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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 ...

July 29, 2020

NEW YORK—Billboard has named Adrian Perry and Jonathan Sperling among its “2020 Top Music Lawyers.” This annual list recognizes the music industry’s leading lawyers in fields that include talent representation, music publishing, streaming, and litigation. Mr. Sperling, a trial lawyer with twenty-five years of experience, co-chairs the firm’s Music Industry ...

July 27, 2020, Covington Alert

On July 22, 2020, the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) adopted several proxy rule amendments dealing with proxy advisory firms as part of its ongoing effort to modernize the proxy voting system. The proxy rule amendments, which were proposed in November 2019, codify the SEC’s view that proxy voting advice generally constitutes a solicitation under the ...

July 17, 2020, Law360

Adrian Perry has been named a Law360 Rising Star in Sports and Betting.

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 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 10, 2020, Law360

Sean Akins is quoted in Law360 regarding transfer pricing cases between the IRS and four companies. Mr. Akins says that he didn't think the IRS' new position required a heightened level of explanation. “I'm not sure that I'd go that far personally, if only because it's a closing agreement with one individual taxpayer as opposed to … stated public policy,” he ...

June 16, 2020, Risk

Jeremy Newell is quoted in Risk regarding  the secured overnight financing rate (SOFR) and its effort to replace LIBOR, the long-standing benchmark rate used around the world.  amid the pandemic. Mr. Newell says, “It’s a perfect microcosm of exactly how this debate between Libor and SOFR has gone. They attempted to stick to the script and insist on SOFR for ...

June 11, 2020, Covington Alert

On May 20, 2020, the SEC adopted amendments to requirements for financial disclosures about acquired and disposed businesses. These rules have remained largely static for several decades, even as many other SEC rules and forms have undergone significant revisions in that time period. The amendments are intended to reduce the complexity and costs associated with ...

June 3, 2020, Covington Alert

On May 27, 2020, the Federal Reserve Bank of Boston ("FRBB") posted a number of documents that provide important additional details about its Main Street Lending Program ("MSLP"), including updated FAQs, new required agreements and forms, and new lender and borrower guides. The following summary highlights key FAQ changes and summarizes each of the new MSLP ...

June 2, 2020, Covington Alert

Increased attention has recently been given by both investors and the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) to promoting clear and comparable disclosures of environmental, social and governance (ESG) factors. On May 21, the SEC's Investor Advisory Committee (Committee) debated and endorsed recommendations of the Investor as Owner Subcommittee that the SEC ...

May 28, 2020, American Banker

Jeremy Newell is quoted in the American Banker regarding the Federal Reserve’s plan to publish stress tests results of banks’ pre-coronavirus condition. According to Mr. Newell, “It could be that the Fed could take the sensitivity analysis, and if they saw results that were especially concerning for them, use that as the basis of individual engagement with a ...

May 20, 2020

NEW YORK—Latinvex has named Covington lawyers Nicole Duclos, Rubén Kraiem, Miguel López Forastier, and Gabriel Mesa among its list of Latin America’s Top 100 Lawyers. Ms. Duclos represents clients in international commercial and investment arbitration, as well as transnational litigation.  According to the publication, “Nicole Duclos is a skilled practitioner ...

May 18, 2020, Law360

Daniel Suleiman and Amanda Kramer spoke with Law360 about the safe harbor deadline established by the Small Business Administration for companies that may have improperly taken out loans through the Paycheck Protection Program. According to Mr. Suleiman, since SBA’s announcement that companies with substantial market value will not meet the required ...

May 14, 2020, Covington Alert

The SEC and its staff continue to respond to the COVID-19 pandemic by providing public companies and other filers with relief from certain reporting requirements, as well as rule amendments. Recently, the SEC’s Division of Corporation Finance (the “Division”) issued several frequently asked questions (“FAQs”) relating to the SEC’s March 25, 2020 Order that ...

May 11, 2020, American Banker

Jeremy Newell is quoted in the American Banker regarding the Federal Reserve’s management of middle-market loan relief. Mr. Newell says the Main Street Lending Program is “just fundamentally different than anything the Fed has ever undertaken in its other emergency liquidity facilities” and likely requires more time to make sure all processes are in place. He ...

May 7, 2020, Covington Alert

In response to the ongoing impact of the COVID-19 outbreak, Nasdaq has adopted temporary relief through June 30, 2020 from shareholder approval requirements pertaining to the so-called “20% rule.” The relief is effective immediately and intended to give Nasdaq-listed companies additional flexibility to raise capital through private placements in situations where ...

May 5, 2020, Law360

May 4, 2020

WASHINGTON—For the third consecutive year, The National Law Journal has named Covington to its “Pro Bono Hot List.” The law firms appearing on the 2020 Pro Bono Hot List were recognized for taking on “some of the biggest issues of our time.” In its profile of the firm, The National Law Journal highlights Covington’s Pro Bono efforts in two significant matters. ...

April 17, 2020, Risk

Bruce Bennett spoke with Risk about legislation designed to switch financial contracts referencing U.S. dollar Libor to a replacement benchmark, which aims to provide immunity from litigation for contracts that are forcibly shunted on to the preferred alternative benchmark, the secured overnight financing rate (SOFR), plus a fixed spread to make up the ...

April 15, 2020, The Deal

Sergio Urias and Amy Wollensack are quoted in The Deal regarding the rapidly moving economy’s effect on private equity firms to complete M&A activities and capital investments, as the COVID-19 pandemic persists. Mr. Urias says, “I don’t think we’ve ever been called by our private equity clients to react so quickly to daily — and in some cases hourly — changes in ...

April 14, 2020, Law360

Amanda Kramer and Gerald Hodgkins were quoted in Law360 regarding the potential fraud schemes that may be exposed  during the COVID-19 pandemic. Ms. Kramer says, “Ponzi schemes are often discovered when investors seek to redeem their investments and learn that the money's not there. As we saw in the wake of the 2008 financial crisis, a loss of confidence in the ...

April 7, 2020, Covington Alert

Boards of directors, compensation committees and executive officers have begun to confront the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on their compensation programs. This alert highlights key considerations for public companies as they make important decisions regarding these programs.

April 2, 2020, Covington Alert

On March 18, 2020, the President invoked a portion of the Defense Production Act, 50 U.S.C. §§ 4501 et seq., (the “DPA”), in order to address shortages of personal protective equipment and ventilators needed to treat patients affected by the COVID-19 pandemic.

April 2, 2020, Covington Alert

When an executive officer or director becomes seriously ill, including due to COVID-19, U.S. public companies and foreign private issuers must consider their disclosure obligations as well as governance and other key topics. This alert discusses these considerations.

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 ...

March 30, 2020, Law360

Brian Rosenzweig spoke with Law360 about the lack of funding for equity capital markets  created by coronavirus. Some companies have resulted to at-the-market offerings for funding. Mr. Rosenzweig says, “The ability to be opportunistic on days with less volatility and generate smaller amounts of cash on a more frequent basis through ATM programs is very relevant ...

March 27, 2020, American Banker

Jeremy Newell spoke with the American Banker to discuss the new coronavirus stimulus package that includes language allowing lenders that have already implemented the Current Expected Credit Losses to delay compliance until the end of the national emergency. According to Mr. Newell, while two and a half years seems like a long time, their impending conversion ...

March 27, 2020, Covington Alert

While Board duties remain unchanged in a crisis situation such as the COVID-19 pandemic and the role of a board of directors continues to be one of oversight, the disruption and dislocation resulting from the pandemic warrants greater and more frequent coordination between boards of directors and management teams which have responsibility for day-to-day ...

March 26, 2020, Covington Alert

Companies incorporated in the United States are required to hold annual shareholder meetings. These meetings have traditionally been held at a physical location, sometimes with the option to participate remotely. In recent years, however, some public companies have adopted virtual-only annual shareholder meetings. Due to growing concerns around the global ...

March 25, 2020, Covington Alert

The U.S. Congress appears close to finalizing the scale and scope of stimulus legislation to address the economic crisis caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. Although its final shape remains uncertain, it is highly likely to provide for one or more lending programs, loan guaranty programs, and other financing programs administered by the federal government to direct ...

March 24, 2020, Covington Alert

On March 23, the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System (the “FRB”) announced the latest in a series of extraordinary actions intended to help mitigate the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on the U.S. economy. Unlike the measures announced last week – which mostly involved re-establishing emergency programs that were used during the 2008–09 financial ...

March 23, 2020

NEW YORK—The American Lawyer has named Covington lawyers Sergio Urías and Laura Torre as “Dealmakers of the Year.” The annual feature highlights “the most impressive and significant matters that deal lawyers worked on in 2019.” Shareholders of Covington’s client Prisma Medios de Pago, Argentina’s largest payment processing company, were mandated by the antitrust ...

March 22, 2020, Covington Alert

On March 21, 2020, the data security requirements of the New York Stop Hacks and Improve Electronic Data Security (SHIELD) Act (the “Act”) became effective. These provisions require businesses that own or license computerized data that includes the “private information” of New York residents to maintain “reasonable” security measures. Generally speaking, the ...

March 16, 2020, The Wall Street Journal

Daniel Luchsinger is quoted in The Wall Street Journal regarding the effects of the Tax Cuts and Job Act on businesses in the wake of coronavirus losses. The article states that the 2017 tax code overhaul is making life harder for U.S. businesses who have suffered losses and are seeking liquidity. Mr. Luchsinger says, “You want some safety valve in the system ...

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, ...

February 25, 2020

WASHINGTON—Covington represented Univision Holdings, Inc. in its definitive agreement to sell a majority ownership interest to private investment firms Searchlight Capital Partners, LP and ForgeLight LLC. Under the terms of the acquisition, Searchlight and ForgeLight will purchase a 64 percent interest from Univision stockholders while Televisa, a leading media ...

February 21, 2020

WASHINGTON—Covington has chosen Washington partner Henry Liu to be a member of the Leadership Council on Legal Diversity’s 2020 Fellows Program. Mr. Liu will participate in programs designed to attract, inspire, and nurture the next generation of leaders in the legal profession. Mr. Liu is a litigator specializing in defending financial institutions and other ...

January 28, 2020, Covington Alert

Critical audit matters, or “CAMs,” have been an important topic of discussion among investors, auditors, public companies and audit committees since the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (“PCAOB”) adopted Auditing Standard 3101 (“AS 3101”) on June 1, 2017.

January 22, 2020

WASHINGTON—The Human Rights Campaign Foundation (HRC) has awarded Covington a perfect score of 100 percent for the twelfth consecutive year on its Corporate Equality Index (CEI), a national benchmarking survey and report on corporate policies and practices related to LGBTQ workplace equality. “Diversity and inclusion, while an important component of our efforts ...

January 17, 2020

WASHINGTON—Covington represented Piramal Enterprises Limited in itsdefinitive agreement to sell Decision Resources Group to Clarivate Analytics plc, in a deal valued at $950 million. The $950 million purchase price includes $900 million in cash and approximately $50 million in Clarivate ordinary shares to be issued following the one-year anniversary of ...

January 13, 2020

WASHINGTON—Law360 has named Covington one of its 2019 “Firms of the Year” for the second consecutive year based on the firm having received six Practice Group of the Year awards. The Covington practices named 2019 Practice Groups of the Year are: Competition/Antitrust Government Contracts International Arbitration Life Sciences Media & ...

January 2020, The SMU Law Review Forum

December 9, 2019

WASHINGTON—Covington represented Merck & Co., Inc. in its definitive agreement under which Merck, through a subsidiary, will acquire ArQule for $20 per share in cash for an approximate total equity value of $2.7 billion. ArQule is a publicly traded biopharmaceutical company focused on kinase inhibitor discovery and development for the treatment of patients with ...

November-December 2019, Privacy & Cybersecurity Law Report

November 21, 2019, St. Louis Dispatch

Josh Picker secured a favorable settlement for Missouri voting rights organizations pursuant to which the state agreed to change its voter registration practices to expand voter access and reduce disenfranchisement.

November 21, 2019, Law360

Micaela McMurrough is quoted in Law360 regarding a recently unveiled cybersecurity protocol guidelines aimed at arbitrators, institutions and arbitration users on topics including baseline security measures. Ms. McMurrough says, "We tried to build in flexibility [so that the] document can be used as guidance, rather than something that's prescriptive.”

November 15, 2019

NEW YORK—Latinvex has named Covington among the top ten international law firms doing work in Latin America and first among firms in trade & sanctions. The firm was also singled out particularly for its role in handling in arbitration, corporate/M&A, and fraud/FCPA matters. Covington’s Latin America practice draws on a dedicated team of lawyers and advisors who ...

November 5, 2019

NEW YORK—Covington represented Eisai Co., Ltd. in connection with its sale to Royalty Pharma of royalties on sales of tazemetostat by Epizyme, Inc. outside of Japan for $330 million. Under a collaboration agreement between Epizyme and Eisai, Epizyme is responsible for the development and commercialization of tazemetostat outside of Japan, and Epizyme owes ...

October 27, 2019

NEW YORK—Covington represented Central European Media Enterprises Ltd. in its definitive agreement to be acquired by an affiliate of PPF Group N.V. in a cash transaction valued at approximately $2.1 billion. Under the terms of the agreement, holders of all of CME’s issued and outstanding Class A common shares will receive $4.58 per share. This valuation ...

October 14, 2019

NEW YORK—Covington represented financial advisor Tudor, Pickering, Holt & Co. in Parsley Energy, Inc.'s acquisition of Jagged Peak Energy. Parsley and Jagged Peak entered into a definitive merger agreement under which Parsley will acquire Jagged Peak in an all-stock transaction valued at approximately $2.27 billion, including Jagged Peak's net debt of ...

October 11, 2019, Law360

Brian Rosenzweig spoke with Law360 about the SEC’s decision to allow all companies to pursue “testing-the-waters” communications with institutional investors before registering their offerings. Mr. Rosenzweig says, “Having a successful IPO is challenging regardless of size. So opening up those tools to the entire universe of potential IPO issuers can only help.”

October 10, 2019, International Financial Law Review

Brian Rosenzweig is quoted in the International Financial Law Review regarding the clarifications made to the SEC’s “test-the-waters” provision. Mr. Rosenzweig believes that there are no significant changes from the rules proposed earlier this year, although some minor tweaks were made. "The rules were adopted pretty much as proposed, and are generally viewed by ...

October 2, 2019, Global Arbitration Review

Nikhil Gore and Erin Thomas spoke with Global Arbitration Review about their recent promotion to partnership and contributions to the Covington’s Naftogaz team representing Ukrainian state-owned energy company Naftogaz in its $5 billion treaty claim against Russia over the seizure of its assets in Crimea.

October 2, 2019, The American Lawyer

October 1, 2019

WASHINGTON—Lindsay Kitzinger, who until recently was an Attorney Advisor in the Office of International Tax Counsel, within the U.S. Treasury's Office of Tax Policy, has rejoined Covington as a partner in its Tax Practice Group in Washington. During her time at Treasury, Ms. Kitzinger was involved in the tax reform legislation that was enacted in December 2017, ...

October 1, 2019, Law360

Law360 covered William Phillips, David Pinsky, Joshua Picker, Marney Cheek, and William Lowery’s representation of Naftogaz, Ukraine's state-owned oil and gas company, in its pursuit of documents from Gazprom's Dallas-based oil and gas reserves auditor as the company pursues litigation in the Netherlands to enforce a $2.56 billion arbitral award against the ...

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 23, 2019

WASHINGTON—Covington's Priscilla Fasoro, Fatmata Kabia, and Kendra Mells have been named to the National Black Lawyers Top 40 Under 40 class of 2019. Ms. Fasoro represents clients on a wide variety of complex commercial transactions, specializing in those involving technology and data. In particular, her practice focuses on negotiating outsourcing and other ...

September 11, 2019

NEW YORK—Amanda Kramer, former Assistant U.S. Attorney for the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York, has joined Covington’s White Collar Defense and Investigations Practice in New York as a partner. Ms. Kramer served for more than 11 years as a federal prosecutor in the Southern District of New York. Most recently, she served as a senior ...

September 10, 2019, BioWorld

John Balzano is quoted in BioWorld regarding recent updates to China’s drug administration law and the establishment of marketing authorization holders (MAH). Mr. Balzano says, “This creates much-needed flexibility for research-based companies to develop products and bring them to market.” Another advantage of the MAH system is that licenses can officially be ...

September 4, 2019, RIAIntel

Brian Rosenzweig spoke with RIAIntel about the continued need for registered investment advisers to file Form S-3 with the SEC. Mr. Rosenzweig says, “It is certainly customary for public companies to seek to file and declare a shelf registration statement as soon as they become shelf-eligible, which is typically one year after an IPO.” Companies routinely file ...

August 27, 2019, Covington Alert

On August 20, 2019, the Board of Directors of the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (the “FDIC”) approved a final rule (the “final rule”)1 that will significantly revise existing regulations implementing the Volcker Rule – a statutory provision that generally prohibits banking entities from engaging in proprietary trading or taking an ownership interest in, ...

August 26, 2019

NEW YORK—For the second consecutive year, Billboard has named Jonathan Sperling to its annual "Top Music Lawyers" list. This annual list recognizes lawyers who are "on the front lines of the music industry's legal battles and deals." Recognized in the "Negotiation & Litigation" category, Billboard highlights Sperling's representation of over 50 record labels and ...

July 22, 2019

NEW YORK—Covington advised Bayer in a definitive agreement to sell the Dr. Scholl’s™ business to Yellow Wood Partners for a purchase price of $585 million. Bayer is a global enterprise with core competencies in the life science fields of health care and nutrition. Its products and services are designed to benefit people by supporting efforts to overcome the ...

July 15, 2019, The Wall Street Journal

David Kornblau is quoted in The Wall Street Journal regarding a new SEC policy which will change the agency’s stance on waivers. According to Mr. Kornblau, the new policy doesn’t substantively change the SEC’s decision-making process on waivers, but it may make it easier for companies to enter into settlement agreements. “It allows the companies to make those ...

July 12, 2019

PALO ALTO—Covington advised Argo AI, LLC, a technology platform company that is working with leading automakers to deliver a fully integrated self-driving system, in the deal announced today with Volkswagen AG and Ford Motor Company. Volkswagen will be making a $2.6 billion investment, becoming Argo AI’s second investor and building upon a $1 billion investment ...

July 11, 2019, ACLU

The ACLU covered Josh Picker's representation of domestic flight passengers subject to suspicionless searches by the U.S. Customs and Border Protection. Mr. Picker says, "We are pleased to have reached a settlement that recognizes that our clients were wronged by government officials when they exited the plane on February 22, 2017 and that such conduct is not to ...

June 20, 2019, Hedge Fund Law Report

David Kornblau spoke with Hedge Fund Law Report to discuss the Wells notice process.   Discussing the process—in which the SEC sends a letter to people or firms notifying them of impending enforcement—Mr. Kornblau says, “The pre-Wells process is a way for the staff to get feedback on the investigation without triggering a six‑month deadline for filing an ...

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 ...

May 29, 2019, The Deal

Amy Wollensack and Sergio Urias are quoted in The Deal regarding middle market carve-outs.   Ms. Wollensack says, “In the past, middle market firms haven't had the operational capacity to be able to create a free-standing business," Wollensack said. "But as private equity firms expand their operational capacities -- in many cases by adding operating partners -- ...

May 23, 2019

NEW YORK, May 23, 2019—Latinvex has selected Nicole Duclos, Mary Hernández, Ashley Sprague, and Veronica Yepez to its 2019 list of the “Top 100 Female Lawyers” at international law firms specializing in Latin America. Covington is among the top three law firms with the most women on the list. Ms. Duclos represents clients in international commercial and ...

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 17, 2019

NEW YORK—The Metropolitan Black Bar Association honored Amy Wollensack as its 2019 Private Practitioner of the Year at its 35th Anniversary Gala. This award recognizes an individual who has demonstrated exemplary leadership and service and commitment to the community at large. Ms. Wollensack is co-chair of the firm’s Private Equity Practice Group and a member of ...

May 13, 2019

NEW YORK—Covington advised Bayer in a definitive agreement to sell its Coppertone™ business to Beiersdorf AG, a provider of skin care products, for $550 million. Bayer is a global enterprise with core competencies in the life science fields of health care and nutrition. Its products and services are designed to benefit people by supporting efforts to overcome ...

May 1, 2019, New York Law Journal

David Pinsky and Alan Vinegrad represented the Bobov community.

April 18, 2019, Covington Alert

On April 8, 2019, the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System (the “Board”) approved a notice of proposed rulemaking (the “Resolution Plan Proposal” or the “Proposal”), issued jointly with the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (the “FDIC,” and together with the Board, the “Agencies”), that would revise the Agencies’ jointly issued resolution ...

April 9, 2019

Covington partners Trisha Anderson, Robert Haney, and Dan Johnson hosted a webinar on the latest insights regarding trade secrets, including: Avoiding theft of trade secrets and other confidential information by employees, contractors and competitors; Litigation and/or other actions that should be taken when the secret may be out; ...

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 5, 2019

NEW YORK—Covington represented IFM Tre, Inc. in its sale to Novartis for a $310 million upfront cash payment and up to $1.265 billion in milestone payments (for a total of $1.575 billion). IFM Tre develops chemically distinct systemic, gut-directed, and CNS-penetrant drug candidates to address several indications triggered by NLRP3, including metabolic, ...

April 4, 2019

NEW YORK—Teena Sankoorikal has joined Covington as a partner in the Commercial Litigation Practice in New York. Ms. Sankoorikal is a commercial litigator who has handled many high-profile, complex civil cases in the areas of patent, trade secret, copyright, and other intellectual property disputes,  business torts, antitrust, breach of contract, and fraud. Over ...

April 2, 2019

WASHINGTON—Covington has chosen Washington partner Brianne Bharkhda to be a member of The Leadership Council on Legal Diversity’s 2019 class of Fellows. Ms. Bharkhda will participate in programs designed to identify, train, and advance the next generation of leaders in the legal profession. Ms. Bharkhda is a litigator who represents a variety of clients in ...

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

WASHINGTON—The Human Rights Campaign Foundation (HRC) has awarded Covington a perfect score of 100 percent for the eleventh consecutive year on its Corporate Equality Index (CEI), a national benchmarking survey and report on corporate policies and practices related to LGBTQ workplace equality. Covington is among 571 major U.S. businesses that earned a perfect ...

March 27, 2019

WASHINGTON—The American Lawyer has recognized Covington among its 2019 “Dealmakers of the Year.” The annual feature highlights “the lawyers behind the most significant work” in deal making, and this marks the second time the firm has received this distinction in the last three years. In March 2018, Covington helped Qualcomm, Inc. secure a U.S. Presidential ...

