australia's oldest medical research institute, in its landmark monetization of a portion of its royalties relating to the cancer drug Venetoclax. The purchaser, a wholly owned subsidiary of Canada Pension Plan Investment Board, paid US$250 million upfront, and agreed to ...

July 24, 2017, Covington Alert

On Friday July 21, 2017 the UK’s Competition Appeal Tribunal (the “CAT”) handed down its second class certification decision under the class actions regime introduced by the Consumer Rights Act 2015 (the “Act”). It dismissed the application for two reasons. First, the proposed representative failed to show that it could reasonably estimate damages in the ...

July 14, 2017, Pharmafile

Grant Castle is quoted in a Pharmafile article regarding how Brexit may affect drug regulation. “Even if we enter into a close free-trade agreement, the UK will lose influence in the development of pharmaceutical legislation and policy, and will also lose influence in the pharmaceutical regulatory procedures,” says Castle. “And that must inevitably mean that ...

July 12, 2017

LONDON—Covington is advising Central European Media Enterprises Ltd. (CME) on the sale of its broadcast operations in Croatia and Slovenia to Slovenia Broadband S.à r.l for approximately $262.2 million. The transaction is expected to close by the end of 2017.  CME is a NASDAQ-listed media and entertainment company operating leading businesses in six Central and ...

July 12, 2017, Commercial Dispute Resolution

Ian Hargreaves chaired a session on managing conjoined civil and criminal fraud cases at Commercial Dispute Resolution's Summer Litigation Symposium.

July 12, 2017, Covington Alert

In October 2016, the UK Prime Minister, Theresa May, commissioned Matthew Taylor, the Chief Executive of the Royal Society of Arts and former policy adviser to Tony Blair, to look at how employment practices need to change in order to keep pace with modern business models.

July 2017, The Energy Regulation and Markets Review

June 30, 2017, Covington Alert

Earlier this week, the Supreme Court issued a ruling staying certain parts of the injunctions entered by the Fourth and Ninth Circuit Courts of Appeal against Executive Order No. 13780, the so-called "travel ban" Executive Order (the “Order”), and the State Department issued clarifying guidance on June 28. The effect of the Supreme Court ruling is to allow ...

June 21, 2017, Financial Times

Graham Vinter is quoted in a Financial Times article regarding the importance of defending the rule of law to businesses around the world. “The main onus on establishing respect for the rule of law, or establishing the rule of law in a country, is with the politicians,” says Vinter. “It’s too difficult to expect business to bring about change in a particular ...

June 16, 2017

LONDON—Euromoney Legal Media Group has selected three Covington lawyers for its annual “Europe Women in Business Law Awards.” The awards honor women in the legal sector across Europe. The Covington lawyers recognized are: Louise Nash, Best in Mergers & Acquisitions. Ms. Nash focuses on M&A and other transactional matters for clients in the consumer brands, ...

June 12, 2017, CNBC

Lord Francis Maude appeared on CNBC following the UK election where he discussed what the results mean for the upcoming Brexit negotiations and more.

June 9, 2017, The Wall Street Journal

Ian Hargreaves is quoted by The Wall Street Journal in an article regarding the future of the UK's Serious Fraud Office following the general election. "Folding the SFO into the [National Crime Agency] is neither necessary nor good for the prevention of serious fraud and other matters," says Hargreaves. "I would hope this gets pushed into the long grass and [Ms. ...

June 8, 2017, Bloomberg

Lord Francis Maude appeared on Bloomberg following the close of the UK election polls. "This was absolutely a good election for [Theresa May] to call, but the absolute rule should have been don't take risks," says Maude when commenting on the exit poll results which showed the Tories falling short of a majority. He adds that, at this point, the outcome is still ...

June 7, 2017, Sky News

Lord Francis Maude appeared on Sky News' Ian King Live ahead of the UK election where he discussed the upcoming Brexit negotiations and the need for Britain to be "outward looking" and as supportive of business as it can be.

June 1, 2017, MLex

Robin Blaney is quoted in an MLex article regarding pleas from the EMA urging UK drugmakers to relicense their products in another EU country before Brexit. According to Blaney, the transfer of authorizations is "primarily an administrative exercise," and there is no legal obstacle to using a shell company in the European Economic Area to hold marketing ...

May 24, 2017, Covington Alert

On May 25, 2018, employers located or with staff in the European Union (“EU”) will have to comply with a new data protection law—Regulation (EU) 2016/679 on the protection of natural persons with regard to the processing of personal data and on the free movement of such data—commonly referred to as the General Data Protection Regulation (“GDPR”). This will ...

May 23, 2017, Webinar

May 19, 2017, Covington Alert

On May 19, 2017, the Cyberspace Administration of China (“CAC”) invited international stakeholders to attend a seminar to discuss an updated version of the Measures on Security Assessment of Cross-border Data Transfer of Personal Information and Important Data (“the Measures”). Given that the Measures have an intended effective date of June 1, 2017, it is likely ...

May 15, 2017, Covington Alert

On May 2, 2017, the European Commission published a legislative proposal for a Regulation on a Single Market Information Tool. If adopted, the proposed Regulation would empower the Commission to request information from companies and trade associations, from a wide variety of industrial, technological and services sectors, if the Commission finds that serious ...

May 7, 2017, Africa Capital Digest

Graham Vinter is quoted in an Africa Capital Digest article regarding the expansion of Covington's Project Finance practice with the arrival of four new partners and the opening of offices in Johannesburg and Dubai. “The team’s reputation in project finance is absolutely first class, and we are delighted with their decision to join the firm,” says Vintner. “Not ...

May 4, 2017, African Law & Business

Timothy Hester and Graham Vinter are quoted in an African Law & Business article regarding the expansion of Covington's Project Finance practice with the arrival of four new partners and the opening of offices in Johannesburg and Dubai. According to Hester, the additions are “a natural progression of our strategy to build a leading projects practice.” He adds ...

May 4, 2017, Covington Alert

With effect from today, policyholders may recover damages from insurers for late payment of some insurance claims. For insurance contracts agreed or renewed on or after May 4, 2017 and governed by English law, the UK Enterprise Act 2016 introduces an implied term, affording the policyholder the right to recover losses caused by the insurer’s failure to pay valid ...

April 27, 2017

LONDON—Covington significantly expanded its Project Development and Finance practice with the addition of Ben Donovan, Agnieszka Klich, Richard Keenan, and David Miles, and the firm’s Middle East regional capabilities in corporate and dispute resolution matters with the addition of Jack Greenwald. With these additions, the firm also opened offices in Dubai and ...

April 27, 2017, Legal Week

Timothy Hester is quoted in a Legal Week article regarding the expansion of Covington's Project Finance practice with the arrival of four new partners and the opening of offices in Dubai and Johannesburg. According to Hester, “We have been focused on building our project finance capabilities for many years, and these opportunities fit very well with that ...

April 27, 2017, The Lawyer

Timothy Hester and Graham Vinter are quoted by The Lawyer in an article regarding the expansion of Covington's Project Finance practice with the arrival of four new partners and the opening of offices in Dubai and Johannesburg. According to Hester, “We have been looking to build our project finance team for a long time." He adds, "This group became available to ...

April 27, 2017, IJ Global

Graham Vinter is quoted in an IJ Global article regarding the expansion of Covington's Project Finance practice with the arrival of four new partners and the opening of offices in Dubai and Johannesburg. According to Vinter, “We already have strong ties in the Middle East and North Africa region and want to be at the table when countries in that region launch ...

April 27, 2017, Commercial Dispute Resolution

Louise Freeman spoke on a panel at CDR’s Spring Competition Litigation Symposium and is quoted in a Commercial Dispute Resolution article regarding the role of expert evidence in class action proceedings and how lawyers can work effectively with economists and industry experts. According to Freeman, “Lawyers need to think a little bit more before getting ...

April 26, 2017, Webinar

April 18, 2017, LexisPSL

Lisa Peets is quoted in a LexisPSL article regarding the Conservative Party's mandate for a hard Brexit. According to Peets, "An increased majority gives the Prime Minister greater flexibility to push for a harder or a softer Brexit, depending on what she actually wants." She adds, "A healthy majority helps May show the EU that she can deliver on her ...

April 12, 2017, Law360

Ian Hargreaves is quoted in a Law360 article regarding the UK government’s secretive review into economic crimes. According to Hargreaves, "As with the Proceeds of Crime Act, the UK Bribery Act and several other pieces of legislation, the UK really is leading the charge on introducing (if not enforcing) the toughest global laws on financial crime.”

April 12, 2017, Covington Alert

On April 11, 2017, the Cyberspace Administration of China (“CAC”) released a draft of the Measures on Security Assessment of Cross-border Data Transfer of Personal Information and Important Data (“the Draft Measures”) for public comment (official Chinese version available here; Covington’s translation of the Draft Measures is appended at the end of this alert).

April 7, 2017, Covington Alert

The UK’s Competition Appeal Tribunal (the “CAT”) has handed down its first class certification judgment in relation to the class actions regime introduced by the Consumer Rights Act 2015 (the “Act”). The result? The hearing has been adjourned, with the proposed representative allowed to file and serve an amended Claim Form and revised expert evidence, if so ...

April 6, 2017

NEW YORK—Covington has partnered for the second year with Columbia Law School and its Center for International Commercial and Investment Arbitration to hold the Covington Academy on International Arbitration (CAIA). The program is open to Columbia’s J.D., LL.M., and S.J.D. students. The three-day program consists of training followed by practical exercises and ...

March 30, 2017, Business Forums International Ltd.

March 30, 2017, Covington Alert

Today, the UK Government published a White Paper envisaging an initial continuation of EU law in the UK “wherever practical and appropriate” on withdrawal from the EU (“Brexit”). Today’s White Paper comes one day after the UK notified the EU of its intention to leave which triggers the two-year Brexit negotiation period. The UK Government intends on achieving ...

March 29, 2017, Commercial Dispute Resolution

Ian Hargreaves is quoted in a Commercial Dispute Resolution article regarding the UK Serious Fraud Office’s deferred prosecution agreement with Tesco PLC for false accounting practices. According to Hargreaves, the FCA compensation scheme is of particular interest. “Although we are not privy to the details of the compensation package offered to shareholders and ...

March 29, 2017, The Wall Street Journal

Ian Hargreaves is quoted in The Wall Street Journal’s “Morning Risk Report” regarding the UK Ministry of Justice’s consultation on whether to create new legislation to cover failure to prevent economic crime. According to Hargreaves, “To be required to introduce further systems and controls covering a wide ranging area of economic or financial crime, in addition ...

March 29, 2017, Bloomberg

Following the triggering of Article 50, Lord Francis Maude was interviewed by Bloomberg to discuss the impact of Brexit on businesses. “I think there’s a deep recognition on both sides that there is a joint self-interest in reaching a sensible, orderly agreement.” He adds that there are “huge numbers of issues affecting lots of different sectors” and businesses ...

March 29, 2017, Covington Alert

Today, the UK Prime Minister, Theresa May, formally triggered the process of the UK’s withdrawal from the EU (“Brexit”) by invoking Article 50 of the Treaty on European Union. This is the first time an EU Member State has used the Article 50 mechanism. This marks the beginning of the two-year period in which an arrangement for Brexit must be agreed and ...

March 28, 2017, Law360

Ian Hargreaves is quoted in a Law360 article regarding the UK Serious Fraud Office’s $161 million deferred prosecution agreement with Tesco PLC for skewing the prices of its shares and bonds with false accounting. “The arrangement with the [Financial Conduct Authority] is of particular interest,” says Hargreaves. “Although we are not privy to the details of the ...

March 17, 2017

LONDON—Covington advised AstraZeneca on its strategic collaboration with Circassia Pharmaceuticals plc, a respiratory biopharmaceutical company, for the development and commercialisation of Tudorza and Duaklir* in the U.S.  Tudorza and Duaklir are inhaled respiratory medicines for the treatment of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Tudorza was ...

March 9, 2017, Law360

March 7, 2017, Covington Alert

Yesterday, President Trump issued a new Executive Order (the “Order”) titled “Protecting the Nation from Foreign Terrorist Entry into the United States.” This new Order replaces the so-called “travel ban” Executive Order issued January 27 (the “Prior Order”) which was subject to a nationwide temporary restraining order issued by the U.S. District Court for the ...

March 7, 2017, Law360

March 2, 2017, Covington Alert

The Fraud Section of the U.S. Department of Justice (“DOJ”) quietly released new guidance last month entitled “Evaluation of Corporate Compliance Programs” (the “Guidance”). While noting that “the Fraud Section does not use any rigid formula to assess the effectiveness of corporate compliance programs,” the eight-page Guidance outlines 11 “Sample Topics and ...

March 1, 2017, Commercial Dispute Resolution

Elaine Whiteford and Louise Freeman spoke at Commercial Dispute Resolution’s second Spring Competition Litigation Symposium on the EU Damages Directive and are mentioned in an article providing highlights from the event. According to Freeman, lawyers should enable economists to give the best evidence they can, emphasizing that the same lawyers should completely ...

March 2017

February 27, 2017

WASHINGTON—Law360 has named four Covington practice groups among its “Practice Groups of the Year.” The practice groups recognized by Law360 are as follows: International Trade Life Sciences Product Liability Sports  

February 22, 2017, Covington Advisory

Selections of Covington’s Intellectual Property Rights Practice Group for the “Top Ten” most significant and interesting developments in U.S. and European copyright law during 2016.

February 20, 2017, Law360

Ian Hargreaves is quoted in a Law360 article regarding the use of deferred prosecution agreements by the Serious Fraud Office to push deeper into enforcement in financial services. According to Hargreaves, financial firms have lived in the era of self-disclosure to the Financial Conduct Authority for so long they fully understand the consequences — and leave ...

February 15, 2017, Webinar

February 14, 2017, Competition Law Insight

Andrea Zulli discusses his career, interests, and competition law in an interview with Competition Law Insight. 

February 10, 2017, Covington Alert

Following last week’s advisory concerning President Trump’s Executive Order “Protecting the Nation from Foreign Terrorist Entry into the United States (the “Order”), numerous lawsuits were filed challenging the Order. One such challenge, filed by the State of Washington and the State of Minnesota, culminated in yesterday’s unanimous decision by the United States ...

February 7, 2017, Covington Alert

This International Employment Update summarises recent international employment law developments in Austria, China, France, Italy, the United Arab Emirates, the United Kingdom, and the United States.

February 3, 2017, Global Investigations Review

Ian Hargreaves and David Lorello are quoted in a Global Investigations Review article regarding Hargreaves’ recent arrival to Covington. According to Hargreaves, the firm’s “pre-eminence in dispute resolution, and its immense strength and global recognition as a market-leader in white-collar crime matters and investigations” fueled his decision. Lorello says, ...

February 2, 2017, Covington Alert

Today, the UK Government published its strategy in a White Paper regarding the UK’s withdrawal from the EU (“Brexit”). The UK Government is clear that it “will make no attempt to remain in the EU by the backdoor” nor will there be a second referendum on UK membership of the EU.

February 1, 2017, Covington Alert

In response to the Insurance Act 2015, insurers may increasingly include conditions precedent in their policies in place of warranties, whose effect the Act has weakened. In the recent case of Zurich Insurance Plc v Maccaferri Limited [2016] EWHC Civ 1302, the Court of Appeal in London made clear that an ambiguous condition precedent must be interpreted strictly ...

February 1, 2017, The Litigation Daily

The Litigation Daily features Beth Brinkmann, Craig Pollack, and Louise Freeman in an article about the “Top Lateral Litigator Moves in January.”  Commenting on her move to Covington, Brinkmann says that the firm “turned out to be just a really unique opportunity,” praising its “culture of teamwork” and “longstanding presence in the legal community.” Jeremy ...

January 31, 2017, Compliance Week

Michael Fanelli and Kevin Coates are quoted in a Compliance Week article examining how companies are navigating the global enforcement landscape. Commenting on global antitrust investigations, Fanelli says, “[Cooperation] involves a real thorough investigation to show you’re doing everything you can to root out the problem.” Applying for leniency may not always ...

January 31, 2017

LONDON—Ian Hargreaves has joined Covington as a partner in the firm’s European Dispute Resolution practice resident in London. Mr. Hargreaves’ arrival follows that of litigation partners Craig Pollack, Greg Lascelles, Elaine Whiteford, and Louise Freeman over the past six months. Mr. Hargreaves advises on major European white collar and related civil and ...

January 30, 2017, The Law Society Gazette

Lord Francis Maude and Carl Bildt are quoted by The Law Society Gazette in an article regarding post-Brexit mutual recognition arrangements. According to Maude, it would be “very surprising if mutual recognition arrangements” could not be sorted out relatively easily. He adds that continuation is likely because the “benefits on both sides” are now ...

January 30, 2017, Covington Alert

As has been widely reported, President Trump issued an Executive Order (“the Order”) on Friday, January 27, 2017, entitled “Protecting the Nation from Foreign Terrorist Entry Into the United States,” which, among other directives, bans individuals from Iran, Iraq, Syria, Sudan, Libya, Yemen, and Somalia (the “Covered Countries”) from entering the United States ...

January 26, 2017, Bloomberg

Lord Francis Maude is quoted in Bloomberg’s “Brexit Bulletin” discussing the House of Lords ability to delay Brexit until 2020. According to Maude, if unelected politicians frustrate the government it will be seen as an attack on democracy and could strengthen calls for the end of the chamber. “It’s technically possible, but not likely unless the House of Lords ...

January 24, 2017, Law360

Mark Young and Ian Hargreaves are quoted in a Law360 article regarding the high level of cyberattacks on the financial services industry and the resulting regulatory pressures. According to Young, “The GDPR [General Data Protection Regulation] is a massive text with groundbreaking change in the data privacy area, in terms of compliance requirements and the new ...

January 24, 2017, Covington Alert

Today, the UK Supreme Court held (by a majority of 8:3—an unprecedented 11 Justices heard the case) that the UK Government does not have the power to trigger the process of withdrawal from the EU (“Brexit”) without first obtaining Parliamentary approval in the form of an Act of Parliament. The decision is largely aligned with the Divisional Court’s ruling on ...

January 18, 2017, The Law Society Gazette

Graham Vinter is quoted by The Law Society Gazette in an article regarding the new initiative of the Bingham Centre for the Rule of Law, which he will chair. According to Vinter, “As multinational companies develop their supply chains and markets both at home and around the world, they are encountering a complex set of legal risks including contractual ...