March 19, 2019, Law360

Law360 covered Kevin Zaragoza’s move to Covington’s Tax Practice Group in New York. He says, “Covington has an excellent international practice. It’s kind of an exciting time to be a tax lawyer after tax reform and all the changes that are happening in regulations, and Covington has a lot of interesting cross-border work that I wanted to be a part of.”  

March 18, 2019

NEW YORK—Covington represented Rothschild & Co US Inc. and Greenhill & Co., financial advisors to NII Holdings, Inc., in its sale of Nextel Brazil to América Móvil for a purchase price of $905 million on a debt-free and cash-free basis. The sale represents the disposition of NII's sole remaining operating asset. Additionally, in connection with the transaction, ...

March 18, 2019

NEW YORK—Kevin Zaragoza has joined Covington's Tax Practice Group as a partner in New York. Mr. Zaragoza's arrival follows the recent addition of tax partner Kevin Otero also in New York. Mr. Zaragoza concentrates on the domestic and cross-border tax aspects of mergers and acquisitions, leveraged buy-outs, dispositions, minority investments, partnership and ...

March 13, 2019, Law360

Sergio Urias and Amy Wollensack are quoted in Law360 regarding the increase in private equity firms partnering with sovereign wealth funds and pension funds in club deals.   Mr. Urias says, “You spend a lot of time talking about and negotiating exit provisions — when do you go public? Can you sell down? What happens to your governance rights when you start to ...

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 4, 2019, Covington Alert

On December 29, 2018, the State Council (China’s chief executive agency) opened a new pathway for drugs to come into China through a special zone in southern China. It suspended certain central regulations in the Bo Ao Lecheng International Medical Tourism Pilot Zone in Hainan Province (“Pilot Zone”) and permitted local authorities to make marketing decisions ...

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 2019, Pratt's Energy Law Report

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.

March 1, 2019, Covington Alert

Selections of Covington’s Intellectual Property Rights Group for the “Top Ten” most significant and interesting developments in U.S. trademark, false advertising, and right of publicity law during 2018.

February 28, 2019

NEW YORK—Her Justice, a non-profit organization that provides free legal help to women living in poverty in New York City, has presented Laura Torre with the John K. Geiger Award. The award is presented in memory of John Geiger, a volunteer turned lawyer at Her Justice. Mr. Geiger demonstrated unyielding compassion and dedication towards his clients and brought ...

February 21, 2019

WASHINGTON—Covington advised the Chicago Cubs and Northside Entertainment Holdings, LLC in the formation of a joint venture with Sinclair Broadcast Group that will own and operate Marquee Sports Network, a regional sports network based in Chicago. Marquee Sports Network will be the exclusive network of the Chicago Cubs beginning with the 2020 Major League ...

February 7, 2019

NEW YORK—Latinvex has named Covington partners Nicole Duclos, Rubén Kraiem, Miguel López Forastier, and Gabriel Mesa among “Latin America’s Top 100 Lawyers” in 2019. Ms. Duclos represents clients in international commercial and investment arbitration, as well as transnational litigation. Clients interviewed by Latinvex praised Ms. Duclos’ extensive arbitration ...

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 4, 2019, Law360

Law360 covered Kevin Otero’s move to the firm as a partner in our tax practice group. Mr. Otero will represent large corporations and individuals before the IRS. He also will advise and represent clients before the U.S. Tax Court, U.S. Court of Federal Claims, and federal district and appellate courts across the country. He says, “There’s been a lot of ...

February 1, 2019

NEW YORK—Kevin Otero has joined Covington's Tax Practice Group as a partner in New York. Mr. Otero advises clients on all aspects of tax controversy matters including audits, administrative appeals, transfer pricing controversies, and tax litigation. He also has extensive experience advising clients on technical tax risk management, strategic audit and ...

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.

January 31, 2019, African Law & Business

Witney Schneidman is quoted in African Law & Business regarding the arrival of Jay Ireland to the firm. Mr. Schneidman says, “For the last eight years Jay has been one of the top business leaders on the continent. He has a keen understanding of how business and policy intersect and how business can positively affect the development priorities of African nations.”

January 29, 2019

NEW YORK— Jay Ireland has joined Covington as a senior advisor in New York. Mr. Ireland has nearly four decades of senior executive experience across a number of industry sectors, including telecommunications and media, healthcare, energy, financial services, and manufacturing. Most recently, he served as President and CEO of GE Africa, where he was responsible ...

January 22, 2019

NEW YORK—Covington advised Prisma Medios de Pago, Argentina’s leading payments company, in the sale of a controlling stake to Advent International. Prisma’s existing shareholders will retain a 49% stake in the company. The transaction values 100 percent of Prisma at $1.42 billion.   Prisma is an Argentinian company established in 2014 through the merger of Visa ...

2019, Columbia Journal of Law & the Arts

December 19, 2018

NEW YORK—Covington advised Stagecoach Group plc in its agreement to sell its North America division to an affiliate of private equity firm, Variant Equity Advisors, LLC. This transaction reflects an enterprise value for Stagecoach's North America Division of $271.4 million. Stagecoach’s North America Division operates bus and coach services. It provides ...

December 19, 2018

NEW YORK—Covington advised Tetragon Financial Group Limited on the merger of its GreenOak Real Estate joint venture with Bentall Kennedy, Sun Life Financial Inc.’s  North American real estate and property management firm. The combined entities will be called Bentall GreenOak. Tetragon will remain an investor in Bentall GreenOak, which the merger values at $940 ...

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 12, 2018

WASHINGTON—Law360 has named four Covington partners as MVPs in their respective practice areas. The awards single out lawyers from across numerous practice areas based on their success in high-stakes litigation, complex global matters, and record-breaking deals. The Covington lawyers recognized as Law360 MVPs are: Shara Aranoff, International Trade. Ms. ...

December 5, 2018, Covington Alert

Earlier this year Congress passed and President Trump signed the Foreign Investment Risk Review Modernization Act (“FIRRMA”), transformational legislation reforming the operations of the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (“CFIUS”).

December 2018, Covington Alert

FinTech refers to the use of new and emerging technologies in the financial services industry to improve the delivery of financial services to customers, and includes innovations such as cryptocurrencies and open banking. Recent years have ushered in the use of several key technologies in the FinTech landscape, including artificial intelligence, data analytics, ...

Winter 2018, Lexis Practice Advisor

November 30, 2018, Law360

Paul Schmidt has been named a 2018 Product Liability MVP by Law360. The publication highlights a significant appellate victory in the New Jersey Supreme Court for his client Hoffmann-La Roche as well as multiple trial wins in other pharmaceutical cases.

November 9, 2018

NEW YORK—Latinvex has named Covington among the top ten international law firms doing work in Latin America. In addition to this honor, Latinvex has recognized Covington as the top firm for Trade, among the top five for FCPA & Fraud, as well as for Arbitration, and among the top ten for Corporate/M&A. Covington’s Latin America practice draws on a dedicated team ...

November 8, 2018

NEW YORK—The Cyrus R. Vance Center for International Justice has presented Covington with the “Good Governance Program” award at its third annual Celebration of International Pro Bono Excellence. The Vance Center recognized Covington for its work on behalf of ACOS Alliance, a coalition of news organizations, freelance journalist associations, and NGOs working ...

November 7, 2018, Law360

Donald Murray is quoted in Law360 regarding the effect of the 2018 midterm elections on capital markets. Mr. Murray said he spent the past few days discussing the election with bankers, noting that the outcome was anticipated. He adds, “It seems to be full speed ahead for capital markets deals. The pipeline is strong; it seems to continue growing. To my ...

November 2, 2018, Latin Lawyer

Sergio Urias participated in the “Latin Lawyer Live 9th Annual Private Equity Conference,” where he discussed regulatory and corporate issues, and is quoted in Latin Lawyer.   Commenting on FIRRMA, Mr. Urias says, “This results in the most complex investment trade and transactional environment in many years and it won’t go away.” Although he thought FIRRMA will ...

November 1, 2018

NEW YORK—Covington advised Illumina, Inc. in its announced $1.2 billion acquisition of Pacific Biosciences. Illumina is a leading developer, manufacturer, and marketer of life science tools and integrated systems for large-scale analysis of genetic variation and function, and the company’s products are used for applications in life sciences, oncology, ...

October 30, 2018

NEW YORK—Billboard has named Jacqueline Charlesworth and Jonathan Sperling among its “2018 Top Music Lawyers.” This annual list recognizes the music industry’s leading lawyers in fields including talent representation, music publishing, streaming, and litigation. Recognized in the Music Publishing category, Billboard highlights Ms. Charlesworth’s work on ...

October 10, 2018, Covington Alert

As described in our earlier alert, in August the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “Commission”) adopted amendments to its disclosure rules to eliminate requirements it deemed “redundant, duplicative, overlapping, outdated, or superseded” (the “Amendments”) based, in part, on other Commission rules and generally accepted accounting principles in the United ...

October 1, 2018

WASHINGTON—Covington has promoted 20 lawyers to its partnership. “This group covers a wide range of the firm’s most important practices and reflects the ongoing imperative of continuing to build and expand our strengths and to position the firm most effectively to be vibrant in the years ahead,” said Timothy Hester, Covington’s chair. "The size of our class is a ...

September 21, 2018, Law360

Donald Murray is quoted in Law360 regarding 13 public offerings expected to raise more than $1.1 billion during the week of September 24. Mr. Murray expects technology and biotechnology companies to do well in the run-up to the midterm elections. He says, “Everyone is out making hay while the sun shines.”

September 5, 2018, Covington Alert

This client alert summarizes recent regulatory developments relating to fintech and discusses the implications of these developments.

Fall 2018, Deal Points

August 9, 2018

WASHINGTON—Covington advised Emergent BioSolutions in its $270 million acquisition of PaxVax. PaxVax is majority owned by an affiliate of Cerberus Capital Management. Emergent is a global life sciences company focusing on providing specialty products for civilian and military populations that address public health threats. PaxVax is a company focused on ...

August 8, 2018

WASHINGTON—Covington advised Wilmington, Delaware-based WSFS Financial Corporation in its acquisition of Philadelphia-based Beneficial Bancorp, Inc., in a transaction valued at approximately $1.5 billion. This is the second bank M&A deal in two weeks where Covington is representing the acquiring institution. Covington is also representing Dallas-based Veritex ...

August 6, 2018, Agenda

William Woolston and Megan Woodford are quoted in Agenda regarding the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017’s effect on incentive plans. Mr. Woolston suspects public companies not conducting a shareholder vote on incentive plans is the “ beginning of a trend.” However, he believes that shareholders can still rely on other measures to hold companies accountable for ...

August 2, 2018, Covington Alert

On August 1, 2018, the New Jersey Supreme Court issued a unanimous decision affirming a trial court’s exclusion of scientifically unfounded expert causation testimony in the Accutane litigation. The decision, which ends over 2,100 lawsuits against Hoffmann-La Roche Inc. and Roche Laboratories Inc. (“Roche”), represents the Supreme Court’s first statement on New ...

July 30, 2018

SILICON VALLEY—Covington advised GlaxoSmithKline on its multi-year collaboration with and $300 million equity investment in 23andMe. GSK will become 23andMe’s exclusive collaborator for drug target discovery programs. The collaboration will focus on research and development of innovative new medicines and potential cures using human genetics as the basis for ...

July 26, 2018, Bloomberg Law

Mark Gimbel is quoted in a Bloomberg Law story concerning a report by Cornerstone Research and the Stanford Law School Securities Class Action Overall Clearinghouse identifying a shift in merger-related litigation from state to federal court. In the article, Mr. Gimbel also comments on other securities litigation trends, including a possible uptick in Securities ...

July 19, 2018, Covington Alert

Last week, in SEC v. Cohen, a federal district court dismissed an SEC enforcement action, in its entirety, on statute-of-limitations grounds. Most notably, citing the Supreme Court’s 2017 Kokesh decision, the court held that the injunction sought by the SEC in the case "would function at least partly to punish Defendants and is therefore a penalty" for purposes ...

July 9, 2018, Covington Alert

On June 28, 2018, the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”) issued a final rule amending the definition of “smaller reporting company” (“SRC”) to expand the number of registrants that will qualify for the scaled disclosure requirements applicable to SRCs.

June 28, 2018

NEW YORK—Corporate Board Member 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 corporate legal matters of national scope. “Covington is proud to be regarded by our ...

June 21, 2018, Bloomberg Law

David Kornblau is quoted in a Bloomberg Law article regarding the Supreme Court's ruling that SEC in-house judges are constitutional officers, a decision that left open the status of 1,900 other officials in similar roles at agencies including the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, National Labor Relations Board, and the Environmental Protection Agency. ...

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 20, 2018

NEW YORK—Covington advised Boston Children's Hospital in its monetization of a portion of its royalties relating to Vonvendi, a recombinant drug used to treat a common bleeding disorder called von Willebrand disease. The purchaser, Barings Alternative Investments, part of Barings LLC, on behalf of institutional investors, paid $51.5 million. Boston Children’s ...

June 18, 2018

NEW YORK—New York Law Journal has named Covington commercial litigation partner Christopher Y. L. Yeung as a winner of its 2018 "Rising Stars" award. Mr. Yeung represents clients in trials and other complex litigation. Within the past year, Mr. Yeung has helped secure the affirmance on appeal of a trade secrets trial victory with half a billion dollars at ...

June 14, 2018, Covington Alert

This week has brought three significant developments in Bank Secrecy Act/Anti-Money Laundering (“BSA/AML”) regulation and legislation.

June 14, 2018, New York Law Journal

Christopher Yeung was named among New York Law Journal's Rising Stars list.

June 5, 2018

WASHINGTON—Covington’s Insurance Recovery practice has received the 2018 Chambers USA "Award for Excellence" in Insurance, marking the seventh time the firm has received this honor in the 12 years it has been awarded. The "Award for Excellence" is given to one U.S. firm representing policyholders in the insurance coverage field. In addition to the award, ...

May 22, 2018

NEW YORK—Amy Wollensack and Sergio Urias have joined Covington in New York as co-chairs of its Private Equity practice.  Ms. Wollensack and Mr. Urias represent private equity sponsors in the acquisition and disposition of portfolio companies and investments across a wide range of industries. Mr. Urias, who practiced in Mexico before practicing in New York, also ...

May 22, 2018, Law360

Scott Smith, Amy Wollensack, and Sergio Urias are quoted in a Law360 article regarding Wollensack and Urias' arrival to Covington, where they will serve as co-chairs of the firm's Private Equity practice. According to Smith, the pair have strong reputations in the private equity community. "They bring the needed leadership for the future growth of our private ...

May 22, 2018, PE Hub

PE Hub highlights the arrival of Amy Wollensack and Sergio Urias to Covington, where they will serve as co-chairs of the firm's Private Equity practice.

May 22, 2018, The New York Law Journal

Amy Wollensack and Sergio Urias are quoted by The New York Law Journal in an article regarding their move to Covington where they will serve as co-chairs of the firm's Private Equity practice. “When someone calls you and says, ‘We have an opportunity for you to co-chair a practice group,’ particularly at a firm like Covington, where the practice is stellar,” ...

May 8, 2018, The AmLaw Litigation Daily

The AmLaw Litigation Daily highlights Covington’s work alongside the ACLU, the Southern Poverty Center, and prisoners’ rights litigator, Elizabeth Alexander, regarding a class action that was filed in the Southern District of Mississippi on behalf of the East Mississippi Correctional Facility’s prisoners, 80 percent of whom are mentally ill. “Prisoners suffer ...

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 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 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 19, 2018

WASHINGTON—The BTI Consulting Group has named Covington lawyers Andrew Smith, Jonathan Sperling, and Allan Topol to its 2018 “Client Service All-Stars” list, which recognizes “the leaders in superior client service.” Mr. Smith, based in Washington, advises clients on retail financial services, credit reporting, privacy, technology, and e-commerce issues. He ...

April 19, 2018, Law360

Kelly Labritz is quoted in a Law360 article regarding potential legal issues brought by alternative fund types. Commenting on the private equity secondaries market, Labritz says that lawyers wishing to be called upon for work on secondaries funds should ensure they are well-versed in both the areas of mergers and acquisitions and private equity fund formation, ...

April 16, 2018

NEW YORK—Covington advised Jefferies LLC as financial advisor to Oclaro, Inc. in its proposed acquisition by Lumentum Holdings Inc. The transaction values Oclaro at approximately $1.8 billion. Oclaro manufactures and sells optical components and modules for the long-haul, metro, and data center markets, providing solutions for optical networks and high-speed ...

April 3, 2018, Law360

Law360 highlights a decision by U.S. District Judge Louis L. Stanton who stated that a proposed class of Resource Capital Corp. shareholders could not pursue a suit on behalf of the real estate investment trust without the board of directors’ approval. Mark Gimbel, who represents the board and officers, said, “We are pleased with the court’s decision, which ...

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 28, 2018, Commercial Dispute Resolution

Commercial Dispute Resolution highlights the arrival of David Luttinger and Gerald Hodgkins at Covington. Commenting on Luttinger's addition, Mitchell Dolin says that the firm was “drawn to his superb national reputation as a trial lawyer in the coverage field and to his strengths as an individual and colleague.” According to David Kornblau, Hodgkins’ “broad ...

March 27, 2018, Covington Alert

China has reorganized many of the ministries and commissions under its chief executive body, the State Council, creating a new super-ministry to replace the China Food and Drug Administration (“CFDA”) and other healthcare agencies.

March 19, 2018, Covington Advisory

Cyberattacks targeting defense contractors illustrate the need for cybersecurity, for thoughtful planning—and for insurance when security and planning prove insufficient. Understanding your insurance policies before things go wrong can help ensure financial protection when they do.

March 5, 2018

LOS ANGELES—Covington partner Carolyn Kubota has been named a Fellow of the American College of Trial Lawyers, one of the premier legal associations in North America. Ms. Kubota is the seventh Covington lawyer among the current Fellows, joining Lanny Breuer, Robert Haslam, John Nields, George Pappas, William Phillips, and Robert Sayler. Ms. Kubota is a ...

March 2, 2018

NEW YORK—Covington advised Mavis Tire Holdings LLC, and its family owners, and other owners, including investment funds managed by ONCAP, in its agreement to merge with Express Oil Change & Tire Engineers, a Golden Gate Capital portfolio company, creating one of the largest independent automotive service platforms in the United States. Mavis Discount Tire, based ...

March 1, 2018, Covington Alert

Selections of Covington’s Intellectual Property Rights Group for the “Top Ten” most significant and interesting developments in U.S. trademark, false advertising, and right of publicity law during 2017.

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.

Spring 2018, Commercial Dispute Resolution

Nicole Duclos and Miguel López Forastier are quoted in a Commercial Dispute Resolution article regarding international arbitration in Latin America. According to Duclos, three indicators reflect the way the discipline “has continued to grow in popularity and acceptance.” These include: the proactive modernisation of many countries’ arbitration laws during the ...

February 28, 2018, Covington Report

In the highly politicized world of investigations involving Members of Congress and congressional staff, taking the right steps in the first hours and days can mean the difference between a swift resolution and a years-long crisis.

February 28, 2018, Bloomberg

Arlo Devlin-Brown is quoted in a Bloomberg article examining the uptick in European investors' using expert networks. “There’s no question that expert-networking firms can be misused by securities traders to obtain material non-public information from company insiders,” says Devlin-Brown. In Europe, “the securities industry would be well advised to use ...

February 27, 2018

WASHINGTON—Covington successfully represented Discovery Communications, Inc. in a U.S. Department of Justice investigation into Discovery’s acquisition of Scripps Networks Interactive. Discovery announced earlier today that the DOJ closed its investigation into the transaction. Discovery announced in July 2017 that it had reached a definitive agreement to ...

February 23, 2018, Covington Alert

On Wednesday, the Supreme Court issued its much-anticipated decision in Digital Realty Trust, Inc. v. Somers. Ruling 9-0, the Court held that the Dodd-Frank Act prohibits retaliation against whistleblowers only if they reported suspected wrongdoing directly to the SEC.

February 22, 2018

NEW YORK—Latinvex has named Covington partners Nicole Duclos and Gabriel Mesa among “Latin America’s Top 100 Lawyers” in 2018. Ms. Duclos represents clients in international commercial and investment arbitration, as well as transnational litigation. Clients interviewed by Latinvex praised Ms. Duclos’ extensive arbitration experience, noting that she is “ready to ...

February 22, 2018, Law360

David Kornblau is quoted in a Law360 article regarding the Supreme Court's decision in Digital Realty Trust Inc. v. Paul Somers. According to Kornblau, the justices essentially found that the argument in favor of a narrow definition of whistleblower was “so lopsided” that “they didn’t really need to get into any of the subtleties about the Chevron doctrine.” He ...

February 21, 2018

NEW YORK—David Luttinger has joined Covington as a partner in the firm’s Insurance Recovery practice in New York. Mr. Luttinger has more than 20 years of experience representing clients in the insurance coverage field, including extensive trial work in judicial and arbitral forums across the country. His experience in the coverage area includes disputes over ...

February 14, 2018, Covington Alert

The Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017 (the “Act”) became Pub. Law 115-97 on December 22, 2017. Many of its more startling provisions have become well known since then. Of less dramatic impact are several provisions affecting qualified employer plans, fringe benefits, and certain kinds of compensation. These provisions are described in this client alert. This client ...

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 2, 2018, Law360

Covington was named a 2017 White Collar Practice Group of the Year by Law360. Commenting on the firm's representation of Takata Corp. in its highly sensitive $1 billion deal with the U.S. Department of Justice over air bag inflators, Steven Fagell says, "It was a very sensitive and very complicated matter, and there were other regulators that had taken an ...

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 30, 2018, Law360

Jonathan Sperling is quoted in a Law360 article regarding the increase in the number of federal securities class actions. “The increase in federal securities class actions as reflected in the Cornerstone Report is largely due to a significant jump in M&A filings, and that jump is likely driven by the elimination of so-called disclosure-only settlements in ...

January 28, 2018, Law360

Nancy Kestenbaum is quoted in a Law360 article regarding the impact of the #MeToo movement on internal investigations. “The #MeToo movement has empowered more people to come forward and raise these issues at their companies or organizations,” says Kestenbaum. “And that has caused the organizations to examine those specific issues, or issues of harassment and ...

January 24, 2018, Covington Alert

Digital advertising typically involves a vast network of publishers, advertisers and their agencies, advertising exchanges and networks, technology platforms, and measurement and data analytics providers. To help streamline the commercial dealings of all of these parties in this complex ecosystem, advertising industry self-regulatory groups have developed ...

January 23, 2018, Global Arbitration Review

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, 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 2018, The American Lawyer

The American Lawyer named Covington a finalist for White Collar/Regulatory Litigation Department of the Year and highlights Eric Holder, Steven Fagell, Lanny Breuer, Nancy Kestenbaum, and Mythili Raman in its profile.

January 1, 2018, Law360

Donald Murray is quoted in a Law360 article regarding SEC Chairman Jay Clayton's efforts to make U.S. public markets more attractive. "It's no secret that he has capital formation, especially for smaller companies, in the middle of his gun sight," says Murray. "I think that we will see a thoughtful, continuous series of steps in toward lessening the burden, ...

January 1, 2018, Law360

David Kornblau is quoted in a Law360 article regarding upcoming Supreme Court cases that could impact how the SEC regulates the financial industry. Commenting on the Digital Realty litigation, which could lead to a ruling on the broader issue of the Chevron doctrine, Kornblau says, “If the court goes down that road, it might call into question all kinds of ...

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 18, 2017, Global Arbitration Review

December 17, 2017, The Wall Street Journal

Nancy Kestenbaum is quoted by The Wall Street Journal in an article regarding internal investigations at nonprofits. According to Kestenbaum, when reported incidents occurred decades ago, investigators looked for documents or multiple witnesses to substantiate claims. “You can be left with situations where you believe misconduct took place but you have ...

December 15, 2017, New York Law Journal

November 30, 2017

WASHINGTON—Covington represented Aristocrat Leisure Limited in its $990 million acquisition of Big Fish Games, Inc. This acquisition expands Aristocrat’s Social Gaming business into new game genres. Aristocrat is a global provider of gaming solutions. It offers a diverse range of products and services including electronic gaming machines and casino management ...

November 27, 2017, Law360

David Kornblau is quoted in a Law360 article regarding the upcoming Supreme Court case focusing on the reach of whistleblower protections under the Dodd-Frank Act. According to Kornblau, if the high court expands the scope of the case to include a review of the Chevron doctrine it could have important ramifications for all federal regulatory agencies in terms of ...

November 20, 2017, Compliance Reporter

David Kornblau is quoted in a Compliance Reporter article regarding the SEC's annual enforcement report for 2017. According to Kornblau, the report showed a decrease in enforcement actions compared to the prior year, as the industry expects a downshift in regulation by the agency under new SEC Chair Jay Clayton. “My sense is that the overall level of new ...

November 17, 2017, MSNBC

Arlo Devlin-Brown appeared MSNBC to discuss money laundering concerns that might arise when a company or individual licenses its name to another company for use. According to Devlin-Brown, "The fact that it was licensing its name really doesn't make a difference at all in terms of how U.S. money laundering law operates."

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 14, 2017

WASHINGTON—Covington advised the underwriters in the $100 million initial public offering of Merchants Bancorp. Merchants Bancorp is a diversified bank holding company headquartered in Carmel, Indiana. Merchants currently operates multiple lines of business with a focus on Federal Housing Administration multi-family housing and healthcare facility financing and ...

November 7, 2017, Covington Alert

On November 1, 2017, the staff of the Division of Corporation Finance of the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “Staff”) published Staff Legal Bulletin No. 14I (“SLB 14I”), which includes important new guidance regarding the Staff’s administration of the SEC’s shareholder proposal rule.

November 6, 2017, Covington Alert

China has recently announced several initiatives to reform its regulation of drugs and medical devices that could have a significant impact on pharmaceutical and medical device companies doing business in China.

November 3, 2017

NEW YORK—Covington represented Jefferies LLC as exclusive financial advisor to Advanced Accelerator Applications S.A. (AAAP) in its $3.9 billion all cash sale to Novartis AG. Based in Saint-Genis-Pouilly, France, AAAP is a radiopharmaceutical company developing, producing, and commercializing molecular nuclear medicine theragnostics. AAA’s theragnostic platform ...

November 2, 2017, BioWorld MedTech

John Balzano is quoted in a BioWorld MedTech article regarding the decision by Chinese regulators to accept data from clinical trials conducted outside China for approvals of new drugs and medical devices. “In general, this statement is part of a long-term effort by the government and the China Food and Drug Administration that has been ongoing since 2015 to ...

November 2, 2017, Covington Alert

On October 23, 2017, the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”) issued an order granting approval of a proposal by the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (the “PCAOB”) to adopt Auditing Standard (“AS”) 3101, The Auditor’s Report on an Audit of Financial Statements When the Auditor Expresses an Unqualified Opinion, and related amendments to other ...

November 1, 2017

WASHINGTON—Covington represented CenturyLink in its acquisition of Level 3 Communications in a cash and stock transaction valued at approximately $34 billion. The acquisition closed today. The firm assisted Century Link in obtaining regulatory approvals by the Federal Communications Commission and state public utilities regulators, and in national security ...

October 27, 2017

NEW YORK—Covington represented SK Holdings Co., Ltd. in its acquisition of a significant minority interest in Eureka Midstream Holdings, LLC, a midstream energy company that owns and operates approximately 340 miles of gas gathering pipelines in Ohio and West Virginia. The transaction closed in early October 2017. SK Group is a top three conglomerate in South ...

October 27, 2017, Law360

David Kornblau participated in a panel discussion at the Securities Enforcement Forum 2017 and is quoted in a Law360 article examining an upcoming Supreme Court ruling in a case challenging the Dodd-Frank Act's ban on retaliation against whistleblowers. According to Kornblau, the main takeaway for companies and employees watching the case is “what’s not at ...

October 26, 2017, The National Law Journal

David Kornblau participated in a panel discussion at the Securities Enforcement Forum 2017 and is quoted in a National Law Journal article. Commenting on whistleblower protections ahead of an upcoming Supreme Court decision, Kornblau says, "For companies, there really are risks either way this case comes out."

October 16, 2017, Global Arbitration Review

October 13, 2017, Covington Alert

Beginning October 31, 2017, New York City employers will no longer be permitted to ask job applicants about their salary history or rely on a job applicant’s salary history in determining the potential salary or benefits for that applicant. The new legislation, which applies to all employees working in New York City and was signed by Mayor Bill de Blasio in May, ...

October 10, 2017, Commercial Dispute Resolution

Commercial Dispute Resolution highlights Covington's 16-partner promotion, as well as the arrivals of Jennifer Saulino and Stephen Rademaker.

October 9, 2017

NEW YORK—Covington advised the underwriters in a registered public offering by The Clorox Company in an aggregate principal amount of $400 million. Clorox is a leading multinational manufacturer and marketer of consumer and professional products based in Oakland, California. Clorox markets some of the most recognized consumer brand names, including its namesake ...

October 6, 2017

NEW YORK, October 5, 2017—Covington advised Zoetis Inc. in an underwritten public offering of its investment grade notes in an aggregate principal amount of $1.25 billion. Zoetis is a global leader in the discovery, development, manufacture, and commercialization of animal health medicines and vaccines, with a focus on both livestock and companion animals. This ...

October 3, 2017, Law360

John Hall and Jennifer Saulino are quoted in a Law360 article regarding her return to Covington as a partner in the firm's Litigation and Investigations practice. According to Hall, Saulino has “earned the respect and admiration of her colleagues and adversaries” in the courtroom with both her skills and her willingness to take on the most difficult cases. ...

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, Federal Sentencing Reporter

September 29, 2017, Law360

David Kornblau is quoted in a Law360 article regarding the effect the Supreme Court's upcoming docket may have on the legal framework for the securities industry. Commenting on the Digital Realty litigation, which focuses on the reach of Dodd-Frank Act’s whistleblower protections, Kornblau says, "This is one where the agency has actually gone through the process ...

September 22, 2017, Law360

Donald Murray is quoted in a Law360 article regarding the upcoming slate of six initial public offerings that could raise $1.25 billion. “I think there is some good runway over the next few months to get deals done," says Murray. 

September 13, 2017, Covington Alert

The universe of those covered by the SEC’s pay-to-play restrictions is expanding. If a newly proposed SEC rule is adopted as expected, pay-to-play restrictions will now extend to cover the recently created class of broker-dealers called Capital Acquisition Brokers (“CABs”).

August 30, 2017

NEW YORK—Covington advised Howard Bancorp, Inc., the bank holding company for Howard Bank, in its acquisition of First Mariner Bank, a community bank headquartered in Baltimore, Maryland. The transaction value is approximately $163.4 million. The Covington team consisted of Michael Reed, Rusty Conner, Chris DeCresce, Matt Wood, and Nora Diamond-Jones(corporate); ...

August 28, 2017, Covington Alert

The U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission (the “CFTC” or the “Commission”) has been very active since the beginning of this year, despite the change in Presidential Administration, the lack (until recently) of appointed Commissioners, and the turnover of leadership at both the Commission and Division level. Notably, the Commission has announced over 20 ...

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 16, 2017

WASHINGTON—Covington is advising Mexichem, S.A.B. de C.V. on its $1.895 billion acquisition of an 80 percent stake in Netafim, Ltd., the world’s largest irrigation company, from private equity and buyout firm Permira, Kibbutz Magal and Kibbutz Hatzerim. Kibbutz Hatzerim will retain a 20 percent stake. Covington has also been assisting with the related ...

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 15, 2017

WASHINGTON—Covington, together with Israeli-based law firm Allens and Herzog Fox & Neeman, is representing Aristocrat Leisure Limited, a leading provider of gaming solutions, in its acquisition of Plarium Global Limited and the related acquisition financing.  Aristocrat will make an upfront cash payment of $500 million plus earn-out payments based on Plarium’s ...

August 15, 2017

SILICON VALLEY—Covington secured a significant patent infringement victory on behalf of Elbit Systems Ltd. over its groundbreaking patent relating to high-speed satellite communications.  A jury in the Unites States District Court for the Eastern District of Texas awarded Elbit Systems $21,075,000 in damages, exclusive of pre-judgment interest and post-verdict ...

August 10, 2017

NEW YORK—Covington advised the underwriters in a $138 million follow-on public offering of common stock by Repligen Corporation. Covington previously represented the underwriters in Repligen's $115 million convertible note offering in May 2016. Repligen is a bioprocessing company focused on the manufacture of Protein A ligands, cell culture growth factors, and ...

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 3, 2017, GamblingCompliance

Arlo Devlin-Brown is quoted in a Gambling Compliance article regarding the crackdown by U.S. law enforcement on offshore gambling following the conclusion of Bodog founder Calvin Ayre's U.S. criminal case. According to Devlin-Brown, the resolution of Ayre’s case, “very likely reflects the fact-specific circumstances and cleaning up of an old case rather than the ...

July 31, 2017, Law360

Arlo Devlin-Brown is quoted in a Law360 article regarding the complications surrounding political contributions for lawyers working with the public sector following the indictment of Allentown Mayor Ed Pawlowski. According to Devlin-Brown, "The Supreme Court has indicated that in the context of campaign contributions, compared to other benefits that go to ...

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 19, 2017, The New York Times

Former Chief of the Public Corruption Unit for the U.S. Attorney's Office in the Southern District of New York Arlo Devlin-Brown is quoted by The New York Times in an article regarding trends in jury selection. Generally, prosecutors look for “people who are community-minded,” like people who are married, employed in a role that requires dealing with others or ...

July 14, 2017, New York Law Journal

The New York Law Journal highlights an article by Arlo Devlin-Brown and Erin Monju on the Supreme Court's decision in McDonnell. “The reality is that McDonnell is of limited significance: It prevents prosecutors from bringing only the weakest of public corruption cases, those where the prosecution lacks even circumstantial evidence that a corrupt payoff was for ...

July 14, 2017, Law360

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 6, 2017, Law360

Jack Bodner is quoted in a Law360 article regarding the U.S. mergers and acquisitions market. “We've seen and I think we'll continue to see good M&A activity in the nonmegadeal and middle market tier. We've seen less and I think we'll continue to see less activity than the most robust years in the megadeal area, but overall it's been a busy year for M&A in ...

July 6, 2017, The Recorder

Carolyn Kubota and John Hall are quoted by The Recorder in an article regarding Kubota's recent arrival to Covington's Litigation and White Collar Defense and Investigations practices in Los Angeles. “I hope I’ll be able to expand the work I’m doing for pharma companies to other companies and broaden, rather than change, [my practice],” Kubota says. According to ...

July 6, 2017, Daily Journal

John Hall and Carolyn Kubota are quoted in a Daily Journal article regarding Kubota's recent arrival to Covington's Los Angeles office. According to Hall, "Carolyn is a world-class litigator with an exceptional track record of trial success, and her tenacity and depth of experience will be highly valuable to our clients," adding that her track record of handling ...

July 6, 2017, Law360

Carolyn Kubota and John Hall are quoted in a Law360 article regarding Kubota's arrival to Covington's Los Angeles office as a partner in the firm's Litigation and White Collar Defense and Investigations practices. “A friend of mine once said, [trials] are the most fun you can have wearing a suit, and I’m a strong believer in that,” Kubota says. “I find [that], ...

July 5, 2017, Covington Alert

On June 29, 2017, the Division of Corporate Finance of the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “Division”) announced that it will permit all companies to submit drafts of certain registration statements to the Division on a confidential basis, expanding a popular privilege that was made available to emerging growth companies (“EGCs”) under the Jumpstart Our ...

June 20, 2017, Covington Alert

On June 12, 2017, the U.S. Department of the Treasury released the first of a series of reports recommending changes to the financial system in a manner consistent with a set of Core Principles set forth in President Trump’s Executive Order No. 13,772 of February 3, 2017 (the “Report”). The Report focuses on the depository system, including banks, savings ...

June 20, 2017, Covington Alert

In a case that has drawn significant media attention for its potential effect on the Washington Redskins organization, the U.S. Supreme Court held on Monday, June 19, that the United States Patent and Trademark Office (“PTO”) cannot deny a trademark registration on the basis that the proposed mark may “disparage” “persons, living or dead, institutions, beliefs, ...

June 15, 2017, Law360

Kelly Labritz and William Sturman are quoted in a Law360 article regarding the private equity secondaries market. According to Labritz, working on secondaries transactions involves a combination of skills from multiple different practice types. In order to properly advise PE clients looking to do secondaries deals, you should be well-versed in the areas of ...

June 15, 2017, Regulatory Compliance Watch

David Kornblau is quoted in a Regulatory Compliance Watch article regarding the Supreme Court's decision mandating a five-year statute of limitations on disgorgement assessed by the SEC. Commenting on the SEC's options, Kornblau says that one thing that the agency could do is rename disgorgement, “calling it restitution." The agency could argue that restitution ...

June 13, 2017, Business Insurance

David Kornblau is quoted in a Business Insurance article regarding the effect of the Supreme Court ruling in Kokesh on SEC disgorgement attempts. According to Kornblau, “It’s a highly significant ruling, not only because of the statute of limitations, but because it puts into play whether the SEC has the power to obtain disgorgement from a federal court in any ...

June 7, 2017, Covington Alert

On Monday, in Kokesh v. SEC, the Supreme Court handed a major loss to the Securities and Exchange Commission, unanimously holding that SEC claims for disgorgement of ill-gotten gains are subject to a five-year statute of limitations. The Kokesh decision also calls into question the proper measure of disgorgement (e.g., gross versus net profits) and even whether ...

May 26, 2017

SAN FRANCISCO AND NEW YORK—Latinvex has again selected Covington partners Tammy Albarrán and Nicole Duclos to its annual list of the “Top 100 Female Lawyers” focusing on Latin America at international law firms. Ms. Albarrán was selected a top practitioner in the FCPA & Fraud category, while Ms. Duclos was selected in the Arbitration & Litigation category.  Ms. ...

May 24, 2017

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 corporate legal matters of national scope. “Covington is proud that we are ...

May 19, 2017, New York Law Journal

The New York Law Journal describes the plea agreement with the Department of Justice obtained by Arlo Devlin-Brown in his representation of Anthony Weiner in connection with the federal investigation into the exchange of sexually explicit messages with a minor. While Mr. Weiner could have been charged with an offense requiring a mandatory minimum sentence of 15 ...

May 19, 2017, The New York Times

The New York Times highlights Arlo Devlin-Brown's representation of Anthony Weiner during a federal investigation into the exchange of sexually explicit messages with a minor. Under Devlin-Brown's counsel, Weiner entered into a plea agreement which ended the investigation on May 19, 2017. Devlin-Brown said that his client had “accepted full responsibility” for ...

May 19, 2017

NEW YORK—Covington advised Perella Weinberg Partners as financial advisor to Kate Spade & Company in connection with its sale to Coach, Inc. for approximately $2.4 billion. Kate Spade & Company is a fashion company that designs and markets a range of women's and men's apparel, accessories, and fragrance products under the Kate Spade New York and Jack Spade ...

May 2017, Corporate Counsel

Corporate Counsel features Covington's "across-the-board trial win" on behalf of McKesson in a trade secrets case with half a billion dollars at stake. Clara Shin, who led the Covington team, says, "I'm proud of the fact we came in five months before trial and took a fresh look at the record.” She adds, "In addition to showing [PSKW] was not able to prove their ...

April 14, 2017, Harvard Law School Entertainment Symposium

April 14, 2017, 6th Annual NYU Sports Law Colloquium

April 14, 2017, Harvard Law School Entertainment Symposium

April 11, 2017

NEW YORK — Covington’s Philip Howard has been appointed to President Donald J. Trump’s “Strategic and Policy Forum” by its chair, Stephen A. Schwarzman, the Chairman, CEO, and Co-Founder of Blackstone. Composed of CEOs and business leaders, the “Strategic and Policy Forum” is charged with providing their views to the President — informed by their unique vantage ...

April 7, 2017, Covington Alert

On March 17, 2017, the China Food and Drug Administration (“CFDA”) released a notice to seek public comments on four proposed adjustments to China’s drug registration requirements (“Proposed Adjustments”) that will remove some barriers to applications for clinical trials and drug registrations of imported drugs (drugs that are manufactured outside of China). The ...

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 ...

April 2017, The American Lawyer

Covington’s successful representation of McKesson in a trade secrets case with half a billion dollars at stake is featured in The American Lawyer’s “Big Suits” section. According to Clara Shin, "In addition to showing [PSKW] was not able to prove their case, we used documents we found to tell an affirmative story that [McKesson] developed" the co-pay method on ...

March 13, 2017, The Street

Arlo Devlin-Brown is quoted by The Street in an article regarding the removal of Preet Bharara from his position as U.S. Attorney General of the Southern District of New York by the Trump Administration and its effect on the future of financial enforcement prosecutions. According to Devlin-Brown, "Historically, U.S. attorneys for the Southern District of New ...

March 13, 2017, Law360

Arlo Devlin-Brown is quoted in a Law360 article regarding the effect of the removal of Preet Bharara from his position as U.S. Attorney General of the Southern District of New York on the independence of the Office. "[Bharara] wasn’t afraid of losing, and I think that made a big difference and inspired confidence in the prosecutors who worked for him," says ...

March 2017

February 28, 2017

NEW YORK—Tom Kuhn has joined Covington’s Mergers and Acquisitions practice, and will focus on media and technology transactions. He will be based in the firm’s New York office. Mr. Kuhn is a seasoned M&A deal maker, with experience both as a lawyer and as a banker. He also advises on corporate governance matters and provides strategic counseling. He has ...

February 27, 2017

NEW YORK—Latinvex has named Covington partners Gabriel Mesa and Nicole Duclos among “Latin America’s Top 100 Lawyers” in 2017. Mr. Mesa counsels corporations in joint ventures and private mergers and acquisitions in Latin America and other emerging markets, as well as in the United States. A client described Mr. Mesa as "an excellent lawyer,” noting that his ...

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 24, 2017, Law360

Donald Murray is quoted in a Law360 article regarding SNAP Inc.’s expected $3 billion initial public offering. According to Murray, “There are so many unusual aspects to this offering that it’s going to be hard to draw any conclusions from it.” Commenting on the effect of the deal on future IPO candidates, Murray says, “I think it’s far more important not to ...

February 23, 2017, The Litigation Daily

Ben Razi and Bruce Baird were named “Litigators of the Week” by The Litigation Daily for successfully representing Efans Trading Corporation in a civil forfeiture case against the U.S. Government. Following a seven-day trial before U.S. District Court Judge Katherine Polk Failla in the Southern District of New York, the Covington team persuaded the jury that the ...

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. trademark, false advertising, and right of publicity law during 2016.

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 15, 2017

John Hall and Deborah Garza are quoted in a Commercial Dispute Resolution article regarding likely litigation challenges in 2017. According to Hall, Covington’s workload is at historic highs, with “no sign of that upward trend abating,” noting that the changing legal and regulatory environment would continue to create demand. Commenting on antitrust and the ...

February 14, 2017, Harvard Law School Forum on Corporate Governance and Financial Regulation

February 13, 2017, Litigation Daily

Litigation Daily highlights Covington’s successful representation of McKesson in relation to a trade secrets case with half a billion dollars at stake. According to Clara Shin, "In addition to showing [PSKW] was not able to prove their case, we used documents we found to tell an affirmative story that [McKesson] developed" the co-pay method on its own. She adds, ...

February 13, 2017, Law360

Law360 highlights Covington’s successful representation of McKesson in relation to a trade secrets case with half a billion dollars at stake. According to Clara Shin, “We’re gratified by the court’s judgment, which confirms McKesson independently developed its LoyaltyScript product.”  The Covington team also included Nathan Shafroth, Robert Haslam, Christopher ...

February 10, 2017

SAN FRANCISCO—After being retained just months before trial, Covington obtained a complete defense victory for a subsidiary of McKesson Corporation in a trade secrets bench trial in which plaintiff sought damages of nearly half a billion dollars.  In a lawsuit commenced in 2007, plaintiff PSKW accused McKesson of using its “new payment method” to develop ...

February 7, 2017, Covington Alert

While the general direction of the Trump Administration to “scrap the Clean Power Plan” and promote more fossil fuel production is reflected in the “America First Energy Plan” released by the White House on inauguration day, the first two weeks of the Administration have revealed little new information on specific policies the Administration intends to pursue ...

February 3, 2017, Law360

Bruce Bennett is quoted in a Law360 article providing tips for British banks under the Trump Administration’s approach to financial reform. Commenting on the full repeal of Dodd-Frank, Bennett says, “[it] would be very difficult for a variety of reasons.” He adds, “Our sense is, in the overall hierarchy of priorities the new president has, this isn’t at the ...

February 1, 2017, Global Investigations Review

Arlo Devlin-Brown is quoted by Global Investigations Review in an article analyzing the rise in the number of large corporate settlements found in this year’s “GIR Enforcement Scorecard.” According to Devlin-Brown, once the DOJ finds evidence of misconduct at one institution, it often investigates if the same kind of wrongdoing is taking place at similar ...

February 1, 2017, Covington Alert

The Delaware Court of Chancery earlier this week ruled that the protection of the business judgment rule afforded to directors involved in a change of control transaction that is approved by a majority of fully informed, disinterested stockholders—as reinforced by the Delaware Supreme Court in 2015 in Corwin v. KKR Financial Holdings LLC (discussed in our prior ...