January 18, 2017, Covington Alert

The British Prime Minister, Theresa May, has now confirmed the government’s view that the United Kingdom must leave the European single market in order to give effect to the outcome of the EU referendum held on June 23, 2016. In light of that statement, the UK government’s promise to guarantee the status of EEA nationals already residing in the UK as soon as ...

January 18, 2017, Covington Alert

The push to improve business “non-financial reporting” of human rights and environmental practices has gained significant momentum over recent months, with the implementation of EU Directive 2014/05/EU and the new Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) Standards to promote and shape the future of corporate reporting on sustainability. Stock exchanges in around 45 ...

January 17, 2017, Global Competition Review

Louise Freeman and Johan Ysewyn are quoted in a Global Competition Review article regarding Freeman’s arrival to the firm’s European Dispute Resolution practice. According to Freeman, Covington is an exciting firm to join – especially as the firm is “expanding at a phenomenal rate.” She adds, “It’s going to be great fun educating the London market on what is ...

January 17, 2017, Law360

Jeremy Wilson is quoted in a Law360 article regarding the arrival of Craig Pollack and Louise Freeman to the firm’s European Dispute Resolution practice. According to Wilson, “The firm’s growing footprint in London is a reflection of client demand that is fueled by the increasingly challenging regulatory and compliance environment, and the fact that London is, ...

January 16, 2017

LONDON—Craig Pollack and Louise Freeman have joined Covington as partners in the firm’s European Dispute Resolution practice resident in London. Mr. Pollack will also serve as co-chair of the firm’s Global Disputes Initiative with former U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder and former U.S. Under Secretary of State Alan Larson.  Mr. Pollack focuses on complex high ...

January 2, 2017, Law360

Carlo Kostka is quoted in a Law360 article regarding UK financial services reforms to watch in 2017. Commenting on the 2014 Markets in Financial Instruments Directive II and Brexit, Kostka says, “There’s a host of operational reasons why you’d say you don’t want to fragment the clearing market.” He adds, “But the flip side ... is this is going to be a ...

2017, International Comparative Legal Guide to: Enforcement of Foreign Judgments 2017

2017, International Comparative Legal Guide to: Enforcement of Foreign Judgments 2017

December 21, 2016

WASHINGTON—The Human Rights Campaign Foundation (HRC) has awarded Covington a perfect score of 100 percent for the ninth consecutive year on its Corporate Equality Index, a national benchmarking survey and report on corporate policies and practices related to LGBTQ workplace equality. Covington is among 517 major U.S. businesses that earned a perfect score this ...

December 19, 2016, Law360

December 16, 2016, Covington Alert

After a wait of nearly 15 months from the introduction of class actions in the UK for antitrust damages claims, the first class certification hearing took place before the UK’s Competition Appeal Tribunal (the “CAT”) between December 12 and 14.

December 15, 2016, CCT News

Daniel Cooper is quoted by CCT News in an article regarding the use of wearable technology in the workplace. According to Cooper, the use of wearable devices is a good way, especially for insurers.  However, the wearers’ privacy must be taken care of as well as their legitimate treatment concerns.

December 14, 2016, Covington Alert

Those who track investment policy issues will have noticed an important theme emerging in recent years of Western economies evaluating their foreign investment regimes, in particular in light of the outflow from China into technology, infrastructure and natural resource assets. The UK is now considering, and is expected to adopt, a new foreign investment regime ...

December 12, 2016, Covington Alert

On 6 December 2016, the UK Government published the revised draft Equality Act 2010 (Gender Pay Gap Information) Regulations 2017 (the “Regulations”), which, subject to prior parliamentary approval, are expected to come into force on 6 April 2017. The new law will require private employers in the UK to collect and publish information showing differences in pay ...

December 8, 2016, Covington Alert

Last week the European Commission presented an extensive package of legislative proposals (“Clean Energy Package”) that are intended to achieve and implement the European Union’s climate change and clean energy targets for 2030: a 40 percent cut of CO2 emissions, a share of 27 percent for renewable energies, and energy savings of 30 percent.

December 7, 2016, Covington Alert

In October 2014, the Nagoya Protocol entered into force. It created a new international regulatory system affecting all life science companies that conduct R&D on biological material such as animals, seeds, flowers, viruses, fragrances, flavonoids, essential oils, enzymes, yeasts, and so on. So far, compliance by companies is progressing slowly due to ...

December 6, 2016, Covington Alert

On December 2, 2016, the English High Court ruled that the members of the band Duran Duran would be in breach of the contracts under which they assigned their publishing copyrights if they exercised their U.S. statutory right to terminate the transfer of the U.S. copyrights under section 203 of the Copyright Act. The case, Gloucester Place Music Limited v Simon ...

December 5, 2016, Law Society Gazette

December 2, 2016

LONDON—Global Competition Review has named two Covington partners to its Women in Antitrust list. Now in its fifth year, the report aims to identify and celebrate achievements of elite female antitrust professionals in private practice, as well as expert economists, in-house counsel, enforcers, and academics around the world. Miranda Cole is a partner based in ...

December 1, 2016, Covington Alert

The Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”) recently adopted rules to update and enhance registration exemptions for intrastate and regional securities offerings. The final rules amend Rule 147, a safe harbor for exempt intrastate offerings under the Securities Act of 1933 (the “Securities Act”). In addition, the final rules establish a new offering ...

November 28, 2016, Covington Alert

On 18th November 2016, the Financial Conduct Authority (“FCA”) published its long-awaited Interim Report setting out the findings of its asset management market study (“the Report”). The Report identifies issues and concerns regarding whether the market is providing value to customers, both in the retail and institutional sectors and the FCA has found evidence ...

November 21, 2016, Financial Times

Daniel Cooper is quoted in a Financial Times article regarding wearable technology in the workplace. According to Cooper, not everyone will welcome sharing intimate personal information with the boss, however. “Wearable devices could be a good way for insurers to get the data . . . but it’s essential to address wearers’ privacy and fair treatment concerns and ...

November 4, 2016, EU Food Law

Brian Kelly is quoted in an EU Food Law article regarding the UK High Court ruling requiring its government to have Parliamentary approval before triggering Article 50. According to Kelly, the decision added uncertainty around Brexit, although it did also present a lobbying opportunity for the industry as well.  “The immediate impact of the judgment is that, as ...

November 4, 2016, Politico Pro

Brian Kelly and Grant Castle are quoted in a Politico Pro “Morning Health Care” article regarding the High Court ruling that the UK government does not have the legal power to invoke Article 50 without Parliamentary approval. According to Kelly, “This presents an opportunity for individual companies and the industry to engage with members of Parliament to ensure ...

November 3, 2016, The Pink Sheet

Brian Kelly is quoted by The Pink Sheet in an article regarding the UK High Court’s ruling that its government does not have the right to trigger Article 50 without Parliamentary approval. According to Kelly, the judgment presented "an opportunity for individual companies and the [life sciences] industry to engage with members of Parliament to ensure that their ...

November 3, 2016, Covington Alert

Today, the High Court of England and Wales held that the UK Government does not have the power to trigger the process of withdrawal from the EU without first obtaining Parliamentary approval. The High Court’s decision will likely be the subject of an appeal heard by the UK Supreme Court in December this year.

October 24, 2016, Covington Alert

On October 13, 2016, the Criminal Finances Bill was introduced to the UK’s House of Commons. The Bill contains provisions concerning the proceeds of crime, amendments to existing legislation concerning investigations, money laundering, civil recovery, and enforcement powers, concerning terrorist property. It also creates a new corporate offence of failure to ...

October 21, 2016

WASHINGTON—Covington represented India-based Piramal Enterprises and its wholly owned Critical Care subsidiary in the UK in the acquisition of five anesthesia and pain management injectable products from Janssen Pharmaceutica NV, in an all cash deal for an upfront consideration of US$155 million, and up to an additional US$20 million. The products to be acquired ...

October 18, 2016, Competition Law Insight

October 17, 2016, Covington Alert

Last week, a dispute between Tesco and Unilever about where the pain caused by the devaluation of sterling should lie provided some initial evidence of the “turbulence” and “rollercoaster” rides the Chancellor of the Exchequer, Philip Hammond, has warned of since the June 23, 2016 Brexit vote.

October 11, 2016, Webinar

October 10, 2016

LONDON—Lord Francis Maude, the former UK Minister for Trade and Investment in Prime Minister David Cameron’s government, has joined Covington as a Senior Advisor in the firm’s Public Policy and Government Affairs practice. With a political career spanning almost 40 years, Lord Maude has held a number of high profile government positions, including Financial ...

October 10, 2016, PR Week

Timothy Hester and Lord Francis Maude are quoted in a PR Week article regarding Maude’s recent arrival. According to Hester, “The results of the Brexit referendum will continue shaping the commercial and regulatory realities of the global economy for some time to come. As the world’s businesses, diplomats and regulators grapple with the new landscape across ...

October 10, 2016, CDR News

CDR News highlighted the promotion of 13 Covington lawyers to partner, as well as the arrival of Lord Francis Maude in London as a Senior Advisor in the firm’s Public Policy and Government Affairs practice. According to firm chair Timothy Hester, “Our new partners reflect the excellence, strengths, and diversity of the firm and will play important roles in the ...

October 7, 2016

LONDON—Covington advised AstraZeneca on its agreement with Cilag GmbH International, an affiliate of Johnson & Johnson, for the divestment of the rights to Rhinocort Aqua outside the U.S. Rhinocort Aqua is a nasal spray indicated for allergic and non-allergic rhinitis (inflammation of the inside of the nose), and for the treatment of nasal polyps (swelling of ...

October 6, 2016, EP Vantage

Grant Castle is quoted in an EP Vantage article regarding the effect of Brexit on life science funding and strategy. According to Castle, “Particularly if the UK heads for a ‘hard Brexit,’ the UK will be a less attractive venue for investment by pharma. It’s one of the sad side effects of all this.”

October 5, 2016, Covington Alert

The International Employment Update summarises recent international employment law developments in the United Kingdom, France, Poland, China and the United States of America.

October 4, 2016, Law360

Carlo Kostka is quoted in a Law360 article regarding British Prime Minister Theresa May's speech which indicated that the financial services sector should prepare to lose the passporting rights that make it easier for UK-based firms to do business across the EU. According to Kostka, "She's setting out a negotiating position that seemed harder than softer, which ...

October 3, 2016

WASHINGTON—Covington has promoted 13 lawyers to its partnership. “Our new partners reflect the excellence, strengths, and diversity of the firm and will play important roles in the firm for decades to come and will help drive our key practices to even greater success in the years ahead,” said Timothy Hester, Covington’s chair.  The new partners, who are based in ...

October 2016, Digital Health Legal

September 28, 2016, Covington Alert

Provisions of a new French law, adopted on September 28, 2016, will loosen France’s rules around videogaming contests in France, and lay down new labor regulations for professional gamers. For now, clients ought to exercise significant caution before arranging French eSports contests or entering into contracts with professional gamers in France. Even after the ...

September 26, 2016

LONDON—Graham Vinter, General Counsel of BG Group plc from 2007 until 2015, has joined Covington’s London office.  Mr. Vinter will chair the firm’s Project Finance practice and supervise an expansion of the firm’s capabilities in this area. At BG Group, Mr. Vinter was a member of the Group Executive Committee and reported to the Chief Executive Officer. He was ...

September 26, 2016, Legal Business

Timothy Hester and Graham Vinter are quoted in a Legal Business article regarding Vinter’s arrival as chair of Covington’s Project Finance practice. Hester describes Vinter as a “veteran of the project finance industry [who] is highly respected worldwide for his unparalleled knowledge of the sector.” He adds, “We see an opportunity at Covington to build a ...

September 26, 2016, The Lawyer

Timothy Hester and Graham Vinter are quoted by The Lawyer in an article regarding Vinter’s arrival. According to Hester, Vinter’s hire was “an opportunity to build a leading projects practice that also provides synergies with other parts of the firm – in particular, arbitration, government affairs, tax corporate, IP and energy regulation.” Vinter adds, ...

September 26, 2016, Legal Week

Timothy Hester and Graham Vinter are quoted in a Legal Week article regarding Vinter’s recent arrival. According to Hester, "We see an opportunity at Covington to build a leading projects practice that also provides synergies with other parts of the firm - in particular, arbitration, government affairs, tax, corporate, IP, and energy regulation. As we move along ...

September 26, 2016, Law360

Timothy Hester and Graham Vinter are quoted in a Law360 article regarding Vinter’s recent arrival as chair of the firm’s Project Finance practice. According to Hester, “Graham is a veteran of the project finance industry and is highly respected worldwide for his unparalleled knowledge of the sector.” He continues, “We see an opportunity at Covington to build a ...

September 21, 2016, Covington Alert

On September 21, 2016, the Court of Justice of the EU (CJEU) delivered its judgment in Case C-592/14 European Federation for Cosmetic Ingredients v UK Secretary of State for Business. The Court has ruled that animal tests performed outside the European Union (EU) to comply with non-EU rules should not be used for the product safety assessment to gain access to ...

September 19, 2016, Law360

Carlo Kostka is quoted in a Law360 article regarding the UK’s diminishing influence over EU banking regulation following the Brexit vote. According to Kostka, "There's a broad concern that the expertise of the UK has been very positive to the EU's financial rulemaking in general.” He continues, “So to the extent that that's taken away by definition because the ...

September 19, 2016, Covington Alert

In 2015, the UK government introduced a requirement for certain companies to make annual statements on action taken to eradicate slavery and human trafficking from their businesses and suppliers. The publication deadlines for the first organisations caught by the rules expire in September and recent statements issued by businesses across a variety of sectors ...

September 12, 2016, Global Arbitration Review

Greg Lascelles is quoted in a Global Arbitration Review article regarding Lascelles’ recent arrival to Covington. “I am very excited to join this growing team,” says Lascelles.   

September 5, 2016

LONDON—Greg Lascelles has joined Covington as a partner in the European Dispute Resolution practice resident in the firm’s London office.  Mr. Lascelles has a broad litigation and arbitration practice covering a variety of industry sectors, with a particular focus on financial services. He advises hedge funds, private equity houses, asset managers, investment ...

August 26, 2016, Nutritional Outlook

Brian Kelly is quoted in a Nutritional Outlook article regarding the ways Brexit could affect the supplement industry. According to Kelly, “If the UK went down a Norway or EEA model approach, it’s very unlikely that there’d be any material change to the legal position.” He continues, “The UK’s implementation of EU existing food law would remain valid and the UK ...

August 12, 2016, Covington Alert

The Insurance Act, which received Royal Assent and became law in the United Kingdom in February 2015, has now come into force: it applies to all insurance policies entered into on or after August 12, 2016, including renewals, and to all variations to existing policies made on or after that date. As previously reported, the Act contains the most significant ...

August 5, 2016, FDA Week

Grant Castle is quoted in an FDA Week article regarding the likelihood that the UK will remain part of the Mutual Reliance Initiative between the U.S. and EU. "If the UK does Brexit, but executes the European Economic Area (EEA) Agreement, as Norway, Iceland and Liechtenstein have done, it would continue to implement all new EU pharmaceutical rules and ...

July 28, 2016, Covington Alert

The UK is currently the largest financial centre in the European Union (“EU”). A large number of global financial institutions have a presence in the UK, both in order to participate in the UK financial market and also as a hub to access clients and markets across the EU. Whatever form Brexit takes, it will have an enormous impact on the financial services ...

July 21, 2016, Covington Alert

While the UK’s decision to leave the EU could bring about significant changes to the UK’s legal and economic landscape, we cannot yet know how wide-ranging these changes will be. It is generally agreed that the changes will be fairly dramatic if the UK is unable to negotiate a deal that will maintain its access to the single market, or if the eventual deal ...

July 15, 2016

NEW YORK—Covington advised Medical Research Council Technology, a UK-based independent life science medical research charity, in its sale of a portion of the royalty stream associated with its cancer drug Keytruda® for $150 million (£115.6 million).  Keytruda® (pembrolizumab), is a new generation treatment which stimulates the body’s immune system to fight ...

July 14, 2016, Covington Alert

At a joint press conference on July 12, 2016 in Brussels, EU Commissioner for Justice, Consumers and Gender Equality, Věra Jourová and the U.S. Secretary of Commerce, Penny Pritzker, presented the Privacy Shield (see Press Release here, Adequacy Decision text here, Annexes here, Communication here, and Q&A factsheet here). The press conference followed the ...

July 11, 2016, Covington Alert

The UK recently voted to leave the European Union in an advisory referendum. The impact of Brexit on medical devices regulation in the medium-to-long term will very much depend on the form a post-Brexit UK will take, the relationship that the UK chooses to have with the EU, and indeed the relationship that the EU is willing to accept. That will not become clear ...

July 5, 2016, CDR News

Peter Camesasca is quoted in a CDR article regarding the long-term effects of Brexit on the courts, including uncertainties over enforcement. According to Camesasca, “This will not be immediate. Companies are not making any immediate decisions about litigation in the wake of the Brexit vote. Most are in ‘wait and see’ mode.” He continues, “But as the positions ...

July 2016, eHealth Law & Policy

June 30, 2016, Politico

Grant Castle is quoted in a Politico article regarding Britain’s desire to continue its dominance in health research. Commenting on the possibility of having Britain stay in the single market, Castle says, “I don’t think that’s a practicality now.” He continues, “I would think that access to the country would be tightened…given the strength of feeling on ...

June 30, 2016, Covington Alert

Last week, the UK voted to leave the European Union in an advisory referendum. The impact of Brexit on food and drink regulation in the medium-to-long term will very much depend on the form a post-Brexit UK will take, the relationship that the UK chooses to have with the EU, and indeed the relationship that the EU is willing to accept. That will not become clear ...

June 29, 2016, Covington Alert

Following the vote by the United Kingdom in an advisory referendum to leave the European Union (“EU”), there is no immediate change to employment law in the UK. Assuming that the referendum decision is put into effect (which still appears to be subject to significant political, legal and practical obstacles), the extent of any future changes will of course ...

June 28, 2016, Bloomberg

Grant Castle is quoted in a Bloomberg article regarding the implications of Brexit on the future of the pharmaceutical industry and the drug approval process. According to Castle, the best that the UK regulator could hope for would be an observer status on European Medicines Agency committees. That loss of influence could make the UK less appealing, because it ...