January 31, 2017, Compliance Reporter

David Kornblau is quoted in a Compliance Reporter article regarding industry’s reaction to the SEC’s 2017 examination priorities. “I think everybody is waiting with bated breath to see if the priorities and philosophy of the agency will take a different direction once Clayton and other commissioners are confirmed,” says Kornblau. “We are all in a guessing game ...

January 30, 2017

WASHINGTON—Covington represented India-based Piramal Enterprises and its wholly owned Critical Care subsidiary in the UK in its agreement to acquire a portfolio of intrathecal spasticity and pain management drugs from Mallinckrodt LLC.  The purchase price was $171 million, plus an earn-out of up to an additional $32 million. This is the third acquisition that ...

January 30, 2017, New York Law Journal

January 23, 2017, Covington Alert

On January 9, 2017, eight Chinese ministries announced a significant new policy that aims to reduce marked-up prices and corruption in multi-tier distribution chains. The policy effectively requires that under most circumstances, at most two invoices may be issued throughout the distribution chain, with one from the manufacturer to a distributor and another from ...

January 19, 2017, Covington Alert

One of the most sweeping changes brought about by the Dodd-Frank Act was the introduction of a new regulatory framework for swaps trading. In 2013, the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (“CFTC”) finalized its rules on swap execution facilities (“SEFs”) and swaps trading on SEFs. Less than four years after these rules were finalized, the change in Presidential ...

January 4, 2017, Covington Alert

One piece of the ongoing debate over the Securities and Exchange Commission’s use of Administrative Law Judges to adjudicate enforcement actions may be heading to the U.S. Supreme Court. On December 27, 2016, in Bandimere v. SEC, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit invalidated SEC sanctions against an individual on the ground that the ALJ who ...

January 2, 2017, Law360

Leonard Chazen is quoted in a Law360 article regarding trends that will shape shareholder activism in 2017. According to Chazen, “[If] you have an activist campaign that is really financial engineering without a persuasive critique of the company’s business plan, I think it is hard for an activist to win.”

December 22, 2016, Law360

Donald Murray is quoted in a Law360 article providing an overview of trends that shaped the IPO landscape in 2016. Commenting on health care deal flow and the effect of financial struggles in the specialty pharma area, Murray says, “That had at least a psychological, depressing effect on investors’ appetite during the course of the year.”

December 21, 2016

NEW YORK—Covington was honored at the Americas M&A Atlas Awards ceremony held in New York on December 6. The firm was recognized for Cross Border Deal of the Year in connection with its representation of Grupo P.I. Mabe S.A., a Mexican manufacturer of disposable hygienic products, in its sale to Ontex, Ltd., a publicly traded international producer of personal ...

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 8, 2016, Covington Alert

On December 6, 2016, in the first insider trading case the Supreme Court has decided in nearly two decades, the Court, in Salman v. United States, unanimously upheld a conviction for trading based on material non-public information provided by the defendant’s brother-in-law as a gift. The decision was a big win for the Department of Justice and the Securities ...

December 6, 2016, Fortune

Arlo Devlin-Brown is quoted in a Fortune article regarding the significance of the Supreme Court’s decision to uphold the insider trading conviction of Bassam Salman. “The government was concerned because [the Newman decision] would have left large holes in the insider trading law,” says Devlin-Brown. “Salman largely fixes that.”  Devlin-Brown adds, however, ...

December 6, 2016, The Wall Street Journal

Arlo Devlin-Brown is quoted by The Wall Street Journal in an article regarding the Supreme Court’s ruling in the Salman case which restores some of the power the government lost in a 2014 federal case relating to insider trading prosecutions.  According to Devlin-Brown, “The problem with the word friend is that it is very elastic. People have dozens of Facebook ...

December 6, 2016, Law360

Arlo Devlin-Brown is quoted in a Law360 article regarding the significance of the Supreme Court’s insider trading case involving Bassam Salman. According to Devlin-Brown, “I think it’s a big win for the DOJ and the SEC, and it really clears a path towards more aggressive insider trading enforcement.” Devlin-Brown adds that the holding in Salman covers “nearly ...

December 6, 2016, Reuters

Arlo Devlin-Brown is quoted by Reuters in an article regarding the Supreme Court’s ruling in the Salman case which makes it easier to prosecute insider trading cases. According to Devlin-Brown, the decision also "leaves open the question of whether someone who is at the boundaries of what would be considered a real friend could count, like a minor acquaintance."

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 6, 2016, Covington Alert

In late October, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) proposed long-awaited changes to the proxy rules that would require parties in a contested election of directors to distribute universal proxy cards, i.e., a proxy card that includes director candidates nominated by a company’s management as well as those nominated by a shareholder. Under current ...

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 30, 2016, The New York Times

Arlo Devlin-Brown is quoted by The New York Times in an article regarding Preet Bharara’s intention to remain as U.S. Attorney in the Southern District of New York under President-elect Donald Trump. According to Devlin-Brown, “Preet has shown as a prosecutor that he is willing to take on the political establishment.” He continues, “He’s also shown he can win. ...

November 30, 2016, Reuters

Arlo Devlin-Brown is quoted in a Reuters article regarding Preet Bharara’s decision to remain as U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York after Donald Trump becomes president. According to Devlin-Brown, “I think Preet is an independent, law enforcement-minded prosecutor who loves his job and is clearly talented in it.”

November 23, 2016

NEW YORK—Covington is advising Cantor Fitzgerald as financial advisor to Signal Genetics in connection with Signal’s merger transaction with miRagen Therapeutics. Signal is a commercial stage, molecular diagnostic company that provides innovative diagnostic services that help physicians make better-informed decisions concerning the care of cancer patients. ...

November 14, 2016, The New Yorker

In a New Yorker article regarding potential conflicts of interest in President-elect Donald Trump’s administration, Arlo Devlin-Brown comments on the importance of avoiding even ‘the appearance of impropriety’ for companies doing business with the Trump Organization.

November 14, 2016, Covington Alert

On November 8, 2016, American voters elected Republican Donald J. Trump as President. In addition, Republicans maintained control of the House of Representatives and the Senate. As the campaign rhetoric fades into the background over the coming weeks and months, the business of transitioning to a new administration will begin in earnest. The results of the ...

November 13, 2016, The Wall Street Journal

Arlo Devlin-Brown is quoted by The Wall Street Journal in an article regarding the uncertainty surrounding the types of cases the U.S. Justice Department will pursue during Donald Trump’s presidency. According to Devlin-Brown, “It is only in rare circumstances that a leadership change impacts prosecutions or well-developed investigations already in progress at ...

November 7, 2016, Agenda

Barbara Hoffman and Lindsay Burke are quoted in an Agenda article regarding the SEC’s continued interest in restrictive confidentiality agreements that could deter employees from reporting company violations to authorities.  According to Hoffman, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration administers a number of whistle-blowing programs for federal ...

November 4, 2016, FDAnews

John Balzano participated in an FDAnews webinar and is quoted in an article regarding China FDA’s proposed expanded requirements for medical device recalls and higher fines for manufacturers that fail to issue recalls. According to Balzano, to be eligible for the accelerated pathway for breakthrough medical devices, the intellectual property for the device needs ...

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 20, 2016, Covington Alert

On October 19, 2016, the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System (Federal Reserve), Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC), and Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) (collectively the “Agencies”) released a joint Advance Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (ANPR) requesting public comment on enhanced cybersecurity standards that would apply to ...

October 14, 2016, Law360

October 12, 2016, Covington Alert

Insider trading is a familiar term to participants in the equities markets; however, this term now has application in the swaps, futures, and commodities markets regulated by the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC). In a time of aggressive enforcement, financial market participants should be aware that insider trading is a high priority for the CFTC ...

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 5, 2016

NEW YORK—David Schwartzbaum has joined Covington as a partner in the Mergers and Acquisitions practice resident in New York. Mr. Schwartzbaum represents buyers, sellers, and financial advisors in public and private M&A transactions.   “David has a strong reputation for representing investment banks and financial advisors in M&A transactions, and he will play an ...

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 ...

September 29, 2016, Inspection Insider

John Balzano participated in an FDAnews webinar and is quoted in an Inspection Insider article regarding China FDA’s proposed rules that increase penalties for devicemakers that fail to issue recalls. Commenting on the agency’s “accelerated pathway” for breakthrough medical devices, Balzano says that in order to be eligible for the pathway, the devices’ ...

September 12, 2016, International Devices & Diagnostics Monitor

John Balzano participated in an FDAnews webinar and is quoted in an International Devices & Diagnostics Monitor article regarding China’s changing device regulations. According to Balzano, "Overall, they're going to want to make sure that they have a regulatory structure in place that facilitates the most innovative applications and the applications for devices ...

September 8, 2016, The New York Times

Arlo Devlin-Brown is quoted in a New York Times article regarding the Department of Justice’s decision to end its corruption case against Robert McDonnell. According to Devlin-Brown, “When a new legal standard is articulated by the Supreme Court and there’s a need to potentially retry the case, prosecutors make a very particularized assessment as to whether, No. ...

August 30, 2016, Global Investigations Review

Global Investigations Review highlights Covington’s role in helping AB InBev secure a declination notice from the U.S. Department of Justice in an FCPA investigation regarding the company’s business partners in India. The Covington team was led by Steven Fagell, who worked with Lanny Breuer, Jason Criss, and Benjamin Haley on the matter.

August 30, 2016, Covington Alert

As election season enters full swing, with political candidates at all levels actively soliciting campaign donations from individuals and companies, it is an ideal time for all companies to review the policies and procedures in place for political donations. While the SEC’s pay-to-play rules governing registered investment advisers and their “covered associates” ...

August 25, 2016, Bloomberg BNA

Leonard Chazen is quoted in a Bloomberg BNA article regarding trends and trajectories involving activist investor campaigns. According to Chazen, the increase in the number of activist funds as well as the amount of money flowing into the funds was fueled by the traditional buy-and-hold hedge funds that were underperforming the market. He adds, activism is ...

August 12, 2016

WASHINGTON—Covington ranked 11th in Law360’s inaugural “Litigation Powerhouses” feature, a list of the top 50 litigation firms. Law360 chose firms based on the size of their litigation practice, the nature of firms’ litigation victories over a yearlong period, and new client matters. In its profile of the firm, Law360 highlights Covington’s three consecutive ...

August 12, 2016, Law360

John Hall, Paul Schmidt, Michael Imbroscio, and Stephen Anthony are quoted in the Law360 profile of the firm for the “Litigation Powerhouse” series. According to Hall, “What we have that other firms don't have is this incredible depth of regulatory and prior government experience that we bring to bear in almost all of our matters.” Schmidt, commenting on the ...

August 8, 2016

NEW YORK—Arlo Devlin-Brown, most recently the Chief of the Public Corruption Unit in the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York and one of its top securities fraud prosecutors, has joined Covington as a partner in its white collar defense and investigations practice resident in the firm’s New York office. Mr. Devlin-Brown has served in the ...

August 8, 2016, NY Daily News

Arlo Devlin-Brown is quoted in a NY Daily News article regarding a potential increase in activity from the U.S. Attorney’s office in the Southern District of New York ahead of a possible change in leadership. “I’ve never been pressured, or heard of anyone else having been pressured, to push a case out faster because of an expected departure.” He continues, “The ...

August 5, 2016

NEW YORK—Covington advised Dana-Farber Cancer Institute in its monetization of a portion of its interest in royalties related to its Programmed Death Ligand-1 (PD-L1) intellectual property. PD-L1 inhibitors are immuno-oncology drugs used for the treatment of various types of metastatic cancer. CPPIB Credit Europe S.à r.l., a wholly owned subsidiary of Canada ...

August 1, 2016

WASHINGTON—The American Lawyer has named Covington to its 2016 “A-List,” an annual ranking of the top 20 firms based on revenue per lawyer, pro bono commitment, diversity, and associate satisfaction. Covington has appeared on the “A-List” eleven times since this honor was introduced in 2003. “We are extremely pleased to have again been named to The American ...

August 1, 2016, InsidePrivacy Blog

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

WASHINGTON—The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit has ruled in favor of Covington’s client Microsoft Corporation in its challenge to a U.S. warrant seeking customer emails stored in Ireland.  Microsoft argued that the warrant—issued under the Electronic Communications Privacy Act (ECPA)—could not be used to obtain emails stored abroad because it would ...

July 12, 2016, Covington Alert

In its recent In re Volcano Corporation Stockholder Litigation decision, the Delaware Court of Chancery extended the “cleansing effect” of the majority vote of fully informed, uncoerced, and disinterested stockholders in favor of a merger not subject to the entire fairness standard—as reinforced by the Delaware Supreme Court last fall in Corwin v. KKR Financial ...

July 7, 2016, Covington Alert

The Brazilian financial industry has long been a target of cyber criminals, and with the continued growth of sophisticated online banking services in Brazil, such systems are a prime target for organized crime. In addition, among the emerging BRICS countries (Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa), Brazil is on a par with China and Russia in terms of ...

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 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, Mealey's Litigation Report: Insurance

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 14, 2016, Covington Alert

Two recent litigation developments involving cyber insurance serve as a useful reminder to policyholders: a cyber policy purchase can be full of traps for the unwary. This alert discusses the traps that resulted in one company losing coverage for a major portion of its losses from a payment card data breach, while another company faces a lawsuit by its cyber ...

June 13, 2016, Covington Alert

The Federal Reserve has recently sent non-compliance notices to U.S. issuers of foreign-currency denominated bonds that are sold abroad (“foreign bonds”), including Euro bonds, for failure to submit Treasury International Capital (TIC) Form SLT. Although the final instructions for Form SLT were promulgated in February 2011, this filing requirement has come as a ...

June 13, 2016, CDR News

Timothy Hester, Lanny Breuer, and Arlo Devlin-Brown are quoted in a CDR article regarding Devlin-Brown’s arrival. Devlin-Brown says he is “very pleased” to join the firm’s multinational white collar practice, praising its “extraordinary depth.” According to Hester, “Arlo’s deep experience in white-collar matters, particularly in the financial services sector, ...

June 7, 2016

WASHINGTON—Covington has again received top rankings from Chambers USA, with 60 practice rankings and 120 individual rankings for lawyers in the publication’s 2016 edition. The legal guide identifies leading lawyers and law firm practices based on interviews conducted by Chambers’ researchers with thousands of lawyers and their clients. The firm was ranked in ...

June 7, 2016, The New York Times

Lanny Breuer is quoted in a New York Times article regarding the upcoming arrival of Arlo Devlin-Brown to the firm’s white collar defense and investigations practice. According to Breuer, “[Devlin-Brown] has this exceptional level of experience, having done securities cases and corruption cases.” He continues, “He’ll very quickly become a central figure of the ...

June 7, 2016, New York Post

Arlo Devlin-Brown is quoted in a New York Post article regarding his decision to join Covington after serving as head of public corruption for Manhattan US Attorney Preet Bharara. “It’s been a great honor to serve in the U.S. Attorney’s Office for more than a decade, where I have had the privilege of challenging cases involving fraud and corruption in the worlds ...

June 7, 2016, Law360

Arlo Devlin-Brown is quoted in a Law360 article regarding his decision to join Covington after serving as New York’s top federal prosecutor for public corruption. According to Devlin-Brown, “I’m very pleased to join Covington’s exceptional white collar practice.”

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 ...

June 3, 2016

NEW YORK—Covington advised Beltone Financial Holding, a leading Egyptian investment bank, in its acquisition of 51 percent of Auerbach Grayson & Company, a New York brokerage firm specializing in global trade execution and research on developed, frontier, and emerging markets for U.S. institutional investors. This acquisition marks Beltone Financial’s entry into ...

May 31, 2016

NEW YORK—Covington is advising MagtiCom Ltd., the leading mobile operator in the Republic of Georgia, on its definitive agreement to acquire retail and corporate ISP cable assets from Caucasus Online LLC. The deal is expected to close on or around August 1, 2016. Following the successful conclusion of the transaction, MagtiCom will be the first and only operator ...

May 31, 2016

WASHINGTON—Covington advised Graham Media Group in its definitive agreement to purchase WCWJ, the CW affiliate serving Jacksonville, FL and WSLS-TV, the NBC affiliate serving Roanoke and Lynchburg, VA, from Nexstar Broadcasting Group and Media General. The Covington team included corporate partners Paul Rogers and Michael Cutler, with associate Adina Lord. ...

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 13, 2016, American Banker

Christopher DeCresce is quoted in this American Banker article exploring whether more fintech companies will seek bank charters. According to DeCresce, one sector in fintech that may soon be forced to look at the option is marketplace lenders. "They have to register in every state they want to do business in, and that can be a cumbersome process," he says. "A ...

May 12, 2016

WASHINGTON, DC — Covington advised China Molybdenum Co., Ltd (“CMOC”) on certain aspects of its agreement to acquire Freeport-McMoRan Inc.’s indirect 56% Interest in Tenke Fungurume for $2.65 billion in cash plus contingent consideration of up to $120 million. CMOC is primarily engaged in the mining, processing and marketing of mineral products. The acquisition ...

May 10, 2016, Harvard Corporate Governance

May 6, 2016, Covington Alert

New York’s highest court, in an opinion1 issued yesterday, adopted as New York law the test established by the Delaware Supreme Court in Kahn v. M&F Worldwide Corp. (“MFW”)2 for applying the business judgment rule to the review of going-private transactions by controlling shareholders. This important decision clarifies the standards applicable to directors of ...

May 5, 2016, Covington Alert

In re Viking Pump, Inc. & Warren Pumps, LLC, Insurance Appeals, No. 59 (N.Y. May 3, 2016) (“Viking Pump”), heralds a major development in New York insurance law to the benefit of policyholders facing claims that trigger multiple years of liability coverage as a result of continuous and progressive damage. In addressing the proper allocation method to apply to ...

April 28, 2016

NEW YORK — Covington advised Jefferies LLC as financial advisor to Cash America International, Inc. in connection with its merger with First Cash Financial Services, Inc. The pro-forma market value of equity of the transaction is valued at approximately $2.4 billion. Following the close of the transaction, First Cash shareholders will own approximately 58% of ...

April 27, 2016, Covington Alert

In late April 2016, federal financial regulators began the process of re-proposing rules (the “Proposal”) to implement restrictions on incentive-based compensation required by Section 956 of the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act (the “Dodd-Frank Act”). Section 956 directs a number of federal regulators (the “Agencies”) to jointly issue ...

April 25, 2016, International Devices & Diagnostics Monitor

John Balzano’s remarks from an FDAnews webinar are quoted extensively in this article on changes to Chinese device regulations. According to Balzano, it is important to consider a host of issues, such as whether the device will be manufactured in China. Understanding the finer points of the Chinese FDA guidances "can influence whether your application gets ...

April 22, 2016, Law360

Nicole Duclos is quoted in this Law360 article regarding the launch of the Covington Academy on International Arbitration with Columbia Law School. According to Duclos, the program will give participants an edge over those who might not otherwise have the opportunity to receive live feedback during the practical training exercises. “[W]e realized that the void ...

April 21, 2016

New York — Law360 has named Covington international arbitration partner David Pinsky a “Rising Star.” This annual recognition honors top attorneys under the age of 40 “whose legal accomplishments belie their age.” Law360 recognized how Mr. Pinsky, who leads Covington’s arbitration group’s Russia and Eurasia initiative, helped develop the firm’s Russia-focused ...

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 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 12, 2016

NEW YORK — Covington advised Turner Sports on the extension of its rights to distribute the NCAA men’s basketball tournament via a partnership with CBS. With the extension in place, Turner and CBS will hold the media rights for “March Madness” through 2032. The new agreement allows the networks to distribute the tournament games across a wide range of their ...

April 8, 2016

NEW YORK — Covington advised Emmy and Golden Globe-winning producer Ben Silverman on the creation of Propagate Content, a media production and distribution company. A+E has agreed to fund the company with $30 million in equity and has committed to buy $15 million in scripted or unscripted projects in a five-year deal. Propagate has already signed Will.i.am and ...

April 4, 2016, Law360

Donald Murray is quoted in this Law360 article exploring the 506(c) provision and Regulation A-Plus of the JOBS Act. Murray thinks Regulation A-Plus offerings could struggle to gain traction because they fall between the private and public realms. “You don't have the glamour of being a public company, but you don't have anonymity of being private.”  

April 4, 2016

SAN FRANCISCO AND NEW YORK — Latinvex has again selected Covington partners Tammy Albarrán and Nicole Duclos to its annual list of the “Top 100 Female Lawyers” specializing in Latin America among international law firms. Latinvex chose attorneys from 57 law firms and ten practice areas. The criteria for selection included a combination of factors, including ...

April 1, 2016, Covington Alert

Yesterday, the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency issued a whitepaper, Supporting Responsible Innovation in the Federal Banking System: An OCC Perspective, that introduces the agency’s principles for facilitating and regulating “responsible innovation” in the federal banking system, particularly in financial technology or “fintech.” The whitepaper ...

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 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 22, 2016, Covington Alert

March 18, 2016, Law360

Donald Murray is quoted in this Law360 article regarding the SEC’s new streamlined review process. Murray says, “If you pick up a prospectus for an early-stage life sciences company, the piece that would get the bulk of staff comments in other industries, the financials, they’re very basic, not much to comment on.”

March 10, 2016

NEW YORK — Covington represented MidFirst Bank in its acquisition of 1st Century Bancshares, Inc. 1st Century is a publicly traded bank-holding company of 1st Century Bank of Los Angeles. Simultaneously with the closing of the acquisition, 1st Century Bank will be merged into MidFirst Bank.  Following these transactions, the business of 1st Century Bank will ...

February 17, 2016, Covington Alert

February 4, 2016, Covington Alert

February 3, 2016

WASHINGTON, DC — Covington assisted the National Football League in negotiating its partnership with CBS and NBC to produce and televise "Thursday Night Football" for the 2016 and 2017 seasons. In addition to continuing its Thursday Night Football partnership with CBS, the NFL is adding NBC as a partner, with both networks set to air five Thursday Night Football ...

January 29, 2016

NEW YORK — Latinvex has named Covington partner Gabriel Mesa among its “Latin America’s Top 100 Lawyers” for the third year in a row. Resident in the firm’s New York office, Mr. Mesa counsels corporations in joint ventures and private mergers and acquisitions in Latin America and other emerging markets, as well as in the United States. His work spans venture ...

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 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 ...

December 28, 2015, Covington Alert

December 18, 2015, Covington Alert

December 17, 2015, Covington Alert

December 14, 2015, Covington Alert

December 10, 2015, Covington Alert

December 9, 2015

NEW YORK, December 9, 2015 - Covington advised Grupo P.I. Mabe, the leading producer of hygienic products in Mexico, on its sale to Ontex Group NV, a publicly listed company based in Belgium. The transaction is expected to close in the first quarter of 2016. The transaction will require regulatory approvals in Mexico, the US and certain other countries, and has ...