June 28, 2016, Covington Alert

The SEC’s Division of Corporation Finance (the “Division”) recently issued updated interpretive guidance on the use of non-GAAP financial measures. This guidance reflects an increasingly assertive position taken by the SEC in recent months regarding public companies’ use of numerical measures of performance, financial position or cash flows that are not ...

June 27, 2016, The Legal Intelligencer

Grant Castle is quoted in a Legal Intelligencer article regarding the regulatory impact of Brexit. Commenting on the Food and Drug sector, Castle says, “The UK will inevitably diminish in significance when it comes to the regulation of pharmaceuticals and a venue where drug companies are going to want to be based. Historically, U.S. companies wanted to operate ...

June 27, 2016, Covington Alert

Last week, the UK voted in an advisory referendum to leave the European Union. The next steps are not yet clear, but the referendum may have significant implications for the pharmaceutical industry in the UK and for international companies operating in the UK. Its impact will very much depend on the form a post-Brexit UK will take, the relationship that the UK ...

June 24, 2016, Politico

Grant Castle is quoted in a Politico article regarding the effect of Brexit on the future location of the European Medicines Agency. Castle predicts that the EMA is inevitably going to leave the UK. “Given the strength of feeling on immigration,” it looked unlikely the country would opt for a European Economic Area relationship, since that would mean continuing ...

June 24, 2016, The Wall Street Journal

Louise Nash is quoted in a Wall Street Journal article regarding concerns raised following the Brexit vote. “The message we’re sending to our clients is that this is a hugely significant decision and will have great implications for the UK and for businesses that operate in the UK but…until the UK negotiates terms [to exit the EU], it is business as usual, our ...

June 24, 2016, Covington Alert

The UK has voted to leave the European Union in an advisory referendum. 52% leave - 48% remain. Were the UK to leave the EU, this would have significant implications for the UK and for international businesses operating in the UK. The longer term impact of the decision on the regulatory framework for the UK will depend, in part, on the relationship that the UK ...

June 22, 2016, The Wall Street Journal

David Lorello is quoted in a Wall Street Journal article regarding the possible regulatory changes that may come as a result of Brexit. According to Lorello, commenting on potential changes to the sanctions regime, “If the UK leaves the EU, it may no longer be required to implement those sanctions, but it all depends on how Brexit would be negotiated.” 

June 21, 2016, Webinar

June 21, 2016

SILICON VALLEY—Covington advised Tencent Holdings Limited, a leading provider of internet service in China, in connection with its acquisition of a majority stake in Supercell from SoftBank. A consortium established by Tencent will acquire up to 84% of Supercell for $8.6 billion in a transaction valuing Supercell at approximately $10.2 billion. Supercell is a ...

June 17, 2016

LONDON—Euromoney Legal Media Group has selected four Covington lawyers for its annual “Europe Women in Business Law Awards.” The awards honor women in the legal sector across Europe. The Covington lawyers recognized are: Louise Nash, Best in Mergers & Acquisitions. Ms. Nash focuses on M&A and other transactional matters for clients in the consumer brands, ...

June 3, 2016

NEW YORK—Covington advised the underwriters in connection with Repligen’s $115 million debt offering. The senior convertible notes due in 2021 were placed at 2.125 percent. Repligen is a bioprocessing company focused on the manufacture of Protein A ligands used by life science companies to purify biologic drugs such as monoclonal antibodies, recombinant ...

May 26, 2016

NEW YORK—Corporate Board Member magazine has once again named Covington to its list of the top 25 corporate law firms. The “America’s Best Corporate Law Firms” survey asks directors and general counsels at publicly traded companies to identify the firms they would most likely retain for a variety of legal matters. “Covington is proud that we are regarded by our ...

May 26, 2016, The Wall Street Journal

David Lorello is quoted in a Wall Street Journal article regarding a recent call to review the UK Serious Fraud Office’s (SFO) funding model after increased scrutiny of the SFO’s governance structure. According to Lorello, “The blockbuster funding has been a matter of significant public attention for some years now." He continues, “As with many government ...

May 23, 2016, The Law Society Gazette

Carlo Kostka participated in a roundtable with The Law Society Gazette regarding the UK Insurance Act 2015. According to Kostka, a question will be in the mind of any corporate client: “Is it sufficient for a public company to say that the material risks of the business are those which are publicly disclosed in the annual report?” 

May 12, 2016, Webinar

May 11, 2016, This article was published in Scrip Regulatory Affairs

May 9, 2016, Covington Alert

On May 4, 2016 the Enterprise Act received the Royal Assent and became law in the UK. Once its relevant provisions come into force on May 4, 2017, it will introduce for the first time into English law a right for policyholders to recover damages for late payment of insurance claims from insurers (Scottish law already recognizes an implied obligation for an ...

May 8, 2016, Financial Times

Peter Bogaert and Grant Castle are quoted in a Financial Times article regarding the effect Brexit would have on the UK pharma industry. According to Bogaert, commenting on the important relationship between the European Medicines Agency and the UK’s Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency, “Brexit would be a loss for both sides.” Castle adds that ...

May 2016, eHealth Law & Policy

April 21, 2016

NEW YORK — Covington has partnered with Columbia Law School and its Center for International Commercial and Investment Arbitration to launch the Covington Academy on International Arbitration (CAIA). The program is open to Columbia’s J.D., LL.M, and S.J.D. students. The three-day program will consist of training followed by practical exercises and live feedback ...

April 21, 2016, Covington Alert

On April 5, 2016, the United States Department of Justice (“DOJ”), through the Criminal Division’s Fraud Section, announced a one-year Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (“FCPA”) enforcement pilot program (the “Pilot Program”) intended to motivate companies to voluntarily disclose FCPA-related misconduct and increase transparency around the Fraud Section’s approach ...

April 20, 2016

BRUSSELS — Sophie Bertin, a former senior official who served as Head of Unit in the “Financial Crisis” Task Force within the Directorate-General for Competition at the European Commission, has joined forces with Covington’s global antitrust and competition practice. Ms. Bertin will be working with the firm’s Brussels and London offices. At DG COMP, Ms. Bertin ...

April 14, 2016, Covington Alert

Latest figures suggest that women in the UK still earn on average 20 percent less than men. Companies that fail to address gender pay differences will be highlighted in league tables under the new Gender Pay Gap Regulations. The draft regulations require private employers in the UK to collect and publish information showing differences in pay between male and ...

April 12, 2016, Law360

April 2016, Covington Alert

Europe  Right to Private Life v. Right to Monitor On January 12, 2016, the European Court of Human Rights published its judgment in another case concerning an employee’s use of company information systems, once again highlighting the challenge of balancing an employee’s right to a private life against the right of an employer to monitor employees at work. In ...

April 4, 2016

BRUSSELS — Kevin Coates, a former senior official who served as Head of one of the Cartels Units at the Directorate-General for Competition at the European Commission between 2012 and 2016, has joined Covington’s antitrust and competition practice. Over the last 16 years, Mr. Coates has held several senior positions within DG COMP and before that served as ...

April 1, 2016

WASHINGTON, DC — Covington has promoted eight lawyers to of counsel and eight to special counsel, effective April 1, 2016. The new of counsel are as follows: Stefanie Doebler (Washington) focuses her practice on health care compliance matters for pharmaceutical and medical device clients. She provides advice related to advertising and promotion, fraud and abuse, ...

March 31, 2016, Global Competition Review

Peter Camesasca discusses private cartel actions in the European Union in this interview with GCR.

March 24, 2016

NEW YORK - Covington advised the underwriters in the $45 million initial public offering of common stock of Senseonics Holdings, Inc. The offering closed on March 23, 2016.  Shares of Senseonics trade on the NYSE MKT under the ticker “SENS.”  Senseonics develops continuous glucose monitoring systems for patients with diabetes. Its Eversense product consists of ...

March 24, 2016, The Wall Street Journal

Daniel Cooper is quoted in The Wall Street Journal’s “Morning Risk Report” discussing how companies should best comply with global data protection regulations. Commenting on the binding corporate rule process, Cooper said,“The one thing we know about binding corporate rules is [they tend] to have more appeal to European regulators.” He continues, “For a lot of ...

March 17, 2016, Covington Alert

March 17, 2016, Law360

March 16, 2016, Covington Alert

March 11, 2016, Global Competition Review

Johan Ysewyn is quoted in this GCR article covering Société Générale’s decision to drop its appeal after the European Commission agreed to reduce the penalty. According to Ysewyn, “If the reduction is substantial, the danger is that, in the future, this would be read as a precedent by other companies who settle and would try their luck in court.” 

March 9, 2016, Covington Alert

March 8, 2016, Covington Alert

March 7, 2016, Covington Alert

March 7, 2016

LONDON — Carlo Kostka has joined Covington’s global financial institutions practice resident in the firm’s London office.  Most recently Mr. Kostka served as co-head of UniCredit's legal department, where he was responsible for international legal operations, including all legal matters related to the corporate and investment banking division, significant ...

March 2, 2016, Covington Alert

March 1, 2016

LONDON — Covington advised AstraZeneca on an agreement with ProStrakan Group, a subsidiary of Kyowa Hakko Kirin Co. Ltd., for the rights to Moventig (naloxegol) in the European Union (EU), Iceland, Norway, Switzerland and Liechtenstein.  Moventig is the first once-daily, oral peripherally-acting mu-opioid receptor antagonist (PAMORA) approved in Europe for the ...