December 9, 2015, Covington Alert

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 1, 2015, Harvard Law School Forum on Corporate Governance and Financial Regulation

December 2015, Bahrain Chamber for Dispute Resolution International Arbitration Review, Co-author

November 25, 2015

WASHINGTON, DC, November 25, 2015 - Law360 has named four Covington partners as MVPs in their respective practice areas. The awards single out lawyers from across 31 practice areas based on their success in high-stakes litigation, record-breaking deals, and complex global matters. The Covington lawyers recognized as Law360 MVPs are: Ray Biagini, ...

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 17, 2015, Covington Alert

November 16, 2015

WASHINGTON, DC, November 16, 2015 - Covington advised Graham Holdings Company, a diversified education and media company, in its acquisition of Group Dekko, a manufacturer of electrical solutions for workspace, architectural lighting, and electrical components. The financial terms of the deal were not announced. According to Timothy O’Shaughnessy, president and ...

November 9, 2015, Covington Alert

October 29, 2015, Covington Alert

October 27, 2015, Covington Alert

October 19, 2015, The Wall Street Journal

Covington’s role in helping Hyperdynamics navigate an FCPA investigation is highlighted in this Wall Street Journal “Risk & Compliance Journal” story. Nancy Kestenbaum said, “It was essential for the company’s survival that it resolve the investigations as quickly as possible.” She also commented on the company’s cooperation throughout. “Recognizing that a ...

October 15, 2015, Covington Alert

October 13, 2015

WASHINGTON, DC, October 13, 2015 - Covington addresses the critical issue of how to manage risks associated with third-party outsourcing in Navigating the Digital Age: The Definitive Cybersecurity Guide for Directors and Officers. Published in collaboration with Palo Alto Networks and the New York Stock Exchange, the book provides boards, executives and ...

October 7, 2015, Covington Alert

October 6, 2015

NEW YORK, October 6, 2015 - Covington partner C. William Phillips has been named a Fellow of the American College of Trial Lawyers, one of the premier legal associations in North America. Mr. Phillips is the seventh Covington lawyer among the current Fellows, joining Lanny Breuer, Robert Haslam, James McKay, John Nields, George Pappas, and Robert Sayler. Mr. ...

October 2015, Navigating the Digital Age: The Definitive Cybersecurity Guide for Directors and Officers

October 1, 2015

WASHINGTON, DC, October 1, 2015 - Covington has elected nine of its lawyers to partnership. “We are delighted to welcome our new partners, who exemplify the spirit and substance of Covington,” said Timothy Hester, chair of the firm’s management committee. “This partnership class reflects our focus on the firm’s core practice strengths. We are confident that ...

September 30, 2015

NEW YORK - Covington advised the underwriters in the $106.1 million initial public offering by Austrian-based Nabriva Therapeutics AG of 10,350,000 million American Depositary Shares, representing 1,035,000 shares of Nabriva’s common stock. This was the first U.S. initial public offering by an Austrian company. The ADSs are now listed on the NASDAQ Global Market ...

September 28, 2015, Covington Alert

September 17, 2015, Covington Alert

September 3, 2015

NEW YORK, September 3, 2015 — UCB and Lannett Company, Inc. announced they have entered into a definitive agreement providing for the acquisition of UCB’s U.S. specialty generics subsidiary, Kremers Urban Pharmaceuticals Inc., by Lannett. UCB will receive upfront cash proceeds of US $1.23 billion upon closing, which is subject to regulatory approval and other ...

September 2015, Arbitration World, Co-author

August 26, 2015, Covington Alert

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 21, 2015

NEW YORK, July 21, 2015 — Covington advised Morgan Stanley & Co. LLC as financial advisor to Vivint Solar, Inc. in connection with its acquisition by SunEdison, Inc. The transaction consideration, valued at $2.2 billion, will be paid to Vivint stockholders in a combination of cash, SunEdision common stock and a convertible promissory note. Vivint Solar sells, ...

June 18, 2015

NEW YORK, June 18, 2015 - A federal appeals court ruled yesterday that former top U.S. officials can potentially be held liable for the abuse of detainees held at a center in New York City following the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2011. The plaintiffs in the case, Turkmen v. Ashcroft, are represented by the Center for Constitutional Rights, Covington & ...

June 18, 2015

WASHINGTON, DC, June 18, 2015  — Covington advised Allergan plc in its acquisition of KYTHERA Biopharmaceuticals, Inc. for consideration having a fixed value of $75 per KYTHERA share, or approximately $2.1 billion, which will be paid 80 percent in cash and 20 percent in Allergan shares issued to KYTHERA shareholders. KYTHERA is a biopharmaceutical company ...

June 17, 2015, The New York Times

The firm is mentioned in this article regarding it's representation of Allergan in its $2.1 billion acquisition of Kythera Biopharmaceuticals. 

June 9, 2015

WASHINGTON, DC, June 9, 2015  — Euromoney Legal Media Group selected Covington partners Dianne Coffino and Andrea Reister for its annual Americas Women in Business Law Awards. The awards honor women who are leading the field in the legal sector across the Americas.   Ms. Coffino, a partner in the firm’s New York office, was recognized in the “Best in Insolvency ...

June 4, 2015

NEW YORK, June 4, 2015 — Covington acted as U.S. M&A and antitrust counsel to Joy Global, Inc., a leader in high-productivity mining solutions, on its French-law governed acquisition of Montabert S.A.S. from Doosan Holding France S.A.S., an affiliate of South Korean conglomerate Doosan Global, for EUR 110 million.   Montabert specializes in the production and ...

June 1, 2015

WASHINGTON, DC, June 1, 2015  — Covington has again received top rankings from Chambers USA, with 46 practice rankings and 152 individual rankings for lawyers in the publication’s 2015 edition. The legal guide identifies leading lawyers and law firm practices based on interviews conducted by Chambers’ researchers with thousands of lawyers and their clients. The ...

May 29, 2015

WASHINGTON, DC, May 29, 2015 — Law360 ranked Covington eighth on its list of “Top 25 Best Law Firms For Black Attorneys.” The list highlights firms that have significantly more black attorneys than the industry average, particularly at the partner level. According to the publication, the firms in the top 25 average 6.6 percent black non-partners and 4.4 percent ...

May 22, 2015

NEW YORK, May 22, 2015  — Covington advised European telecommunications company Altice S.A. (Euronext ATC) in a $9.1 billion deal to acquire a controlling stake in Suddenlink, the seventh largest cable operator in the U.S.  Under the terms of the agreement, Altice will enter the U.S. cable television and broadband market by acquiring 70 percent of the share ...

May 21, 2015

WASHINGTON, DC, May 21, 2015  — Covington’s insurance recovery practice won the 2015 Chambers USA Award for Excellence in Insurance, marking the fifth time the firm has received this honor in the nine years it has been awarded. The Award for Excellence, presented at Chambers USA’s annual awards dinner in New York City on May 19, was given to only one U.S. firm ...

May 19, 2015

NEW YORK, May 19, 2015 — Covington is advising Pandora Media, Inc., an Internet radio service, in its acquisition of Next Big Sound, Inc., a provider of online music analytics. The acquisition is expected to provide Pandora with a powerful analytics tool used by tens of thousands of music makers, labels and marketers looking for data and insights about artists ...

May 18, 2015

WASHINGTON, DC, May 18, 2015 — Covington has again been named to Corporate Board Member magazine’s annual list of top 25 corporate law firms. The survey, conducted by the magazine and FTI Consulting, asked directors and general counsels at publicly traded companies to identify the firms they would most likely retain for a variety of legal matters. “Covington ...

May 15, 2015

WASHINGTON, DC, May 15, 2015  — Covington represented Public Pension Capital, LLC in the formation of a strategic partnership with and investment in Kramer Van Kirk Credit Strategies LP, a Chicago-based manager of collateralized loan obligations with more than $4 billion in assets under management. Public Pension Capital also acquired a stake in KVK Technology ...

April 20, 2015

NEW YORK — Covington advised the underwriters in the $76.8 million initial public offering of common stock of Cidara Therapeutics, Inc. Shares of Cidara trade on the NASDAQ Global Market under the ticker “CDTX.” Cidara is a biopharmaceutical company focused on the discovery, development and commercialization of anti-infectives for treatment of diseases ...

April 6, 2015

NEW YORK, April 6, 2015 — Christopher DeCresce has joined Covington’s corporate practice in the firm’s New York office. Mr. DeCresce will focus on securities and capital markets, mergers and acquisitions, joint ventures, governance, and securities law reporting and compliance, primarily focused on financial services companies. “Chris has a proven track record ...

April 2, 2015

NEW YORK, April 2, 2015 —  The Minority Corporate Counsel Association named Covington partner Nicole Duclos a recipient of its 2015 “Rising Star” award. Ms. Duclos was one of 15 lawyers selected “whose accomplishments and dedication to the legal field and to their respective communities place them among those attorneys to watch.” In a profile, MCCA’s Diversity ...

April 1, 2015, GIR

Covington's Nancy Kestenbaum and Mythili Raman are featured in GIR's "Women in Investigations" special.

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 11, 2015, Law360

Covington's Leonard Chazen, Jack S. Bodner and Donald Ross authored this article for Law360. 

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 ...

February 18, 2015

WASHINGTON, DC, February 18, 2015 — The BTI Consulting Group has named Covington & Burling partners David Martin, Keith Noreika, Jeannie Perron, Michael Riella, and Peter Schwartz to its 2015 “Client Service All-Stars” list for demonstrating “superior client focus, innovative thought leadership, unmatched business understanding, and outstanding results.” BTI is ...

February 9, 2015

NEW YORK, February 9, 2015 — Covington & Burling is pleased to announce that Gabriel Mesa has been named to Latinvex’s list of “Latin America’s Top 100 Lawyers” for the second year in a row. Mr. Mesa counsels corporations in joint ventures and private mergers and acquisitions in Latin America and other emerging markets, as well as in the United States. He has ...

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 ...

February 5, 2015, Law360

"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."

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 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 9, 2015

NEW YORK, January 9, 2014 — Covington helped litigate and negotiate a settlement with the Pennsylvania Department of Corrections that paves the way for better treatment of prisoners with serious mental illness. Covington represented the Disability Rights Network of Pennsylvania in a civil litigation in the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of ...

December 11, 2014

WASHINGTON, DC, December 11, 2014- The Financial Times listed Covington as one of the top 40 most innovative firms in its 2014 “North America Innovative Lawyers” report. The annual report recognizes firms based on the originality of their legal work, the rationale behind strategy, and the impact of the work on the client’s business. In addition to its overall ...

November 24, 2014, Law360

Covington's Jay T. Smith, Mark Gimbel, Michael Lechliter and William F. Greaney are mentioned regarding their representation of KeySpan.

11/20/2014

REDWOOD SHORES, CA, November 20, 2014 — Covington & Burling advised Oplink Communications, Inc. in its sale to Koch Optics, Inc., a wholly owned Koch Industries subsidiary. The all-cash transaction is valued at approximately $445 million. Under the terms of the deal, announced Wednesday, Koch Optics will commence a tender offer and subsequent merger for all of ...

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 ...

November 7, 2014

NEW YORK, NY, November 7, 2014 — Covington & Burling represented UCB in connection with its agreement to sell Kremers Urban Pharmaceuticals Inc., a U.S.-based subsidiary, to Advent International and Avista Capital Partners. UCB will receive gross cash proceeds of $1.525 billion upon closing. This transaction has been unanimously approved by the board of ...

11/4/2014

NEW YORK, November 4, 2014 — In a win for Covington & Burling’s clients, a federal appeals court has denied an effort by police unions to intervene in a lawsuit challenging the constitutionality of the New York Police Department’s stop-and-frisk tactics. The decision by the U.S. Court of Appeal for the Second Circuit clears the way for the implementation of ...

November 3, 2014, Law360

Covington partner Phil Irwin is quoted in this article regarding Covington's representation of the plaintiffs in the New York stop-and-frisk case: "Phil Irwin of Covington & Burling LLP, attorney for plaintiffs, told Law360 that the rulings reject the efforts by the unions to stand in the way of genuine reform."  “We look forward to beginning a remedial ...

October 27, 2014

WASHINGTON, DC, October 27, 2014 —U.S. District Judge Analisa Torres recently granted summary judgment to Acorda Therapeutics in a nearly three-year-old antitrust and false advertising lawsuit brought by Apotex. Covington & Burling represented Acorda. Apotex alleged that Acorda Therapeutics had engaged in anticompetitive conduct to delay entry of Apotex’s ...

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, Jason Goldberg, Andrew Lazerow, Michael Lechliter, Anne Lee, Scott Schrader, Nathan Shafroth and Ranganath Sudarshan partners."

October 13, 2014

NEW YORK, October 13, 2014 — Covington & Burling advised the Special Conflicts Committee of the Board of Directors of Atlas Pipeline Partners in its $5.8 billion merger with Targa Resources Partners. Under the agreement, Targa will pay $4 billion in Targa units and cash and assume $1.8 billion in debt for Atlas. Atlas unitholders will receive 0.5846 units of ...

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

WASHINGTON, DC, October 7, 2014 — Law360 named Covington & Burling to its list of “Pro Bono Firms of 2014,” recognizing the firm’s work on some of the year's most pressing civil-rights matters. Law360 highlighted Covington’s landmark litigation efforts in Floyd v. New York City, the suit challenging the city's stop-and-frisk policing strategy, and Melendres v. ...

October 1, 2014, Global Arbitration Review

Covington's Nicole Duclos is featured in this article on her recent promotion to partner: "Duclos’s promotion is effective today. She joined Covington in September 2013, bringing with her two former Allen & Overy associates, Erin Thomas and Thomas Odell."  "Unsurprisingly given her Chilean nationality, much of her arbitration practice focuses on South America. ...

September 19, 2014

REDWOOD SHORES, CA, September 19, 2014 — Covington & Burling advised Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd. in its acquisition of Canadian cloud-printing firm PrinterOn. The acquisition is expected to enhance Samsung’s mobile cloud services to the business-to-business market. Under the terms of the agreement, Samsung purchased all outstanding stock from the current ...

9/18/2014

SAN FRANCISCO, September 18, 2014 — Covington & Burling client Hewlett-Packard Co. scored a win in its patent litigation case against Linex Technologies on September 15 when a federal judge ruled that HP is entitled to an award of attorneys’ fees. In May, U.S. District Judge Claudia Wilken in Oakland ruled in favor of HP and other electronics manufacturers, ...

9/11/2014

WASHINGTON, DC, September 11, 2014 — The Stockholm District Court today dismissed the Russian Federation’s jurisdictional challenge to a previous arbitration ruling that ordered Russia to compensate a group of Spanish investors for the losses they suffered when the government expropriated the Yukos Oil Company, one of the largest oil and gas companies in the ...

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 18, 2014

WASHINGTON, DC, August 18, 2014 — Best Lawyers named Covington & Burling’s Stuart Eizenstat and Gregg Levy each a 2015 “Lawyer of the Year” in international trade and sports law, respectively, citing their “abilities, professionalism and integrity.” Overall, Covington lawyers received 217 individual mentions in 58 areas of law in the newly released annual survey ...

August 4, 2014, Law360

Marney Cheek, Jonathan Gimblett and David Pinsky have authored this article on Russia's threats to retaliate against U.S. and European companies in response to new sanctions imposed by the United States and the European Union: "Russian lawmakers’ recent threats to retaliate against U.S. and European companies in response to new sanctions imposed by the United ...

July 31, 2014, Law360

Covington partner David Kornblau is quoted regarding SEC investigations: "For a response aimed at the commission level, for example, know which aspects of the case might have a policy angle or get the attention of media, other law enforcement agencies or Congress, says David Kornblau, co-chairman of Covington & Burling LLP’s securities enforcement practice. ...

July 29, 2014, Forbes

Covington's John Balzano writes on the safety issues with meat production in his blog for Forbes Asia.  "Safety issues with the meat and meat products in China are causing controversy again. Last year a group of diseased pig carcasses came floating into rivers near Shanghai, causing concern about black markets for meat spreading foodborne illnesses. This time ...

7/24/2014

WASHINGTON, DC, July 24, 2014 — Covington & Burling on Thursday secured an appellate victory on behalf of Chiquita Brands International, Inc. and Chiquita Fresh North America LLC in long-running litigation brought by more than six thousand Colombian plaintiffs. Beginning in 2008, these plaintiffs asserted claims against Chiquita under the Alien Tort Statute and ...

July 24, 2014, American Lawyer, Litigation Daily

In a statement of his own, Covington's John Hall said the company is gratified that the court "faithfully followed Kiobel and held that the Alien Tort Statute doesn't confer jurisdiction over these plainly extraterritorial claims." He also said that plaintiffs lawyers have misrepresented Chiquita's guilty plea, "trying to make it appear that Chiquita's ...

July 3, 2014

WASHINGTON, DC, July 3, 2014 — Legal 500 named Covington & Burling’s trade secrets practice as the “Trade Secrets Team of the Year” in its inaugural Legal 500 US Awards. The Legal 500 US Awards recognizes the best in-house and private practice teams and individuals from the previous year.

June 30, 2014

WASHINGTON, DC, June 30, 2014 — The American Lawyer has named Covington & Burling to its “A-List,” a ranking of the nation’s top 20 firms. The “A-List” is the magazine’s effort to identify the leading firms that best reflect the legal profession’s core values and measures performance based on revenue, pro bono efforts, lawyer satisfaction and diversity. The new ...

June 26, 2014

NEW YORK, June 26, 2014 — Covington & Burling advised MidFirst Bank in connection with its agreement to acquire Steele Street Bank. The acquisition, expected to close in the first quarter of 2015, is subject to shareholder and regulatory approval and other customary conditions. MidFirst, one of the five largest privately owned banks in the United States, is a ...

June 25, 2014, Forbes

Covington's John Balzano writes on Chinese pet food regulation for Forbes.  "Long-term, all-too-frequent, and severe safety issues with pet treats and pet food coming from China have led to serious questions about the state of China’s pet food regulations. The answer to those questions may be fairly simple: China does not have a significant body of pet food ...

June 18, 2014, Law360

David Kornblau is quoted regarding the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission’s administrative proceedings. 

June 9, 2014

Covington & Burling partner Philip Howard appeared on The Daily Show with Jon Stewart on June 9 to discuss his new book, The Rule of Nobody. He was also a guest on the show in 2010 and 2011.

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 30, 2014

WASHINGTON, DC, May 30, 2014 — Covington & Burling advised Graham Holdings Company in its acquisition of Joyce/Dayton Corp., an Ohio-based manufacturer of screw jacks and other linear motion systems. The acquisition was announced earlier today. Graham Holdings is an education and media company whose principal operations include educational services, television ...

May 30, 2014, Law360 - 5 Must-Know Facts About Ballmer's $2B Clippers Bid

Covington advised Steve Ballmer on his agreement to purchase the Los Angeles Clippers from The Sterling Family Trust for $2 billion. The firm is mentioned in the above articles regarding the deal. Law360 writes, "Steve Ballmer is represented in the latest deal by a Covington & Burling LLP team led by Doug Gibson, Scott Roades and Peter Zern, including Rob ...

5/27/2014

WASHINGTON, DC, May 27, 2014 — Covington & Burling received several top honors as part of this year’s Chambers USA Awards for Excellence and Chambers USA rankings. The London-based publication honored Covington’s Paul Tagliabue with a Lifetime Achievement Award, recognized the firm’s Intellectual Property practice with a Client Service Award, and ranked 47 ...

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 16, 2014, Forbes Asia

Covington's John Balzano writes about food manufacturing in China for his latest blog post in Forbes Asia.

May 7, 2014

NEW YORK, May 7, 2014 — Nicole Duclos has been named to Latinvex’s list of “Latin America’s Top 50 Female Lawyers.” The online publication selected the top 50 female lawyers specializing in Latin America from among nearly 100 international law firms. Ms. Duclos focuses on international commercial and investment arbitration in Latin America. Her experience spans ...

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 27, 2014

NEW YORK, April 28, 2014 — Covington & Burling represented Forest Laboratories in a definitive agreement to acquire Furiex Pharmaceuticals, a drug development collaboration company, for up to $1.46 billion. The acquisition of Furiex expands Forest’s offerings in gastroenterology. Forest agreed to pay $95 per share in cash, or approximately $1.1 billion in the ...

April 20, 2014, Forbes

Covington's John Balzano writes about a recent announcement by the China FDA and the Ministry of Public Security that China is creating a special police unit for food and drug law violations.

4/17/2014

WASHINGTON, DC, April 17, 2014 — Covington & Burling has been named “International Trade Commission Firm of the Year” by Managing Intellectual Property magazine. Covington was selected from among eight law firm finalists. This is the second time the firm has won the award, receiving the previous recognition in 2010. The award recognizes the excellence of the ...

March 24, 2014, Forbes

John Balzano, special counsel in Covington's food and drug practice group, writes about the regulatory enforcement of illegal sales of recycled or expired food in Chinese village markets in his latest blog post for Forbes.

2/24/2014

NEW YORK, February 24, 2014 — Covington & Burling advised American Tire Distributors in the acquisition of Terry’s Tire Town from Talisman Partners for up to $365 million. American Tire, a portfolio company of TPG, is a wholesale distributor of replacement tires throughout the United States and Canada. The acquisition is expected to close at the end of March, ...

February 20, 2014

NEW YORK, February 20, 2014 — Covington & Burling represented Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria, an international financial group based in Spain, in its acquisition of financial technology company Simple. The acquisition is part of BBVA's strategy to lead the technology-driven change that is transforming the financial services industry. According to Francisco ...

2/10/2014

WASHINGTON, DC, February 10, 2014 — Covington & Burling represented GCP Capital Partners in connection with the acquisition and recapitalization of 1st Mariner Bank by a newly formed interim bank that will be capitalized by investors including GCP Capital Partners. Formed and led by its management team, the interim bank signed an agreement with First Mariner ...

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 ...

February 4, 2014

NEW YORK, February 4, 2014 — Covington & Burling was recognized by LatinFinance in connection with its 2013 “Domestic M&A Deal of the Year” award, which was given for the $1.73 billion acquisition by Grupo Financiero Banorte and its affiliate Afore XXI Banorte of Afore Bancomer from Spain’s Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria A Covington team led by Rubén Kraiem and ...

January 31, 2014

WASHINGTON, DC, January 31, 2014 — J. D. Weinberg, a partner in the firm’s corporate practice group, was featured speakers at the Bank Director’s 20th annual Acquire or Be Acquired Conference in Phoenix on Jan. 27. The  presentation addressed strategic mergers and acquisitions in the banking sector. Topics examined include the legal issues in merger of equals; ...

1/24/2014

WASHINGTON, DC, January 24, 2014 —Covington & Burling is pleased to announce that Gabriel Mesa has been named to Latinvex’s list of “Latin America’s Top 100 Lawyers.” Mr. Mesa counsels corporations in joint ventures and private mergers and acquisitions in Latin America and other emerging markets, as well as in the United States. Over the past year, he has ...

January 13, 2014

WASHINGTON, DC, January 13, 2014 — For the second consecutive year, Law360 has named Covington & Burling’s life sciences practice as one of the top five “Life Sciences Practice Groups of the Year.” In a profile of the firm, Law360 noted that Covington “delivered for drugmakers on three continents in 2013, spearheading a momentous investment by U.K.-based ...

January 7, 2014

WASHINGTON, DC, January 6, 2014 — For the second consecutive year, The National Law Journal has named Covington & Burling to its “Pro Bono Hot List.” This year’s list recognizes nine firms and one corporate law department for their strong commitment to public service. In the profile of Covington, the NLJ features the pro bono efforts of the firm’s New York ...

January 6, 2014

WASHINGTON, DC, January 6, 2014 — Law360 named Covington & Burling’s energy practice as one of the top five “Energy Practice Groups of the Year.” In giving this award, Law360 recognized the breadth of Covington’s practice capabilities (including litigation, transactions, regulatory and government policy) in both the traditional and emerging energy sectors and ...

1/3/2014

WASHINGTON, DC, January 3, 2014 — Covington & Burling has been selected by The American Lawyer as one of the nation’s top six litigation departments. A profile of the firm’s litigation practice is featured in the January 2014 issue of the magazine. In naming Covington a finalist for its biennial “Litigation Department of the Year” award, The American Lawyer ...

December 20, 2013

WASHINGTON, DC, December 20, 2013 — Covington & Burling advised Natrogen Therapeutics International in its agreement with Takeda Pharmaceuticals for the exclusive license for worldwide development of Natura-alpha, a synthetic small molecule oral compound that is believed to inhibit pro-inflammatory cytokine expression, as well as an option to acquire Natrogen. ...

December 19, 2013

NEW YORK, December 19, 2013 — Covington & Burling advised AstraZeneca in its acquisition of Bristol-Myers Squibb's interests in the companies’ diabetes alliance for an initial consideration of $2.7 billion on completion and up to $1.4 billion in regulatory, launch and sales-related payments. AstraZeneca has also agreed to pay various sales-related royalty ...

December 9, 2013

WASHINGTON, DC, December 9, 2013 — For the sixth consecutive year, the Human Rights Campaign Foundation has awarded Covington & Burling the top rating of 100 percent in the 2014 Corporate Equality Index. Covington’s 100 percent rating reflects its written non-discrimination policy, sexual orientation and gender identity training, and support for same-sex ...

November 20, 2013, Covington E-Alert

November 1, 2013

WASHINGTON, DC, November 1, 2013 — U.S. News-Best Lawyers named Covington “Law Firm of the Year” in both Corporate Compliance Law and Sports Law. The honor, part of the 2014 “Best Law Firms” survey, is presented to one law firm in each of the nationally-ranked legal practice areas. The firm also received 98 first-tier practice rankings, placing Covington among ...

October 28, 2013

NEW YORK, October 28, 2013 — Covington & Burling received two awards at the Americas M&A Atlas Awards ceremony held in New York on October 24. The firm was recognized for Cross Border Deal of the Year (Large Markets) and for South America Deal of the Year (Large Markets) in connection with Covington’s representation of Grupo Sura, the Latin American financial ...

October 1, 2013

WASHINGTON, DC, October 1, 2013 — Covington & Burling is pleased to announce that it has elected nine lawyers to its partnership effective today. “We’re delighted to welcome these nine lawyers to our partnership,” said Timothy Hester, chair of Covington’s management committee. “They are all excellent lawyers who will bring great value and service to our ...

9/18/2013

NEW YORK, September 18, 2013 — New York Super Lawyers selected 36 Covington & Burling lawyers for its 2013 list of top legal talent. Super Lawyers selects no more than five percent of the total lawyers in the state based on peer review and the publication’s independent research. Twenty-three Covington lawyers were named New York Super Lawyers: • Martin ...

September 10, 2013

NEW YORK, September 10, 2013 — Covington & Burling is pleased to announce that Donald Ross has joined the firm as senior of counsel in the firm’s New York office. “Don is a strong addition to the firm, serving as a bridge between Canadian clients and the firm’s practices in the U.S., Asia and Europe,” said Timothy Hester, chair of the firm’s management ...

September 9, 2013

NEW YORK, September 9, 2013 — Covington & Burling is expanding its international commercial arbitration capabilities and reach into Latin America with the addition of Nicole Duclos. Ms. Duclos joins the firm’s New York City office as of counsel along with associates Erin Thomas and Thomas Odell. The team’s arrival enhances the firm’s international arbitration ...

9/4/2013

WASHINGTON, DC, September 4, 2013 — Law360 named Covington & Burling to its list of “Pro Bono Firms of 2013,” recognizing the firm’s success in securing high-profile victories and devoting more than 117 pro bono hours per lawyer. Law360 highlighted Covington’s wins in pro bono cases over the past year, noting the firm’s fight against government-sanctioned ...

August 26, 2013

NEW YORK, August 26, 2013 — Covington & Burling is advising MedImmune, AstraZeneca’s global biologics research and development arm, on the acquisition of Amplimmune, a privately held biologics company focused on developing novel therapeutics in cancer immunology. Under the terms of the merger agreement, MedImmune will acquire Amplimmune shares for an initial ...

August 15, 2013

WASHINGTON, DC, August 15, 2013 — Best Lawyers named nine Covington & Burling lawyers as “2014 Lawyer of the Year” in their respective practice areas and cities. The selected lawyers received strong ratings from their peers for their “abilities, professionalism and integrity” in the publication’s annual survey. Overall, Covington lawyers received 204 ...

August 12, 2013

NEW YORK, August 12, 2013 — A federal judge ruled today that the New York Police Department’s stop-and-frisk policies and practices violate the constitutional rights of blacks and Hispanics by targeting them for stops on the basis of their race or ethnicity. The plaintiffs in the case, Floyd v. City of New York, are represented by Covington & Burling the ...

July 31, 2013

WASHINGTON, DC, July 31, 2013 — Covington & Burling advised Octavian Advisors, LP, Octavian Global Partners, LLC, and their affiliates ("Octavian") on a transaction with TPG Special Situations Partners ("TSSP"). Under the terms of the transaction, affiliates of TSSP acquired a significant stake in, and took over the management of, several Octavian funds. The ...

July 12, 2013

WASHINGTON, DC, July 12, 2013 — Covington & Burling has been recognized as an honoree with two American Lawyer Global Legal Awards: Global Dispute of the Year, Investment Arbitration and Global M&A Deal of the Year, Canada. Covington’s International Arbitration Group, comprised of more than 50 lawyers, handles cases under the rules of every major arbitration ...

July 11, 2013

WASHINGTON, DC, July 11, 2013 — For the third consecutive year, Covington & Burling has received a Gold Standard Certification from the Women In Law Empowerment Forum (WILEF), a leading organization dedicated to assisting women in law to assume leadership roles in private law firms, corporate legal departments, and the legal community at large. The certification ...

7/11/2013

WASHINGTON, DC, July 11, 2013 — Thomson Reuters has ranked Covington & Burling among the Top 20 legal advisers worldwide in completed M&A transactions in emerging markets during the first half of 2013. Covington ranked among the top 10 for deals involving China and the Asia Pacific region, and among the top 15 for deals involving Latin America. “We have made a ...

June 28, 2013

WASHINGTON, DC, June 28, 2013 — Covington & Burling’s international arbitration practice has been shortlisted for a Chambers Latin America Award for Excellence. The awards recognize notable achievements over the past year, including outstanding work, impressive strategic growth, and excellence in client service. The Chambers Latin America Awards for Excellence ...

May 28, 2013

WASHINGTON, DC, May 28, 2013 — Covington & Burling received 134 individual rankings and 56 practice mentions in the 2013 Chambers USA: America’s Leading Lawyers for Business guidebook. The guidebook, which ranks lawyers by state and national practice area, is designed to identify the most skilled legal practitioners based on the qualities most valued by clients. ...

May 28, 2013

NEW YORK, May 28, 2013 — Omthera Pharmaceuticals and AstraZeneca announced today that the companies entered into a merger agreement under which AstraZeneca will acquire all of the outstanding stock of Omthera for an upfront payment of $12.70 in cash per share, approximately $323 million aggregate value ($260 million after subtracting cash), plus a contingent ...

5/23/2013

WASHINGTON, DC, May 23, 2013 — Covington & Burling has been named to Corporate Board Member magazine’s list of top 25 national corporate law firms. The survey, conducted by the magazine and FTI Consulting, asked directors and general counsels at publicly traded companies to identify the firms they would most likely retain for a variety of legal matters. The ...

May 13, 2013

WASHINGTON, DC, May 13, 2013 — Robert J. Trainor, former executive vice president and general counsel of Brussels-based UCB S.A., joins Covington & Burling today as senior of counsel in the firm’s New York City office. He will advise clients on a broad range of corporate, policy, and litigation matters affecting the pharmaceutical industry and other corporate ...

May 1, 2013

NEW YORK, May 1, 2013 — Covington & Burling advised MyPublisher, Inc., in its merger with Shutterfly, Inc., the leading digital retailer of personalized photo products. MyPublisher is one of the pioneers of high quality printed photo albums. The acquisition will combine MyPublisher's photo book technology and highly specialized manufacturing capabilities with ...

4/23/2013

NEW YORK, April 23, 2013 — Covington & Burling advised Sura Asset Management S.A. and AFP Integra S.A., affiliates of the Latin American financial group Grupo de Inversiones Suramericana, in a joint acquisition with Profuturo AFP S.A., an affiliate of The Bank of Nova Scotia, of 100 percent of the shares of AFP Horizonte, S.A., the Peruvian pension fund manager, ...

April 5, 2013

WASHINGTON, DC, April 4, 2013 — Covington & Burling is pleased to announce the promotion of one lawyer to of counsel and seven lawyers to special counsel, effective April 1, 2013. Muftiah McCartin, the new of counsel, is a member of the public policy and government affairs practice. Ms. McCartin’s distinguished public service career spans 34 years on Capitol ...

March 28, 2013

WASHINGTON, DC, March 28, 2013 — Lanny A. Breuer, most recently the Assistant Attorney General for the Criminal Division at the U.S. Department of Justice, is returning to Covington & Burling as Vice Chair of the firm. Mr. Breuer’s practice will encompass a wide range of civil and criminal litigation matters, as well as governmental and internal investigations. ...

March 27, 2013

WASHINGTON, DC, March 27, 2013 — For the second straight year, Covington & Burling has been nominated for the 2013 Chambers USA Awards for Excellence in five national practice areas. Chambers released its “shortlist” of the law firms nominated based on their pre-eminence and recent achievements in 21 distinct practice areas. Covington is a finalist in each of ...

March 14, 2013

WASHINGTON, DC, March 14, 2013 — Congressman Howard Berman, a widely respected leader in the U.S. Congress, is joining Covington & Burling’s global public policy and government affairs practice. The addition of Rep. Berman, the former chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, comes a week after Sen. Jon Kyl joined Covington’s public policy and government ...

March 6, 2013

WASHINGTON, DC, March 6, 2013 — Senator Jon Kyl, who recently left Congress as the second-highest ranking Republican in the U.S. Senate, is joining Covington & Burling’s global public policy and government affairs practice. “Senator Kyl’s deep knowledge and extraordinary legislative skills from his years as a senior leader in Congress make him ideally suited to ...

February 25, 2013

London, February 25, 2013 — Global Arbitration Review has named Covington & Burling to its list of the world’s top 30 international arbitration practices. In announcing the GAR 30 list, the publication notes Covington’s major arbitral victories last year, including the award for Spanish investors in Yukos Oil Company in Quasar de Valores SICAV S.A., et al. v. ...

January 22, 2013

WASHINGTON, DC, January 22, 2013 — For the second straight year, Law360 named Covington & Burling’s global privacy and data security practice as one of the top five “Privacy & Consumer Protection Practice Groups of the Year.” In a profile highlighting the firm’s privacy-related work, Law360 noted the group’s recent litigation win for LinkedIn Corp. In that case, ...

January 22, 2013

NEW YORK, January 22, 2013 — William L. Sturman has joined Covington & Burling’s corporate practice as a partner, strengthening the firm’s private equity fund formation capabilities. He will be resident in Covington’s New York office. Mr. Sturman counsels private equity fund sponsors and investors on a wide range of fund formation and regulatory issues. He has ...

1/22/2013

WASHINGTON, DC, January 22, 2013 — Law360 named Covington’s life sciences practice as of one of the top five “Life Sciences Practice Groups of the Year.” In a profile highlighting Covington’s life sciences practice, Law360 noted that the group has “grown to develop an increasingly global reach that has made it a go-to for complex transactions, high stakes ...

1/8/2013

WASHINGTON, DC, January 8, 2013 — The National Law Journal has named Covington & Burling to its Pro Bono Hot List. The annual list recognizes firms that demonstrate a strong commitment to public service. The NLJ profile of Covington featured the pro bono efforts of Martin Gold, Elizabeth Bell, and Erica Lai, who worked with the Chinese-American community in ...

January 7, 2013

NEW YORK, January 7, 2013 — Covington & Burling advised Illumina, Inc. on its announced acquisition of Verinata Health, Inc. for cash consideration of $350 million plus up to $100 million in milestone payments through 2015. Upon completion of the acquisition, Illumina will have access to the Verinata’s verifi® prenatal test, the broadest non-invasive prenatal ...

December 28, 2012

BEIJING, December 28, 2012 — Chambers has named Covington & Burling as a finalist for the 2013 Chambers China Awards for Excellence in the International Trade category. The awards recognize preeminence in key practice areas and significant achievements over the past 12 months, including outstanding work, impressive strategic growth and excellence in client ...

December 19, 2012

WASHINGTON, DC, December 19, 2012 — SandRidge Energy, Inc. today announced that it has signed a definitive agreement to sell Permian Basin properties to Sheridan Production, a private operator, for $2.6 billion in cash. Covington & Burling, along with Texas-based Locke Lord, advised SandRidge on the transaction. SandRidge will use the proceeds to reduce debt ...

November 14, 2012

WASHINGTON, DC, November 14, 2012 — For the fifth consecutive year, the Human Right Campaign Foundation has awarded Covington & Burling the top rating of 100 percent in the 2013 Corporate Equality Index. Covington’s 100 percent rating reflects its written non-discrimination policy; sexual orientation and gender identity training; support for same-sex partners of ...

November 12, 2012

NEW YORK, November 12, 2012 — Covington & Burling represented UBS Securities LLC, financial advisor to Leucadia National Corporation (NYSE: LUK), in its announced $3.6 billion acquisition of Jefferies Group, Inc. (NYSE: JEF). Under the terms of the agreement, Leucadia will issue to shareholders holding the 71.4 percent of outstanding common stock of Jefferies ...

11/7/2012

WASHINGTON, DC, November 7, 2012 — Covington & Burling received 97 first-tier practice rankings in the 2013 “Best Law Firms” survey by U.S. News-Best Lawyers, placing Covington among the top 10 firms nationwide. Covington was also named “Law Firm of the Year” in both FDA Law and Corporate Compliance Law. The honor is presented to one law firm in each of the ...

November 1, 2012

WASHINGTON, DC, November 1, 2012 — Covington & Burling opens its Seoul office today after securing final approval from the Korean Ministry of Justice and the Korean Bar Association. The new office will be located in the Meritz Tower, at 825-2, Yeoksamdong in the heart of Seoul’s Gangnam business district. “We are honored to be among the first U.S. law firms to ...

October 22, 2012

WASHINGTON, DC, October 22, 2012 — Covington & Burling served as ERISA counsel to Verizon Communications Inc. on its transfer of $7.5 billion in pension liabilities to The Prudential Insurance Company of America. Many sponsors of defined benefit plans, especially frozen plans, are considering ways to “de-risk” by reducing or eliminating the volatility ...

10/2/12

NEW YORK, October 2, 2012 — Former federal prosecutor Lynn Neils joins Covington & Burling’s litigation group as a partner, strengthening the firm’s highly regarded white collar practice. She will be resident in Covington’s New York office. A prosecutor in the U.S. Attorney’s Offices for the Southern District of New York and the District of New Jersey for more ...

October 1, 2012

WASHINGTON, DC, October 1, 2012 — Covington & Burling is pleased to announce that it has elected 15 new lawyers to its partnership. This group is comprised of diverse and talented individuals from five offices who have made their mark at the firm through exceptional work and the highest standards of client service. “We’re delighted to welcome these 15 lawyers to ...

September 27, 2012, Covington webinar

September 24, 2012

NEW YORK, September 24, 2012 — New York Super Lawyers selected 27 Covington & Burling lawyers for its 2012 list of top legal talent. Super Lawyers selects only five percent of the total lawyers in the state based upon peer review and the publication’s independent research. Nineteen Covington lawyers were named New York Super Lawyers: Jack Bodner, Mergers & ...

September 18, 2012

WASHINGTON, DC, September 18, 2012 — For the seventh consecutive year, Working Mother magazine has named Covington & Burling as one of the “100 Best Companies” in the nation. Covington is one of only five law firms on the list, which is mainly comprised of Fortune 500 companies. “We are very happy that Working Mother has once again recognized Covington as one ...

September 6, 2012

LONDON, 06 September, 2012 — Covington & Burling LLP acted as legal advisers to Meda in an agreement with Jazz Pharmaceuticals to acquire a portfolio of six pharmaceutical products for women for $95 million in cash. The largest and most important product in the portfolio is Elestrin, a patented product with sales of almost 100 MSEK, that doctors prescribe for ...

August 27, 2012

WASHINGTON, DC, August 27, 2012 — Covington & Burling LLP lawyers received 196 individual mentions in 57 areas of law in the 2013 edition of The Best Lawyers in America. This annual compilation of top U.S. lawyers is based on peer-review surveys and is used as a referral guide in the legal profession. The Covington lawyers recognized are as ...

August 23, 2012

WASHINGTON, DC, August 23, 2012 — Law360 named Covington & Burling on its “Pro Bono Firms of 2012” list in recognition of the firm’s success in securing high-profile victories and devoting more than 133 pro bono hours per lawyer. Law360 highlighted Covington’s wins in pro bono cases over the past year, noting that the firm succeeded in getting two wrongly ...

August 20, 2012

NEW YORK, NY, August 20, 2012 — After a five-month bench trial, Covington & Burling won a verdict of nearly $30 million on behalf of Russian media magnate Vladimir Gusinski in a dispute against a Russian rival over the ownership of the Ukrainian television network, TVi Channel. In 2008, Mr. Gusinski formed a Delaware partnership entity with Russian businessman, ...

August 14, 2012

WASHINGTON, DC, August 14, 2012 — Covington & Burling LLP has received a top tier ranking in six practice areas and 18 individual attorneys are named “Leading Lawyers” in the recently released Legal 500 US 2012 edition. Additionally, Legal 500 US also “recommended” 36 Covington practice areas and 123 Covington lawyers. The six Covington practices given the top ...

August 7, 2012

WASHINGTON, DC, August 7, 2012 — Covington & Burling advised SandRidge Energy, Inc. on a $1.1 billion offering of two series of senior notes, marking SandRidge's largest capital markets transaction to date. The offering was comprised of $825 million of 7.5 percent senior notes due 2023 and $275 million of 7.5 percent senior notes due 2021. The proceeds of the ...

July 26, 2012

WASHINGTON, DC, July 26, 2012 — An international tribunal ordered the Russian government to compensate a group of Spanish investors for the losses they suffered when Russia seized the Yukos Oil Company, one of the largest oil and gas companies in the world. The Spanish investors sought compensation under the bilateral investment treaty between Spain and the ...

July 25, 2012

WASHINGTON, DC, July 25, 2012 — The Federal Communications Commission handed a decisive victory to the Tennis Channel yesterday in its discriminatory carriage lawsuit against Comcast Cable Communications, the largest distributor of video programming content. Covington & Burling secured the victory against the largest content distributor in the nation. The ...

7/26/2012

WASHINGTON, DC, July 26, 2012 — Covington & Burling LLP’s international arbitration practice has been nominated for a Chambers Latin America Award for Excellence. The awards recognize notable achievements over the past year, including outstanding work, impressive strategic growth, and excellence in client service. The Chambers Latin America Awards for ...

June 28, 2012

WASHINGTON, DC, June 28, 2012 — The American Lawyer has named Covington & Burling to its “A-List,” a ranking of the nation’s top 20 firms. The “A-List” is the magazine’s effort to identify the leading firms that best reflect the legal profession’s core values and measures performance based on revenues, pro bono efforts, lawyer satisfaction and diversity. The ...

June 22, 2012

NEW YORK, June 22, 2012 — Covington & Burling advised Ascom Holding AG in its acquisition of GE Healthcare’s nurse call medical device business. The acquisition gives Ascom access to the North American nurse call market and creates opportunities to combine GE Nurse Call systems with Ascom’s existing mobility offering. With this acquisition, Ascom further ...

June 19, 2012

WASHINGTON, DC, June 19, 2012 — For the fourth time, The National Law Journal has named Covington & Burling to its “Appellate Hot List.” The 2012 list recognizes firms whose appellate track records over the past year have included significant victories in cases that affect the course of industries, vindicate important constitutional rights, and have high ...

June 13, 2012

NEW YORK, June 13, 2012 — Covington & Burling is strengthening its transactional capabilities in Latin America with the addition of Gabriel Mesa, a senior corporate lawyer with in-depth experience in the region. Mr. Mesa joins the firm’s New York office as of counsel in the firm’s corporate practice where he is expected to advise corporations in joint ventures ...

June 4, 2012

NEW YORK, June 4, 2012 — Covington advised SandRidge Energy, Inc. on the sale of its non-core tertiary recovery business for $130 million to Morgan Stanley Global Private Equity portfolio company Trinity CO2 Investments. The divested properties are located in West Texas and currently produce approximately 1,100 barrels of oil per day. SandRidge Energy is an oil ...

June 4, 2012

NEW YORK, June 4, 2012 — Covington advised UCB S.A. in the acquisition of a majority interest in Meizler Biopharma, S.A., a Brazilian pharmaceutical company that commercializes a portfolio of in-licensed specialty products. The transaction agreements foresee performance related milestone payments in the coming years as well as an option to purchase the ...

June 4, 2012

WASHINGTON, DC, June 4, 2012 — Euromoney Legal Media Group recently named Covington & Burling “Best Firm for Minority Women Lawyers” and “Best Firm in the U.S. West” at its inaugural Americas Women in Business Law Awards ceremony. Euromoney -- which publishes Benchmark: Litigation, Managing Intellectual Property and International Financial Law Review (IFLR) -- ...