Spring 2016, GC Magazine

Lisa Peets spoke with GC Magazine regarding Covington’s approach to diversity. Peets says, “We approach diversity from two perspectives. First, how do we build the pipeline, and second, how do we recruit and retain internally?”

March 2016, eHealth Law & Policy

February 26, 2016, Nutra Ingredients

Brian Kelly is quoted extensively in this Nutra Ingredients article discussing the UK Psychoactive Substances Act and its possible effect on the food supplements industry. According to Kelly, “Despite criticism and proposed amendments about unintended targets the law has been pushed through. It’s a poorly drafted law when it comes to food.” He continues, “You ...

February 22, 2016, The Law Society Gazette

Johan Ysewyn is quoted by The Law Society Gazette in an article discussing changes in competition policy and enforcement, and what these changes mean for lawyers. “The commission likes its fines, but I think it takes a balanced view that it also likes companies changing their trading behaviour,” says Ysewyn. Ysewyn continues by commenting on the changing nature ...

February 19, 2016, Law360

Mark Young and Libbie Canter are quoted in this Law360 article offering tips on how deal makers can mitigate cybersecurity risks.  According to Young, any discovered incidents can give buyers pause on how  — and if — they want to move forward. “We’ve dealt with at least a couple examples where deals were at least delayed if not reconsidered because of ...

February 18, 2016, Covington Alert

February 17, 2016, Politico

Grant Castle and Robin Blaney are quoted in this Politico article discussing the potential impact of “Brexit” on the pharmaceutical sector in the UK and Europe. According to Castle, the “only rational alternative” to EU membership is for the U.K. to become a member of the European Economic Area, as this arrangement would make it so the practical and operational ...

February 17, 2016, Covington Alert

February 12, 2016, Covington Alert

February 5, 2016, LexisNexis

February 2, 2016, Covington Alert

February 2016, European Journal on Risk Regulation

January 29, 2016, Covington Alert

January 28, 2016

WASHINGTON, DC - Law360 has named six Covington practice groups among its “Practice Groups of the Year.” The practice groups recognized by Law360 are as follows: Government Contracts Insurance International Trade Life Sciences Product Liability Sports

January 27, 2016, Covington Alert

January 13, 2016

LONDON — Covington advised AstraZeneca, along with its global biologics research and development arm, MedImmune, on a new collaboration with Moderna Therapeutics to discover, co-develop and co-commercialize messenger RNA (mRNA) therapeutic candidates for the treatment of a range of cancers. The collaboration is in addition to the agreement announced by the ...

January 8, 2016, Covington Alert

December 28, 2015, Covington Alert

December 23, 2015, Bloomberg Business

Louise Nash was interviewed by Bloomberg Business television for a live segment featured on “Countdown,” discussing the 2015 M&A market and its high volume of transactions.

December 21, 2015, Covington Alert

On December 15, the EU institutions finally agreed the text of the new EU data protection law, the General Data Protection Regulation (“GDPR”), completing a process that began in January 2012. The LIBE committee has published the consolidated version of the GDPR text. The GDPR heralds a new era of data protection. It replaces the existing data protection ...

December 18, 2015, Covington Alert

December 17, 2015

LONDON, 17 December, 2015 — Covington advised AstraZeneca on its acquisition of Takeda’s respiratory business. Under the terms of the agreement, AstraZeneca will make a payment of $575 million, and approximately 200 staff will transfer to AstraZeneca upon completion. The deal will include the expansion of rights to roflumilast (marketed as Daliresp in the ...

December 16, 2015, Covington Alert

December 11, 2015, Covington Alert

December 8, 2015, Law360

Mark Young is quoted in a Law360 article discussing the EU Network and Information Security Directive, which sets a cybersecurity and breach reporting baseline for both critical infrastructure operators, as well as digital service providers. This directive, which is the first of its kind, comes after two years of negotiations. According to Young, “There’s going ...

December 8, 2015

NEW YORK, December 8, 2015 - Covington represented Ascension, the nation’s leading Catholic and non-profit health system, in a $200 million investment transaction with TowerBrook Capital Partners in Accretive Health, a leading provider of revenue cycle management services to healthcare providers. The transaction is expected to close in the first quarter of ...

December 2, 2015, Covington Alert

December 2015, E-Commerce Law and Policy

November 24, 2015, The Register

Dan Cooper is quoted by The Register in an article discussing the uncertainty and complications continuing to surround the Schrems decision that derailed Safe Harbour. Cooper stated that his business clients were both “surprise[d] and shock[ed]” by the European Court’s decision. “Businesses felt like the rug had been pulled out from under them,” said Cooper. ...

November 23, 2015

LONDON, November 23, 2015 — Covington represented Allergy Therapeutics, the AIM-listed specialty pharmaceutical company specializing in allergy vaccines, in the placement of ordinary shares raising approximately £11.5 million. The placement was conducted through an accelerated bookbuilding process with Panmure Gordon & Co acting as financial adviser, nominated ...

November 18, 2015

WASHINGTON, DC, November 18, 2015 - The Human Rights Campaign Foundation (HRC) has awarded Covington a perfect score of 100 percent for the eighth consecutive year on its Corporate Equality Index, a national benchmarking survey and report on corporate policies and practices related to LGBTQ workplace equality. Covington is among 400 major US businesses that ...

November 12, 2015, Covington Alert

November 11, 2015, Global Competition Review

Johan Ysewyn is quoted in a Global Competition Review article discussing Belgium’s Competition Authority’s draft leniency guidelines that have been launched for public consultation. Ysewyn, who welcomed the guidelines, said the new draft policy is “definitely workable.” “Awarding natural persons being granted immunity regardless of the position in which they ...

November 11, 2015, Covington Alert

November 9, 2015, The Lawyer

London’s managing partner Christopher Walter discusses the allure of the London legal market to international law firms and how firms in London collaborate with other law firms on the continent in The Lawyer. Walter, who argues in favour of collaboration opportunities with key firms, states that “working with local firms gives us the resources and flexibility ...

November 5, 2015, Global Competition Review

Johan Ysewyn is quoted in a Global Competition Review article assessing Margrethe Vestager’s first year as European commissioner for competition. According to Ysewyn, “For the first time in quite a long while, [Europe has had] a combination of a commissioner who, I believe, understands the political nuances of competition law, and a director general who actually ...

October 12, 2015, Covington Alert

October 6, 2015, Al Jazeera

Dan Cooper appeared on the show to discuss the implications of the ECJ Schrems judgment.

October 6, 2015, Covington Alert

October 5, 2015

LONDON, October 5, 2015 — Covington is pleased to announce its support for the internationally acclaimed MA Fashion course at Central Saint Martins in London. As part of the relationship, Covington will offer several workshops over the duration of the course with the aim of helping students with some of the most pressing legal and business concerns they will ...

October 1, 2015, Covington Alert

October 1, 2015, Covington Alert

October 1, 2015, Covington Alert

September 30, 2015, Covington Alert

September 24, 2015, Covington Alert

September 23, 2015, InsidePrivacy Blog

September 14, 2015, Law360

September 14, 2015, Journal of European Competition Law & Practice

September 10, 2015, Covington Alert

September 4, 2015, Covington Alert

September 2015, Arbitration World, Co-author

August 2015, Privacy Laws & Business

Article written by Covington's Lisa Peets.    

August 2015, Privacy Laws & Business International Report

July 27, 2015, Global Arbitration Review

July 27, 2015, Bloomberg

Quoting Covington's Louise Nash.

July 23, 2015

LONDON, July 23, 2015 — Covington has launched a new app designed specifically for smart phones and tablets called ‘The Arbitration Handbook’. The app compiles over 90 resources (arbitral rules, treaties, national laws and guidelines) commonly used in international arbitration into one convenient electronic resource, while enabling users to bookmark and ...

July 23, 2015, Global Arbitration Review

A piece on our new arbitration app quoting Marney Cheek and Jeremy Wilson and mentioning William Lowery’s and Catherine Karia’s roles in developing the app.

July 17, 2015, Webinar

July 15, 2015, Covington Alert

July 13, 2015, Covington Alert

July 13, 2015

LONDON, 13 July, 2015 — Covington is advising AIM-listed ReNeuron Group plc, a leading clinical stage stem cell therapy company, on its latest follow-on financing announced on 10 July. ReNeuron is raising £68.4 million by way of an institutional placing of new shares arranged by Cenkos Securities plc. The placing is conditional on the receipt of certain ...

7/10/2015, Covington Alert

July 7, 2015, Competition Law Insight

July 6, 2015

LONDON, July 6, 2015 — Euromoney Legal Media Group selected four Covington partners Louise Nash, Lucinda Osborne, Lisa Peets and Hilary Prescott for its annual European Women in Business Law Awards. The awards honor women who are leading the field in the legal sector across Europe. Louise Nash won the award for Mergers & Acquisitions. Ms. Nash is a member of ...