May 16, 2012

NEW YORK, May 16, 2012 — A federal judge today granted class certification in a lawsuit challenging the New York Police Department’s stop-and-frisk policies and practices as unconstitutional and racially discriminatory in violation of the Fourth and Fourteenth Amendments. The ruling in Floyd v. City of New York, et al. (S.D.N.Y.) allows anyone who was unlawfully ...

May 16, 2012

WASHINGTON, DC, May 16, 2012 — Covington & Burling has been named to Corporate Board Member magazine’s list of the top 25 national corporate law firms in 2012 based on a comprehensive survey of general counsel at publicly traded companies. The survey, conducted by the magazine and FTI Consulting, asked general counsels to identify the firms they would most ...

May 8, 2012

WASHINGTON, DC, May 8, 2012 — The National Law Journal has named Covington & Burling to its inaugural Intellectual Property Hot List, which recognizes 20 top firms that have “demonstrated creative strategies for litigation, patent prosecution, licensing and other transactional work” in the intellectual property field. In naming Covington to the list, the NLJ ...

April 30, 2012

NEW YORK, April 30, 2012 — Covington & Burling LLP is pleased to announce that capital markets lawyers Don Murray and Eric Blanchard will join the firm’s corporate practice as partners effective May 1st. They will be resident in the firm’s New York office. Mr. Murray and Mr. Blanchard represent underwriters and issuers in initial public offerings and other ...

April 24, 2012

WASHINGTON, DC, April 24, 2012 — SandRidge Mississippian Trust II announced today the closing of its initial public offering of 29.9 million common units, including 3.9 million common units sold pursuant to the exercise of the underwriters’ over-allotment option, representing a 60 percent beneficial interest in the Trust. SandRidge Energy, Inc., as sponsor of ...

April 23, 2012

SAN FRANCISCO, April 23, 2012 — Covington & Burling advised Microsoft Corp. in negotiating a definitive agreement with Facebook that assigns the social networking company the right to purchase a portion of a patent portfolio that Microsoft recently purchased from AOL Inc. Under the agreement, announced today, Facebook will pay $550 million in cash. Covington ...

April 23, 2012

WASHINGTON, DC, April 23, 2012 — Covington & Burling represented AstraZeneca in its $1.26 billion acquisition of Ardea Biosciences. Under the agreement, AstraZeneca will pay $32 per share for all of the outstanding shares of Ardea. AstraZeneca is a global, innovation-driven biopharmaceutical business with a primary focus on the discovery, development and ...

4/23/2012

NEW YORK, April 23, 2012 — Covington & Burling represented Thomson Reuters in a definitive agreement to sell its Healthcare business to an affiliate of Veritas Capital for $1.25 billion in cash. The sale, expected to close in the next few months, is subject to regulatory approval and customary closing conditions, including the expiration or termination of ...

April 16, 2012

WASHINGTON, DC, April 16, 2012 — Covington & Burling is pleased to announce the promotion of one lawyer to of counsel and five lawyers to special counsel, effective April 1, 2012. Wendy Feng (San Francisco), the new of counsel, represents policyholders in insurance coverage cases in state and federal courts. She provides strategic claims-related advice and has ...

April 13, 2012

WASHINGTON, DC, April 13, 2012 — Covington & Burling advised Tom Benson, the longtime owner of the New Orleans Saints, in his purchase of the New Orleans Hornets for an undisclosed sum. The purchase and related agreements were finalized this week. Closing is expected before the end of June. “I am very grateful to Bruce Wilson and the Covington team,” Mr. ...

March 29, 2012

WASHINGTON, DC, March 29, 2012 — Euromoney Legal Media Group has named Covington & Burling and three of its partners to shortlists for the inaugural Americas Women in Business Law Awards. Covington has been shortlisted as one of the Best Firms for Minority Women Lawyers, based on the Diversity at Covington program, and for the Work-Life Balance Award, for the ...

March 23, 2012

WASHINGTON, DC, March 23, 2012 — Covington & Burling has been nominated for the 2012 Chambers USA Awards for Excellence in five national practice areas. On March 20th, Chambers released its shortlist of the law firms nominated based on their pre-eminence and recent achievements in 21 distinct practice areas. Covington was one of two firms receiving team ...

March 12, 2012

WASHINGTON, DC, March 12, 2012 — Covington & Burling LLP has applied to open a new office in Seoul and tapped William H.Y. Park, a veteran corporate lawyer based in Korea, to help oversee the expansion. Mr. Park will work closely with former Ambassador to the United Nations Daniel Spiegel, senior of counsel at Covington, who will be the Foreign Legal Consultant ...

February 23, 2012

LONDON, 23 February, 2012 — Covington & Burling LLP represented IMS Consulting Group Limited in its agreement to acquire HedgeOp Compliance, LLC. HedgeOp is the leading provider of specialised compliance software and consulting services for investment advisers in the United States. IMS is a leading European governance, risk and compliance services group. The ...

February 15, 2012

WASHINGTON, DC, February 15, 2012 — BTI Consulting Group named Tim Hester, chair of Covington & Burling’s management committee, as one of its 2012 “Client Service All-Stars.” The BTI “Client Service All-Stars” are North American and European lawyers who have been identified based on the unprompted, unequivocal recommendations from corporate counsel for ...

February 2, 2012

NEW YORK, February 2, 2012 — Covington & Burling represented Moelis & Company, financial advisor to Amgen, in its cash acquisition of Micromet, Inc. in a deal valued at approximately $1.16 billion. The acquisition, reported on Jan. 26, includes blinatumomab, a Bispecific T cell Engager antibody in Phase 2 clinical development for acute lymphoblastic leukemia. ...

February 1, 2012

New York, February 1, 2012 — Covington & Burling advised SandRidge Energy, Inc. on its announced acquisition of Dynamic Offshore Resources, LLC for $1.275 billion in cash and stock. Under the agreement, SandRidge will pay about $680 million in cash and approximately 74 million shares of SandRidge common stock valued at $8.02 per share. Covington also advised ...

January 27, 2012

WASHINGTON, DC, January 27, 2012 — Law360 named Covington’s life sciences practice as of one of the top five “Health Practice Groups of the Year,” recognizing its substantial strengths across multiple practices in Asia, Europe and the United States. Covington’s life sciences practice history dates back to the founding of the firm nearly a century ago. The ...

January 24, 2012

WASHINGTON, DC, January 24, 2012 — Covington & Burling LLP represented ChemGen Corp. in its definitive merger agreement with Eli Lilly and Company. Upon closing of the transaction, ChemGen will become a wholly-owned subsidiary of Eli Lilly and an operating unit of Elanco, the animal health division of Eli Lilly. ChemGen, headquartered in Gaithersburg, ...

January 20, 2012

WASHINGTON, DC, January 20, 2012 — Law360 named Covington & Burling’s white collar defense and investigations practice as of one of the top five “White Collar Practice Groups of the Year.” In a profile about the firm’s practice published on Jan. 19th, Law360 noted the breadth of Covington’s clients and matters in the white collar practice area as a key reason ...

January 9, 2012

WASHINGTON, DC, January 9, 2012 — Law360 named Covington & Burling’s global privacy & data security practice as one of the top five “Privacy & Consumer Protection Practice Groups of the Year.” In a profile about the firm published on Jan. 5th, Law360 pointed to Covington’s broad practice in assisting clients in transactions, on advisory matters, in social ...

January 4, 2012

NEW YORK, January 4, 2012 — Covington & Burling advised Resource America, Inc. in its definitive agreement with CVC Capital Partners to create a global credit management business with over $7.5 billion in assets under management called CVC Credit Partners. As part of the transaction, Resource America plans to sell Apidos Capital management, its CLO manager, to ...

December 21, 2011

WASHINGTON, DC, December 21, 2011 — Following an eight-day bench trial, a Federal Communications Commission Administrative Law Judge ruled in favor of Tennis Channel in its discriminatory carriage lawsuit against Comcast Cable Communications. This historic decision is the first time any independent programming network has won a discrimination case against a ...

December 8, 2011

WASHINGTON, DC, December 8, 2011 — For the fourth consecutive year, the Human Right Campaign Foundation has awarded Covington & Burling the top rating of 100 percent in the 2012 Corporate Equality Index. Covington’s 100 percent rating reflects its written non-discrimination policy; sexual orientation and gender identity training; support for same-sex partners of ...

November 28, 2011

NEW YORK, November 28, 2011 — Covington & Burling represented Resource Capital Corp. (NYSE: RSO) in the restructuring of its investment in Leaf Commercial Capital, Inc. (LEAF), a commercial finance joint venture in which RSO has a substantial interest. The restructuring of RSO’s investment was undertaken in connection with a growth equity investment of $50 ...

November 21, 2011

LONDON, 21 November, 2011 — Qualcomm Incorporated (NASDAQ: QCOM) has acquired substantially all of the technology and other assets of HaloIPT, a leading provider of wireless charging technology for electric road vehicles. Covington & Burling LLP advised HaloIPT on the transaction. HaloIPT's financial adviser was Innovator Capital, the London based cleantech ...

November 14, 2011

WASHINGTON, DC, November 14, 2011 — Law360 named five Covington & Burling lawyers today as “Most Valuable Players” in their respective practice areas. The inaugural award singles out lawyers whose accomplishments in major litigation or transactional matters have “raised the bar” over the past year. The 92 lawyers awarded this honor focus their work in 16 ...

November 10, 2011

WASHINGTON, DC, November 10, 2011 — Covington & Burling represented Salix Pharmaceuticals, Ltd. in its agreement to acquire Oceana Therapeutics, Inc., a privately held global provider of gastroenterology and urology therapeutics, for $300 million in cash. “The acquisition of Oceana expands our product portfolio of innovative products, furthers the ...

November 1, 2011

WASHINGTON, DC, November 1, 2011 — For the second consecutive year, U.S. News-Best Lawyers awarded Covington & Burling the most first-tier practice rankings for Washington, DC in the “Best Law Firms” survey. The 2011-12 survey also awarded the firm 82 first-tier practice rankings, placing Covington among the top 20 firms nationwide. Additionally, U.S. ...

September 27, 2011

NEW YORK, September 27, 2011 — Twenty Covington & Burling LLP lawyers are recognized in the 2011 edition of New York Super Lawyers. The annual list by Super Lawyers selects only five percent of the total lawyers in the state based upon peer review and the publication’s independent research. Sixteen Covington lawyers were named New York Super Lawyers: Jack ...

September 15, 2011

WASHINGTON, DC, September 15, 2011 — Working Mother magazine named Covington & Burling LLP to its list of the nation’s “100 Best Companies” for the sixth straight year. Covington is one of only four law firms on the list, which is mainly comprised of major public companies. Working Mother’s “100 Best Companies” list recognizes the nation’s top companies for ...

September 13, 2011

WASHINGTON, DC, September 13, 2011 — Covington & Burling LLP has been named as one of the nation’s best law firms for women lawyers by the National Association of Female Executives and Flex-Time Lawyers. The firm has won the award every year that the award has been given. The 50 winning firms were selected to the “Best Law Firms for Women” based on their ...

September 7, 2011

WASHINGTON, DC, September 7, 2011 — Covington & Burling LLP lawyers received 184 individual mentions in 56 areas of law in the 2012 edition of The Best Lawyers in America. This annual compilation of top US lawyers is based on peer-review surveys and is used as a referral guide in the legal profession. The Covington lawyers recognized are as follows: ...

September 2, 2011

SAN FRANCISCO, September 2, 2011 — Covington & Burling LLP represented Microsoft Corp. in a patent monetization transaction involving the acquisition by MOSAID Technologies Incorporated of Core Wireless Licensing S.a.r.l., a Luxembourg company that holds a portfolio of 400 patent families, consisting of approximately 2,000 wireless patents and patent ...

August 31, 2011

NEW YORK, August 31, 2011 — Joy Global Inc. (NASDAQ: JOYG), a worldwide leader in high-productivity mining solutions, reported today that it has entered into a definitive agreement to sell the drilling products business of its recently acquired LeTourneau Technologies, Inc. to Cameron International Corporation (NYSE: CAM) for $375 million in cash, subject to ...

August 16, 2011

WASHINGTON, DC, August 16, 2011 — SandRidge Permian Trust recently announced the closing of its initial public offering of 34.5 million common units of beneficial interest at a price of $18 per unit.  Net proceeds of the offering, before expenses, were approximately $584 million.  The common units sold in the offering represent a 66 percent beneficial interest ...

July 22, 2011

NEW YORK, July 22, 2011 — Bristol-Myers Squibb Company and Amira Pharmaceuticals, Inc., have reported that the companies have signed a definitive agreement under which Bristol-Myers Squibb will acquire privately held Amira Pharmaceuticals. Covington & Burling LLP represented Bristol-Myers Squibb in the transaction. Under the terms of the agreement, ...

July 5, 2011

NEW YORK, July 5, 2011 — Covington & Burling LLP represented Microsoft Corp. in the $4.5 billion winning bid in the auction of Nortel Networks Corporation’s 6000 patents and patent applications. A consortium of Microsoft and several other technology companies will share Nortel’s 4G wireless, data networking, optical, voice, Internet, service provider, ...

July 1, 2011

WASHINGTON, DC, July 1, 2011 — The American Lawyer has named Covington & Burling LLP to its “A-List,” a ranking of the top 20 firms headquartered in the United States. The “A-List” is an effort to identify the leading firms that best reflect the legal profession’s core values and measures performance based on revenues, pro bono efforts, lawyer satisfaction, and ...

June 29, 2011

WASHINGTON, DC, June 29, 2011 — Covington & Burling LLP represented National Geographic Society in its agreement with Cengage Learning to sell its digital and print school publishing unit and to extend additional rights to use the National Geographic brand in higher education and library markets worldwide. National Geographic’s school publishing unit includes ...

June 20, 2011

NEW YORK, June 20, 2011 — Covington & Burling LLP represented Morgan Stanley, financial advisor to Atlantic Power Corporation, in its acquisition of Capital Power Income L.P. in a deal valued at approximately C$1.1 billion. The transaction will create a leading North American contracted power generation platform with over 2,100 megawatts of capacity. Under the ...

June 10, 2011

WASHINGTON, DC, June 10, 2011 — Covington & Burling LLP received 123 individual mentions and 45 practice mentions in Chambers USA 2011. The guidebook, which ranks lawyers by state and national practice area, is designed to identify the most skilled legal practitioners based on the qualities most valued by clients. Here are the Covington lawyers and practices ...

June 9, 2011

WASHINGTON, DC, June 10, 2011 — Covington & Burling LLP received 92 individual mentions and 32 practice mentions in the Legal 500 US 2011 edition.  Legal 500 reviews the strengths and strategies of law firms in more than 90 countries in Europe, the Middle East, Asia, North and South America, and the Caribbean. Here are the Covington lawyers and practices ...

5/16/2011

WASHINGTON, DC, May 16, 2011 — Joy Global Inc. (NASDAQ: JOYG), a worldwide leader in high-productivity mining solutions, reported today that it has signed a definitive agreement to acquire 100 percent ownership interest in LeTourneau Technologies, Inc. (“LeTourneau”) from Rowan Companies, Inc. (“Rowan”) (NYSE: RDC) for $1.1 billion in cash. LeTourneau designs, ...

5/10/2011

NEW YORK, May 10, 2011 — CKx, Inc., an owner of premium entertainment content, today announced that it has entered into a definitive merger agreement to be acquired by an affiliate of Apollo Global Management, a leading global alternative asset manager. Covington & Burling LLP advised Gleacher & Company, Inc., financial advisor to CKx, on the transaction. Under ...

5/10/2011

WASHINGTON, DC, May 10, 2011 — For the sixth consecutive year, Covington & Burling LLP has been named to Corporate Board Member’s list of America’s Best Corporate Law Firms. The list of 25 firms is based on a comprehensive survey of directors of publicly traded companies by Corporate Board Member magazine and FTI Consulting. Covington was also again named to the ...

May 2, 2011

NEW YORK, May 2, 2011 — Covington & Burling LLP represented UBS Securities LLC, financial adviser to International Coal Group, Inc., in its $3.4 billion sale to Arch Coal, Inc., creating the second largest U.S. metallurgical coal supplier and a top-five overall global coal producer and marketer. Under the terms of the agreement, Arch will acquire all of the ...

April 29, 2011

WASHINGTON, DC, April 29, 2011 — Covington & Burling LLP has been named to Yale Law Women’s 2011 list of Top Ten Family Friendly Firms. This marks the fourth time that Covington has been honored with this award since its inception six years ago. The Yale list recognizes firms that demonstrate a strong commitment to family friendly practices. The judges evaluate ...

April 21, 2011

NEW YORK, April 21, 2011 — The Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company has announced that it has amended and restated its European revolving credit facility and closed an offering of €250 million of 6 3/4 percent Senior Notes due 2019 by its European subsidiary, Goodyear Dunlop Tires Europe B.V. Changes to the European credit facility include the extension of the ...

April 15, 2011

WASHINGTON, DC, April 15, 2011 — On March 14th, Scotland’s Inner House of the Court of Session (Scotland’s Court of Appeals) ruled in favor of American creditors challenging a “solvent Scheme of Arrangement” that would allow the Scottish Lion Insurance Company Limited, a solvent insurer, to cut off valuable and irreplaceable coverage rights of policyholders. The ...

April 13, 2011

WASHINGTON, DC, April 13, 2011 — SandRidge Mississippian Trust I has announced the closing of its public offering of 17.25 million common units of beneficial interest, at a price per unit of $21.00. The 17.25 million units represent an approximately 62 percent beneficial interest in the Trust.  Covington & Burling LLP served as counsel to SandRidge Energy, Inc. ...

April 7, 2011

WASHINGTON, DC, April 7, 2011 — Three practices at Covington & Burling LLP have been nominated for the 2011 Chambers USA Awards for Excellence. The firm received team nominations in the antitrust, insurance, and international trade categories. The awards recognize the firm’s pre-eminence in key practice areas and significant achievements over the past 12 months, ...

April 6, 2011

NEW YORK, April 6, 2011 — Covington & Burling LLP represented The Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company in its $500 million registered underwritten offering of 5.875 percent Mandatory Convertible Preferred Stock, which closed on March 31, 2011. Goldman, Sachs & Co., J.P. Morgan Securities LLC, Citi and Credit Agricole Securities (USA) Inc. served as joint book-running ...

April 1, 2011

WASHINGTON, DC, April 1, 2011 — Covington & Burling LLP is pleased to announce the promotion of two lawyers to of counsel and three lawyers to special counsel. The new of counsel are as follows: Alex Chinoy (Washington) focuses his practice on the resolution of international intellectual property disputes, with an emphasis on Section 337 unfair import ...

March 22, 2011

WASHINGTON, DC, March 22, 2011 — The Global Arbitration Review has named Covington & Burling LLP to its prestigious list of the world’s top 30 international arbitration practices. Published by GAR, the international journal of commercial and treaty arbitration, the GAR 30 is part of a larger survey of the world's leading arbitration practices commonly known as ...

March 15, 2011

NEW YORK, March 15, 2011 — Covington & Burling LLP advised ClaimTrust, Inc. in the company’s recent sale to Craneware PLC (AIM: CRW.L). Craneware PLC is the market leader in automated revenue integrity solutions for the U.S. healthcare market. ClaimTrust, Inc. is a software-as-a-service revenue cycle technology provider to hospitals in the United States. The ...

March 7, 2011

NEW YORK, March 7, 2011 — Covington & Burling LLP represented BofA Merrill Lynch, financial adviser to TomoTherapy Incorporated, in its sale to Accuray Incorporated for $277 million. Under terms of the agreement, TomoTherapy will be sold to Accuray for $4.80 per share in cash and Accuray stock. TomoTherapy is a creator of advanced radiation therapy solutions ...

March 3, 2011

NEW YORK, March 3, 2011 — Resource Capital Corporation (RSO) has announced that it has completed its purchase of 100 percent of the ownership interests in Churchill Pacific Asset Management LLC (CPAM) from Churchill Financial Holdings LLC. CPAM is the collateral manager to five Collateralized Loan Obligations (CLOs) totaling approximately $1.9 billion in assets. ...

February 22, 2011

NEW YORK, February 22, 2011 — Forest Laboratories, Inc. (NYSE: FRX) and Clinical Data, Inc. (NASDAQ: CLDA) announced today that they have entered into a merger agreement pursuant to which Forest will acquire Clinical Data, a specialty pharmaceutical company focused on the development of first-in-class and best-in-category therapeutics. Covington & Burling LLP ...

February 15, 2011

NEW YORK, February 15, 2011 — Covington & Burling LLP represented Perella Weinberg Partners, as financial advisor to NYSE Euronext, in its merger with Deutsche Börse AG announced today, forming the premier global exchange group. Under the terms of the agreement, NYSE shareholders will own 40 percent of the newly merged company, and Deutsche Börse shareholders ...

February 15, 2011

WASHINGTON, DC, February 15, 2011 — For the seventh time, Practical Law Company has awarded Covington & Burling LLP its worldwide first place ranking in the Life Sciences Regulatory Super League category. PLC also singled out Covington’s Antitrust/Competition, Corporate, and Insurance practices, along with lawyers from each group, in its practice-specific ...

January 25, 2011

WASHINGTON, DC, January 25, 2011 — Law360 has named Covington & Burling LLP’s insurance practice as one of five “Insurance Groups of the Year.” Law360’s January 21 account praised Covington’s policyholder recovery practice for its work over “the past year securing favorable verdicts and more than 100 settlements in litigation, arbitration and negotiations for ...

January 11, 2011

NEW YORK, January 11, 2011 — Scout Partners LLC has announced that it has made a growth capital investment in The Hinckley Company. Terms of the transaction, which closed on December 30, 2010, were not disclosed. Covington & Burling LLP advised Scout Partners on the deal. Scout Partners, a partnership between David Howe and Peterson Capital LLC, was created ...

January 7, 2011

WASHINGTON, DC, January 7, 2011 — Law360 has named Covington & Burling LLP’s employment practice as one of five “Employment Groups of the Year.” “The key to Covington's success has been its laser focus on a select number of vital cases with major implications for the future of ERISA, while other firms may focus on handling a greater volume of routine ERISA ...

1/6/2011

NEW YORK, January 6, 2011 — Charlesbank Capital Partners has announced that it has acquired Peacock Engineering Company, LLC, a leading provider of outsourced food packaging and supply chain management services to many of the nation’s largest branded consumer products companies, from Behrman Capital. The terms of the transaction, which closed on December 21, ...

November 23, 2010

NEW YORK, November 23, 2010 — J.Crew Group, Inc. today announced that it has entered into a definitive agreement to be acquired by funds affiliated with TPG Capital and Leonard Green & Partners, L.P. Under the terms of the agreement, holders of the outstanding common shares of J.Crew will receive $43.50 per share in cash, or a total of approximately $3 billion. ...