July/August 2015, Legal Business

July 2015, E-Commerce Law and Policy

July 2015, Tijdschrift voor Belgische Mededinging/Revue de la Concurrence Belge

June 2015, Intellectual Property & Technology Journal

6/25/2015, Covington Alert

June 24, 2015

LONDON, June 24, 2015 — Covington advised Allergy Therapeutics plc, the AIM-listed specialty pharmaceutical company, on its recently announced acquisition of Alerpharma, S.A. a Spanish-based allergy immunotherapy company which previously spun out from Spanish biopharmaceutical company, Zeltia S.A.   Alerpharma’s principal operating subsidiary, Inmunal, markets ...

June 23, 2015, Covington Alert

June 23, 2015, Covington Alert

June 23, 2015, Covington Alert

June 12, 2015, InsidePrivacyBlog

June 8, 2015, Financial Times

Covington's Daniel Cooper is quoted regarding the legal implications of wearables in the workplace: “Historically European regulators in the data protection area have been very sceptical you can ever get a valid employee consent — they feel that for existing employees, [the relationship] is almost inherently coercive.”

June 1, 2015, Law360

May 14, 2015, Covington E-Alert

May 13, 2015

LONDON, May 13, 2015 — Covington has advised AIM-listed Horizon Discovery Group plc on a £40.1 million accelerated bookbuild placing announced on May 1, 2015.  The financing is being undertaken to raise £25 million in new money for the company through a primary offering and £15.1 million for certain shareholders through a sale of their existing shares. The ...

May 12, 2015, Covington Alert

May 12, 2015, Covington E-Alert

May 11, 2015, Covington E-Alert

May 6, 2015, Covington E-Alert

May 6, 2015, Covington E-Alert

May 2015, Privacy Laws & Business UK Report

April 28, 2015, Money Laundering Bulletin

April 1, 2015, Covington E-Alert

April 1, 2015, Covington E-Alert

March 27, 2015

LONDON, 27 March, 2015 — Covington received 56 individual mentions and 29 practice mentions in the 2015 edition of Chambers Global. The guidebook, which ranks lawyers globally by pan-regional and country practice area, is designed to identify the most skilled legal practitioners based on the qualities most valued by clients. The Covington lawyers selected as ...

March 24, 2015, Covington E-Alert

March 18, 2015, Covington E-Alert

March 13, 2015, CDR News

March 9, 2015, Covington E-Alert

March 6, 2015

LOS ANGELES, March 6, 2015 — Covington will open a new office in Los Angeles on March 9. The office will be staffed by current firm lawyers and three new senior lawyers and will focus initially on insurance coverage, media and content distribution, patent litigation, public policy/government affairs and white collar defense. "We believe there is a strong base ...

March 2, 2015, Law360

March 2015, Life Sciences Law Review

March 2015, Life Sciences Law Review

February 27, 2015

LONDON, February 27, 2015 — Covington advised Heptares Therapeutics Limited on its announced sale to Sosei Group, a Tokyo-listed Japanese biopharmaceutical company with operations in Japan and the UK. Consideration consisted of $180 million cash at closing and up to an additional $220 million contingent upon the successful progression of Heptares’ pipeline and ...

February 25, 2015, Covington’s Life Sciences Essentials Webinar Series

February 10, 2015, Covington E-Alert

February 5, 2015

LONDON, 5 February, 2014 — Covington advised AstraZeneca on its acquisition of the rights to Actavis' branded respiratory business in the US and Canada for an initial consideration of $600 million on completion and low single-digit royalties above a certain revenue threshold. Upon completion of the transaction, AstraZeneca will own the development and ...

January 27, 2015

WASHINGTON, DC, January 27, 2015 — Covington was named one of the top 2014 “Media and Entertainment Practice Groups of the Year” by Law360.Law360 highlighted the practice for its involvement in “the most-talked-about sports media rights deals last year,” including the NFL's Sunday Ticket agreement with DirecTV, Steve Ballmer’s bid for the Los Angeles Clippers, ...

January 27, 2015, Scrip Regulatory Affairs

January 26, 2015

LONDON, January 26, 2015 — Covington has advised Horizon Discovery Group plc on the acquisition of Haplogen Genomics GmbH for an initial consideration of £6 million in cash and the issue of new ordinary shares, with potential earn-out payments based on future performance to be satisfied by the issue of further new ordinary shares having an aggregate value of up ...

January 20, 2015, Covington E-Alert

January 16, 2015

WASHINGTON, DC, January 16, 2015 — For the second consecutive year, Law360 named Covington’s antitrust and competition practice one of the top “Competition Practice Groups of the Year.”Law360 recognized Covington for securing the dismissal of separate antitrust suits against clients Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd., JP Morgan Chase & Co., and Expedia, Inc. The ...

January 15, 2015

LONDON, January 15, 2015 — Covington & Burling advised Laboratorios Esteve, S.A. (Esteve) in a global multi-programme discovery and development collaboration with Mundipharma Laboratories GmbH and its independent associated company, Purdue Pharmaceuticals LP, to bring to market important next generation products for the management of pain. Under the agreements, ...

January 15, 2015

LONDON, January 15, 2015 — Covington & Burling advised OCP S.A. on the acquisition of approximately 10% of the share capital of Brazilian listed fertilizer company, Fertilizantes Heringer S.A., for R$145.415.034,00 (approximately US$55 million) and on a long-term supply agreement for phosphatebased products. OCP Group is the largest global producer of phosphate ...

January 13, 2015, Covington E-Alert

January 12, 2015, Covington E-Alert

January 2015, Regulatory Rapporteur

2015, Webinar, 24th Annual EU Pharmaceutical Forum

December 22, 2014, Luxury Legal Post

December 16, 2014, Covington E-Alert

December 16, 2014, Covington E-Alert

December 16, 2014, Covington E-Alert

December 15, 2014, CDR News

Covington partner Jeremy Wilson is quoted regarding the liberalization of Korea’s legal market: "Marking the start of a five-year liberalisation process of its legal services sector, the move has spawned an influx of over 20 international firms opening offices in Seoul. With restrictions lifted on firms providing dual advice with domestic practices in 2013, the ...

December 11, 2014, Covington E-Alert

December 10, 2014, Covington E-Alert

December 8, 2014, Covington E-Alert

December 2014, World Securities Law Report

November 25, 2014, Covington E-Alert

November 19, 2014

WASHINGTON, DC, November 19, 2014 — For the seventh consecutive year, the Human Rights Campaign Foundation has awarded Covington & Burling the top rating of 100 percent in the 2015 Corporate Equality Index. Covington’s rating reflects its support for same-sex partners of employees through health insurance, bereavement and family leave policies, as well as its ...

November 17, 2014

LONDON, 17 November, 2014 — Covington is advising Indivior, formerly RB Pharmaceuticals, in the demerger transaction announced today from Reckitt Benckiser, a global consumer products company. The demerger is subject to the approval of RB shareholders. Indivior PLC will be a specialty pharmaceutical company focused on the treatment of addiction and closely ...

October 28, 2014, Law360

Andrea Zulli is featured in this article regarding his move to Covington: "Andrea Zulli, who will join Covington's EU competition group as of counsel, advises clients in all aspects of EU, international and Italian competition law, including merger control, cartels and other restrictive practices, antitrust compliance and abuses of a dominant position." “The ...

October 27, 2014, GCR

This article features Andrea Zulli, who recently joined Covington's EU competition group: Zulli, 40, will work mainly in pharmaceuticals and life sciences sectors in his new firm. He says it was a hard decision to leave Norton Rose – where he was local partner – but ultimately he wanted to return to Brussels – “the heart of antitrust in Europe”.  “Not only ...

October 20, 2014, Covington E-Alert

October 20, 2014, The Washington Post

"Covington & Burling of the District appointed Ashley Bass, Robin Blaney, Krista Carver, Jeffrey Davidson, Nicole Duclos, Shankar Duraiswamy, Scott Freling, David Garr, Andrew Lazerow, Michael Lechliter, Anne Lee, Scott Schrader, Nathan Shafroth and Ranganath Sudarshan partners."

October 17, 2014, The Lawyer

Partners Louise Nash and Simon Amies are mentioned in this article regarding their representation of Qualcomm: "Covington & Burling advised US mobile phone chipmaker Qualcomm and Slaughter and May advised tech firm CSR on the US company’s £1.6bn takeover of the British company, which will increase Qualcomm’s presence in the UK."

October 16, 2014, Lawyer 2B

October 10, 2014

LONDON, 10 October, 2014 — Covington & Burling is advising Consort Medical plc on the acquisition of Aesica Holdco Limited and its operating subsidiaries from private equity fund Silverfleet Capital and its management shareholders for a total consideration of approximately £230 million. Covington is also advising Consort Medical plc on the £98.9 million Rights ...

October 1, 2014

WASHINGTON, DC, October 1, 2014 — Covington & Burling is pleased to announce that it has elected 15 lawyers to its partnership effective today. “Our new partners come from six firm offices and practice in a variety of areas that are of great importance to the firm’s clients,” said Timothy Hester, chair of Covington’s management committee. “These are all superb ...

October 7, 2014

LONDON, 7 October, 2014 — Covington & Burling advised Horizon Discovery Group plc, an AIM listed international life science company supplying research tools and services to organizations engaged in genomics research and the development of personalized medicines, on the acquisition of Sage Labs Inc. for a total of approximately $48 million (£29 million), ...

October 3, 2014, Covington E-Alert

October 1, 2014, Covington E-Alert

September 29, 2014, Luxury Legal Post

10/9/2014

London, October 9, 2014 - Covington & Burling has been selected as the winner in the Technology, Media and Telecoms category of Legal 500 UK Awards 2014, with a focus on Data Protection. Covington’s European technology, media and telecoms lawyers draw on the firm’s deep roots in the software, Internet, telecommunications and media industries and act as strategic ...

September 2014, Money Laundering Bulletin

Peter Flanagan and David Lorello have co-authored this piece on US and EU sanctions targeting Iran: "On 19 July 2014, the United States, the United Kingdom, Germany, France, Russia, and China (the “P5+1”) and Iran mutually consented to extend the Joint Plan of Action (JPOA), reached by the parties on 24 November 2013, for an additional four-month period, to 24 ...

August 25, 2014

WASHINGTON, DC, August 25, 2014 — Covington & Burling has been named to Latinvex’s “Legal 50,” a list of top international law firms doing work in Latin America. The firm ranked seventh among the top 15 firms doing international arbitration work in Latin America and 27th overall. Latinvex evaluated more than 100 international law firms and selected the top 50 ...

August 12, 2014, Money Laundering Bulletin

July 2014, Covington E-Alert

July 2014, Covington E-Alert

August 7, 2014, Covington E-Alert

August 7, 2014

LONDON, 7 August, 2014 — Covington advised Ergomed plc, an international clinical research business, on its flotation on the AIM market of the London Stock Exchange, an associated fundraising and its simultaneous acquisition of PrimeVigilance Limited, a leading provider of pharmacovigilance and medical information services. Ergomed ‘s market capitalisation on ...

August 5, 2014, Law360

August 5, 2014

LONDON, 5 August, 2014 — Covington & Burling advised Illumina on its partnership with Genomics England to provide infrastructure and expertise for a four-year project that aims to make the UK the world leader in genetic research into cancer and rare diseases, through funding research to decode 100,000 human genomes - a patient's personal DNA code. The deal is ...

July 30, 2014

LONDON, 30 July, 2014 — Covington & Burling advised AstraZeneca on its agreement to transfer to the company the rights to Almirall’s respiratory franchise for an initial consideration of $875 million on completion, and up to $1.22 billion in development, launch, and sales-related milestones. AstraZeneca has also agreed to make various sales-related payments. ...

July 30, 2014, Bloomberg

July 30, 2014, Legal Business

Lucinda Osborne, Gregor Frizzell, Christopher Walter and Miranda Cole are mentioned regarding their representation of AstraZeneca on its £1.2bn acquisition of Spanish healthcare group Almirall’s respiratory unit.

July 28, 2014, Covington E-Alert

July 16, 2014, Covington E-Alert

July 11, 2014, Law360

July 11, 2014, Law360

Jeremy Wilson and William Lowery have authored this article on the allegations that Naftogaz has failed to pay $4.5 billion for gas that Gazprom has already delivered to Naftogaz. "On June 16, 2014, Gazprom announced that it had commenced arbitration proceedings against Naftogaz under the Stockholm Chamber of Commerce rules alleging that Naftogaz has failed to ...

July 10, 2014

LONDON, 2 June, 2014 — Oxford BioMedica plc, a Main Market listed gene based biopharmaceutical company, announced that it intends to raise gross proceeds of up to £25.7 million through a fundraising by means of a placing and subscriptions and an open offer. Covington & Burling advised the company on the transaction. The proceeds of the fundraising will be used ...

July 10, 2014

LONDON, 10 July, 2014 — Rightster Group plc, an AIM-listed cloud-based global video distribution and monetisation network, announced the acquisition of Viral Management Limited, the proposed acquisition of Base79 Limited and the placing of new shares by Cenkos to raise £42 million for the company. Covington & Burling advised Rightster on these transactions, ...

July 8, 2014, Covington E-Alert

July 7, 2014

LONDON, 7 July, 2014 — Euromoney Legal Media Group awarded Covington partners Lisa Peets and Carmen Martinez Lopez the ‘Best in Copyright’ and ‘Rising Star - Litigation’ awards at the annual European Women in Business Law Awards ceremony in London. The awards honour firms that set “the standard in terms of female-friendly work practices, and women leading the ...

June 2014, Covington E-Alert

June 2014, Covington E-Alert

June 26, 2014, Covington E-Alert

June 16, 2014, Lexis®PSL Arbitration

May 2014, Covington E-Alert

May 2014, Covington E-Alert

June 5, 2014

LONDON, 5 June, 2014 —Horizon Discovery Group plc, an AIM listed international life science company supplying research tools and services to organizations engaged in genomics research and the development of personalized medicines, announced its acquisition of the CombinatoRx service business and related assets from Nasdaq listed Zalicus Inc., a biopharmaceutical ...

June 3, 2014

WASHINGTON, DC, June 3, 2014 — The National Law Journal has named Covington & Burling to its 2014 “Intellectual Property Hot List,” which recognizes 20 firms that have “become leaders on the latest trends in intellectual property law.” This is the second time since 2012 that Covington has been named to the list. In naming Covington to the list, the NLJ cited the ...

May 29, 2014, Covington E-Alert

May 27, 2014

WASHINGTON, DC, May 27, 2014 —Covington & Burling was named the “Transfer Pricing Advisory Firm of the Year - Washington D.C.” by Corporate LiveWire, a global news resource for corporate finance professionals. The Corporate LiveWire Global Awards honor law firms, individuals and businesses who have demonstrated distinction in corporate finance, and consistently ...

May 21, 2014, Covington E-Alert

May 6, 2014, Covington E-Alert

April 2014, Covington E-Alert

April 2014, Covington E-Alert

May 2, 2014

LONDON, 1 May, 2014 — Euromoney Legal Media Group have shortlisted nine Covington lawyers for the annual ‘Europe Women in Business Law Awards’ 2014. Those shortlisted for “Best in” their respective practice areas are:  Competition and Antitrust - Miranda Cole Copyright - Lisa Peets Financial Regulation - Charlotte Hill Life ...

May 1, 2014

LONDON, 1 May, 2014 — Covington & Burling advised Lombard Medical, Inc. on its $55 million U.S. initial public offering and the listing of the company’s ordinary shares on the NASDAQ Global Market. Covington also advised the company on its change of domicile from the U.K. to the Cayman Islands and the delisting of its shares from the AIM market of the London ...

April 17, 2014

WASHINGTON, DC, April 17, 2014 — Covington & Burling is pleased to announce the promotion of four lawyers to of counsel and three lawyers to special counsel, effective April 1, 2014. The new of counsel are as follows: Lindsay Burke advises U.S., international, and multinational employers on employee management issues and international HR compliance. Her ...

April 17, 2014, Covington E-Alert

April 7, 2014

WASHINGTON, DC, April 7, 2014 — Covington & Burling partners Simon Amies, Scott Anthony and Andrew Jack spoke at the 2014 CleanEquity Monaco conference in the Principality of Monaco on March 27 and 28. The annual conference, sponsored in part by Covington and hosted by London-based Innovator Capital, aims to accelerate cleantech innovation and provide expert ...

April 7, 2014, The Lawyer

Covington's Paul Claydon and Guy Dingley are mentioned regarding their representation of Horizon Discovery on their IPO.

March 2014, Covington E-Alert

March 2014, Covington E-Alert

April 1, 2014, Covington E-Alert

March 31, 2014

LONDON, 31 March, 2014 — Horizon Discovery Group plc announced the admission of its shares to the AIM market of the London Stock Exchange. Covington & Burling advised Horizon on the transaction. The IPO raised approximately £40 million before expenses for Horizon and a further £28.6 million for selling shareholders, which puts a market capitalisation on the ...

March 28, 2014

LONDON, 28 March, 2014 — Covington & Burling advised Charles Stanley Securities acting as nominated adviser and WG Partners acting as financial adviser and broker to Venture Life Group plc, the international consumer healthcare company, on its admission to AIM. On admission to AIM, Venture Life will complete the acquisition of Biokosmes Srl, an Italian company ...

3/26/2014

WASHINGTON, DC, March 26, 2014 — The U.S. Senate today confirmed Covington & Burling partner Christopher “Casey” Cooper to the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia. Mr. Cooper was approved by a unanimous vote.“We are very proud that President Obama nominated Casey for a federal judgeship and that the Senate has now confirmed his nomination. We know ...

March 25, 2014

LONDON, 25 March, 2014 — Covington & Burling advised Vectura Group Plc, a product development company that focuses on the development of pharmaceutical therapies for the treatment of airways-related diseases, on its acquisition of German pharmaceutical company Activaero GmbH for a total consideration of €130 million (£108 million) and related fundraising to ...

March 5, 2014, Covington E-Alert

March 5, 2014, Covington E-Alert & Advisory

February 2014, Covington E-Alert

February 2014, Covington E-Alert

February/March 2014, World Trademark Review

February 18, 2014, Covington E-Alert

February 18, 2014, Covington E-Alert

February 6, 2014

WASHINGTON, DC, February 6, 2014 — Law360 has named Covington & Burling’s insurance group as one of eight “Insurance Groups of the Year.” In its profile of the firm, Law360 recognized the firm’s strength in the insurance practice, including “scoring a marquee win” for MF Global Inc. and its work in “headline-grabbing insurance disputes” for clients such as BP ...

January 27, 2014, Law360

January 13, 2014