November 9, 2010

NEW YORK, November 9, 2010 — Atlas Pipeline Holdings L.P. and Atlas Energy, Inc. announced today that they have entered into an agreement for Atlas Holdings to acquire from its parent, Atlas Energy, all of Atlas Energy’s partnership management business and certain producing oil & gas assets for total consideration of $250 million, consisting of $220 million in ...

October 25, 2010

NEW YORK, October 25, 2010 — Kadmon Pharmaceuticals announced today that it has acquired Three Rivers Pharmaceuticals, a privately held specialty pharmaceuticals company based in Warrendale, Pennsylvania. Three Rivers will serve as the commercial and operational cornerstone for Kadmon, a privately held biopharmaceutical company based in New York City. Terms of ...

October 25, 2010

SAN FRANCISCO, October 25, 2010 — Omeros Corporation today announced that it has received $20 million from Vulcan Capital as well as a grant award for $5 million from Washington State's Life Sciences Discovery Fund (LSDF) to support the advancement of the Company's G protein-coupled receptor (GPCR) program. In return, Vulcan Capital and LSDF have a right to ...

October 12, 2010

NEW YORK, October 12, 2010 — King Pharmaceuticals and Pfizer announced today that they have entered into an agreement for Pfizer to acquire all of the outstanding stock and stock equivalents of King for $14.25 in cash per share, or aggregate consideration of $3.6 billion. Covington & Burling LLP advised King on the transaction. King is a vertically integrated ...

October 4, 2010

WASHINGTON, DC, October 4, 2010 — For the third consecutive year, Covington & Burling LLP has earned the top rating of 100 percent in the 2011 Corporate Equality Index (CEI), an annual survey administered by the Human Rights Campaign Foundation. Covington’s 100% rating reflects its written non-discrimination policy; sexual orientation and gender identity ...

September 21, 2010

NEW YORK, September 21, 2010 — Prestige Brands Holdings, Inc. has announced that it has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire 100% of the stock of Blacksmith Brands Holdings, Inc., a portfolio company of Charlesbank Capital Partners, for $190 million in cash. Covington & Burling LLP advised Charlesbank on the transaction, which is expected to close in ...

September 17, 2010

WASHINGTON, DC, September 17, 2010 — Covington & Burling LLP received 33 first-tier practice rankings in the 2010 “Best Law Firms” survey by U.S. News Media Group and Best Lawyers. Covington’s first-tier national rankings place it among the top 10 firms nationwide and at the top of the first-tier rankings for Washington, DC. The inaugural rankings presented in ...

September 14, 2010

WASHINGTON, DC, September 14, 2010 — For the fifth consecutive year, Covington & Burling LLP has been named to Working Mother magazine’s list of the “100 Best Companies.” This is the silver anniversary of the Working Mother “100 Best Companies” list which recognizes the nation’s top companies for family friendly benefits. Companies were selected based on an ...

August 6, 2010

WASHINGTON, DC, August 6, 2010 — Covington & Burling LLP received 138 individual mentions in 40 areas of law in the 2011 edition of The Best Lawyers in America. This annual compilation of top US lawyers is based on peer-review surveys and is used as a referral guide in the legal profession. The Covington lawyers recognized are as follows: Administrative: ...

August 2, 2010

WASHINGTON, DC, August 2, 2010 — The Washington Post Company has today announced its agreement to sell Newsweek to a company owned by Dr. Sidney Harman, the founder and chairman emeritus of Harman International. Covington & Burling LLP advised The Washington Post Company on the transaction. The terms of the sale have not been announced. The Washington and New ...

July 20, 2010

NEW YORK, July 20, 2010 — SandRidge Energy, Inc. has completed its acquisition of Arena Resources, Inc., creating a combined company with an enterprise value of approximately $6.2 billion. Covington & Burling LLP advised SandRidge Energy on the transaction. The merger closed on July 16 following special meetings of the stockholders of each company. The ...

July 1, 2010

WASHINGTON, DC, July 1, 2010 — The American Lawyer has named Covington & Burling LLP to its “A-List,” a ranking of the top 20 firms headquartered in the United States. The “A-List” is an effort to identify the leading firms that best reflect the legal profession’s core values and measures performance based on revenues, pro bono efforts, lawyer satisfaction, and ...

June 25, 2010

NEW YORK, June 25, 2010 — Gilead Sciences, Inc. and CGI Pharmaceuticals, Inc. today announced the signing of a definitive agreement pursuant to which Gilead will acquire CGI. Under the terms of the agreement, Gilead will acquire CGI for up to $120 million, the majority as an upfront payment and the remaining based on clinical development progress. Covington & ...

June 23, 2010

WASHINGTON, DC, June 23, 2010 — Covington & Burling LLP received 85 individual mentions and 23 practice mentions in the Legal 500 US 2010 edition. Legal 500 reviews the strengths and strategies of law firms in more than 90 countries in Europe, the Middle East, Asia, North and South America, and the Caribbean. Here are the Covington lawyers and practices ...

June 17, 2010

WASHINGTON, DC, June 17, 2010 — Arginetix, Inc. and Immune Control Inc. today announced their merger to form Corridor Pharmaceuticals, Inc., which will develop novel treatments for vascular diseases with an initial focus on pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH). Corridor, which will be based in Baltimore, Maryland, will develop treatments based on the ...

June 16, 2010

WASHINGTON, DC, June 16, 2010 — Covington & Burling LLP received 112 individual mentions and 44 practice mentions in Chambers USA 2010. The guidebook, which ranks lawyers by state and national practice area, is designed to identify the most skilled legal practitioners based on the qualities most valued by clients. Here are the Covington lawyers and practices ...

June 14, 2010

NEW YORK, June 14, 2010 — GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) plc has announced its acquisition of Laboratorios Phoenix S.A.C.yF., a leading Argentine pharmaceuticals business, for approximately $253 million. Covington & Burling LLP advised GSK on the deal. By acquiring Phoenix, GSK gains access to a broad portfolio of branded generic pharmaceutical products, as well as a ...

June 1, 2010

NEW YORK, June 1, 2010 — Centocor Ortho Biotech Inc., a subsidiary of Johnson & Johnson, announced today that it has acquired UK-based RespiVert. Covington & Burling LLP advised Johnson & Johnson on the deal. Johnson & Johnson embraces research and science - bringing innovative ideas, products and services to advance the health and well-being of people. Johnson ...

May 21, 2010

NEW YORK, May 21, 2010 — Charlesbank Capital Partners, LLC and Cedar Creek Lumber have announced a recapitalization whereby Charlesbank will acquire majority ownership of Cedar Creek. The transaction, which is structured as an asset purchase, will provide the Cedar Creek business with capital to grow organically and expand within the wholesale building materials ...

May 7, 2010

WASHINGTON, DC, May 7, 2010 — For the fifth consecutive year, Covington & Burling LLP has been named to Corporate Board Member’s list of America’s Best Corporate Law Firms. The list of 20 firms is based on a comprehensive survey of directors of publicly traded companies by Corporate Board Member magazine and FTI Consulting. Covington was also again named to the ...

May 4, 2010

NEW YORK, May 4, 2010 — Interactive Data Corporation (IDC), a provider of financial market data, analytics and related solutions, today announced that it has entered into a definitive agreement to be acquired by investment funds managed by Silver Lake Partners and Warburg Pincus LLC in a transaction with a total value of $3.4 billion. British publishing company ...

April 26, 2010

NEW YORK, April 26, 2010 — Charles River Laboratories International, Inc., a global provider of research models and associated services and of preclinical drug development services, and WuXi PharmaTech (Cayman) Inc., a drug research and development outsourcing company with expertise in discovery chemistry and with operations in China and the United States, today ...

4/21/2010

NEW YORK, April 21, 2010 — Alphatec Holdings, Inc., the parent company of Alphatec Spine, Inc., completed an underwritten public offering of 18.4 million shares of common stock, consisting of 9.2 million primary shares and 9.2 million shares offered by HealthpointCapital Partners. The net proceeds to HealthpointCapital Partners from the sale of the shares, after ...

April 12, 2010

WASHINGTON, DC, April 12, 2010 — LIN TV Corp., a local television and multimedia company, has announced the private placement by its wholly owned subsidiary, LIN Television Corporation, of $200 million of its 8 3/8% Senior Notes due 2018 (the “Notes”). Net proceeds from the sale of the Notes are expected to be used to repay outstanding amounts under LIN ...

April 12, 2010

NEW YORK, April 12, 2010 — Covington & Burling LLP’s Scott Smith has been named “Dealmaker of the Week” by The Am Law Daily. Mr. Smith, chair of the firm’s M&A and private equity practices, was recognized for advising SandRidge Energy in its acquisition of Arena Resources, a deal that was announced April 4. The other members of the New York and Washington ...

March 15, 2010

WASHINGTON, DC, March 15, 2010 — CVG, Incorporated (“CVG”) has announced its merger with Integral Systems, Inc. in a deal valued at $34.675 million. Covington & Burling LLP advised CVG on the transaction. CVG and its subsidiary, Avtec systems, Inc., based in Chantilly, Virginia, provide secure satellite-based communication solutions to government and commercial ...

March 9, 2010

NEW YORK, March 9, 2010 — Covington & Burling LLP represented Trinity Equity Investments I, LLC, an affiliate of Trinity Equity Investors, LLC, in its March 5 investment in, and recapitalization of, Ricerca Biosciences, LLC, which was completed in connection with Ricerca’s acquisition of the Discovery and Preclinical business of MDS Pharma Services. Covington ...

February 25, 2010

NEW YORK, February 25, 2010 — Coca-Cola Enterprises Inc. (CCE) announced today a definitive agreement to sell its North American bottling operations to The Coca-Cola Company and to acquire Coca-Cola’s Norway and Sweden bottling businesses in a transaction valued at approximately $13 billion. Covington & Burling LLP advised Greenhill & Co., Inc., financial ...

2/22/2010

NEW YORK, February 22, 2010 — Financial Federal Corporation and People’s United Financial, Inc. have completed the merger of Financial Federal with People’s United in a transaction valued at approximately $738 million. Covington & Burling LLP advised Financial Federal on the transaction. Financial Federal is a financial services company providing collateralized ...

December 18, 2009

LONDON, December 18, 2009 — Alphatec Holdings, Inc. has entered into an agreement to acquire Scient’x Groupe SAS, a spinal implant company based in France. Alphatec Holdings, Inc., the parent company of Alphatec Spine, Inc., is a medical device company that designs, develops, manufactures and markets products for the surgical treatment of spine disorders. ...

December 17, 2009

NEW YORK, December 17, 2009 — Ethicon, Inc., a Johnson & Johnson company and a worldwide leader in surgical care, and Acclarent, Inc., a privately held medical technology company dedicated to designing, developing and commercializing devices that address conditions affecting the ear, nose and throat, have announced a definitive merger agreement whereby Ethicon ...

December 16, 2009

WASHINGTON, DC, December 16, 2009 — SandRidge Energy, Inc. has announced the pricing of its private placement of $450 million of 8 3/4% Senior Notes due in 2020. Covington & Burling LLP advised SandRidge on the transaction, as well as the recently announced sales of the company’s preferred and common stock. SandRidge Energy is a natural gas and crude oil ...

December 9, 2009

NEW YORK, December 9, 2009 — Trustmark Corporation completed on December 7, 2009 the issuance of 5.4 million shares of Common Stock, raising gross proceeds of $115 million, in a transaction underwritten by UBS and J.P. Morgan. Today Trustmark announced that it completed the redemption of $215 million of its Fixed Rate Cumulative Perpetual Preferred Stock, Series ...

December 8, 2009

NEW YORK, December 8, 2009 — The Talbots, Inc., a leading international specialty retailer and direct marketer of women’s apparel, shoes and accessories, today announced agreements that in aggregate will reduce Talbots’ debt by approximately $330 million, provide access to a new secured debt facility, and re-establish the company with a strong financial profile ...

12/2/2009

WASHINGTON, DC, December 2, 2009 — SandRidge Energy, Inc. has announced that it is selling shares of its preferred and common stock in connection with the planned acquisition of Forest Oil Corporation’s oil and gas properties in the Permian Basin of Texas. Covington & Burling LLP advised SandRidge on the stock transactions. SandRidge Energy is a natural gas and ...

11/5/2009

NEW YORK, November 5, 2009 — IMS Health today announced that it has entered into a definitive agreement to be acquired by investment funds managed by TPG Capital (TPG) and the CPP Investment Board (CPPIB) in a transaction with a total value of $5.2 billion, including the assumption of debt. Covington & Burling LLP advised Foros Securities LLC, which acted as ...

11/2/2009

NEW YORK, NY, November 2, 2009 — Charlesbank Capital Partners, LLC has announced the formation of Blacksmith Brands Inc. with the acquisition of five over-the-counter consumer products brands from McNEIL-PPC, Inc. Covington & Burling LLP advised Charlesbank on the transaction. The brands acquired by Blacksmith include: Efferdent denture cleaner; Effergrip ...

10/23/2009

WASHINGTON, DC, October 23, 2009 — A Scottish court has entered its final ruling in a challenge by policyholders that addressed significant issues related to solvent schemes of arrangement put forward by London Market insurance companies. On October 14th, the Scottish Court of Session in Edinburgh ruled in favor of Scheme Creditors opposing a solvent scheme of ...

9/24/2009

NEW YORK, September 24, 2009 — Boehringer Ingelheim, and its US animal health business Boehringer Ingelheim Vetmedica, Inc., has entered into an agreement with Pfizer to acquire certain assets of Wyeth’s Fort Dodge Animal Health business upon the closing of the global Pfizer-Wyeth merger. Covington & Burling LLP represented Boehringer Ingelheim on the ...

9/22/2009

WASHINGTON, DC, September 22, 2009 — For the fourth consecutive year, Covington & Burling LLP has been named to Working Mother magazine’s list of the “100 Best Companies.” Covington is one of only four law firms on the list, which is comprised mainly of major public companies. “We are pleased to be recognized again as one of Working Mother’s 100 Best ...

9/15/2009

WASHINGTON, DC, September 15, 2009 — The Outer House of the Scottish Court of Session in Edinburgh on September 10 handed down an opinion favorable to policyholders that addressed significant issues related to solvent schemes of arrangement put forward by London Market insurance companies. The opinion followed argument on the Petition of The Scottish Lion ...

9/14/2009

WASHINGTON, DC, September 14, 2009 — Covington & Burling LLP is pleased to announce that it has earned the top rating of 100 percent in the 2010 Corporate Equality Index (CEI), an annual survey administered by the Human Rights Campaign Foundation. Covington’s 100% rating reflects its written non-discrimination policy; sexual orientation and gender identity ...

8/24/2009

NEW YORK, NY, August 24, 2009 — Procter & Gamble today announced the sale of its global pharmaceuticals business to Warner Chilcott Ltd. Covington & Burling LLP advised Procter & Gamble on the transaction. Procter & Gamble is a leading global branded products company, with one of the strongest portfolios of quality, leadership brands in consumer health and ...

8/24/2009

NEW YORK, NY, August 24, 2009 — Charlotte Russe Holding, Inc., a leading mall-based specialty retailer for young women, announced today that it has entered into a definitive agreement to be acquired and taken private by investment funds managed by Advent International Corporation. Covington & Burling LLP advised the Charlotte Russe Special Committee on the ...

8/20/2009

WASHINGTON, DC, August 20, 2009 — For the third consecutive year, Covington & Burling LLP has been named one of the nation’s Top Ten Family Friendly Firms by Yale Law Women. The list recognizes firms who are leaders in developing and implementing family friendly policies. Factors evaluated include access to and use of parental leave, emergency and on-site child ...

8/11/2009

WASHINGTON, DC, August 11, 2009 — For the third consecutive year, Covington & Burling LLP has been named one of Working Mother magazine and Flex-Time Lawyers Best Law Firms for Women. The 50 winning firms were selected based on their workforce profile, family-friendly benefits and policies, flexibility, leadership, compensation, advancement and retention of ...

August 7, 2009

WASHINGTON, DC, August 7, 2009 — Covington & Burling LLP received 131 individual mentions in 38 areas of law in the 2010 edition of The Best Lawyers in America. This annual compilation of top US lawyers is based on peer-review surveys and is used as a referral guide in the legal profession. The Covington lawyers recognized are as follows: Administrative: ...

8/3/2009

WASHINGTON, DC, August 3, 2009 — Four Covington & Burling LLP partners have been named to The Ethisphere Institute’s 2009 “Attorneys Who Matter” list, which recognizes leading legal professionals in private practice and at government agencies and major companies who have excelled in and made a significant contribution in the corporate compliance field. In ...

7/22/2009

WASHINGTON, DC, July 22, 2009 — Energy Conversion Devices, Inc. (ECD), a NASDAQ-listed leading global manufacturer of thin-film flexible solar laminate products for the building integrated and commercial rooftop markets, and Solar Integrated Technologies, Inc. (SIT), an AIM-listed leading provider of building integrated photovoltaic roofing systems, today ...

7/22/2009

NEW YORK, NY, July 22, 2009 — Medarex and Bristol-Myers Squibb announced today that Bristol-Myers Squibb entered into an agreement for Bristol-Myers Squibb to acquire all of the outstanding stock and stock equivalents of Medarex for $16.00 in cash per share, or aggregate consideration of $2.4 billion. Covington & Burling LLP advised Medarex on the ...

July 16, 2009

NEW YORK, NY, July 16, 2009 — Snow Phipps Group, LLC, a private equity firm, announced on July 7 that it had completed the acquisition of ITS Holding Company (ITSolutions), a leading information technology services provider to US government civilian, national security, and intelligence agencies, along with Mr. Stefan Lalos, co-founder and CEO of ITSolutions. ...

7/9/2009

NEW YORK, NY, July 9, 2009 — Validus Holdings, Ltd. today announced that it has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire IPC Holdings, Ltd. for approximately $1.65 billion in cash and Validus voting common shares. The combination will create a leading Bermuda carrier in the short-tail reinsurance and insurance market with $3.4 billion in shareholders’ ...

6/30/2009

WASHINGTON, DC, June 30, 2009 — The American Lawyer has named Covington & Burling LLP to its “A-List,” a ranking of the top 20 firms headquartered in the United States. “The A-List” is an effort to identify the leading firms that best reflect the legal profession’s core values, and measures performance based on revenues, pro bono efforts, lawyer satisfaction, ...

6/24/2009

WASHINGTON, DC, June 24, 2009 — Covington & Burling LLP has again been named in Corporate Board Member’s annual “top 20” rankings of corporate law firms. The featured list is based on a survey of directors of publicly traded companies by Corporate Board Member magazine and FTI Consulting. Covington was also included in the magazine’s separate “top 20” list based ...

June 12, 2009

WASHINGTON, DC, June 12, 2009 — Covington & Burling LLP received 100 individual mentions and 40 practice mentions in Chambers USA 2009. The guidebook, which ranks lawyers by state and national practice area, is designed to identify the most skilled legal practitioners based on the qualities most valued by clients. Here are the Covington lawyers and practices ...

5/22/2009

NEW YORK, NY, May 22, 2009 — Johnson & Johnson and Cougar Biotechnology, Inc. announced a definitive agreement whereby Cougar Biotechnology will be acquired for approximately $970 million in a cash tender offer. Covington & Burling LLP advised Merrill Lynch, financial advisor to Cougar Biotechnology, on the transaction. Johnson & Johnson engages in the research ...

5/18/2009

NEW YORK, NY, May 18, 2009 — Covington & Burling LLP is pleased to announce that David Kornblau, former Chief Litigation Counsel for the Securities and Exchange Commission’s Division of Enforcement, has joined the firm as a partner. He will be a member of Covington’s white collar and securities enforcement and litigation practices, and will be resident in the ...

4/15/2009

WASHINGTON, DC, April 15, 2009 — Covington & Burling LLP has announced the formation of a Clean Energy and Climate industry group designed to enhance the firm’s ability to help clients navigate the business challenges and opportunities presented by rapidly transforming energy and transportation infrastructures and by developments in climate change policy, both ...

4/13/2009

WASHINGTON, DC, April 13, 2009 — For the fourth consecutive year, Covington & Burling LLP has been awarded worldwide first place firm rankings by the Practical Law Company in both the Life Sciences Industry and Life Sciences Regulatory Super League categories. The rankings are published in PLC’s Cross-border Quarterly for April-June 2009. In honoring Covington, ...

4/10/2009

NEW YORK, NY, April 10, 2009 — First Solar, Inc. has announced the completion of its previously announced acquisition of OptiSolar’s project development business. Covington & Burling LLP advised OptiSolar on the deal. OptiSolar is a California-based independent power producer committed to delivering clean, competitively priced electricity to the power grid from ...

3/4/2009

NEW YORK, NY, March 4, 2009 — PhotoMedex, Inc. announced the completion of its acquisition of Photo Therapeutics Limited. PhotoMedex financed the acquisition through a convertible debt investment in PhotoMedex by Perseus Partners VII, L.P., an investment fund managed by Perseus, L.L.C. Covington & Burling LLP advised Perseus on the transaction. Perseus, L.L.C. ...

1/29/2009

WASHINGTON, DC, January 29, 2009 — The U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York has dismissed two securities class actions against Quanta Capital Holdings Ltd. that arose out of the company’s alleged under-estimation of losses from the extraordinary hurricanes of 2005. In two lengthy opinions, Judge Robert P. Patterson, Jr. rejected all claims ...

12/2/2008

NEW YORK, NY, December 2, 2008 — Roche and Memory Pharmaceuticals have announced a definitive merger agreement for Roche to acquire all the outstanding shares of Memory Pharmaceuticals. Covington & Burling LLP advised Memory Pharmaceuticals on the deal, valued at approximately $50 million. Roche, headquartered in Switzerland, is one of the world’s leading ...

11/21/2008

NEW YORK, NY, November 21, 2008 — Trustmark Corporation announced today that it completed the issuance and sale of $215 million of Fixed Rate Cumulative Perpetual Preferred Stock, Series A, and a Warrant to purchase approximately 1.65 million shares of Trustmark common stock to the U.S. Treasury as part of the government’s Capital Purchase Program. The Capital ...

10/9/2008

NEW YORK, NY, October 9, 2008 — Covington & Burling LLP advised UBS AG in connection with its recently filed registration statement with the SEC covering $21.5 billion in novel Auction Rate Securities Rights. These Rights were issued by UBS in connection with its settlements with various securities regulators regarding UBS's participation in the auction rate ...

10/1/2008

WASHINGTON, DC, October 1, 2008 — Covington & Burling LLP today announced that 12 of its lawyers have been elected to the firm’s partnership. These new partners are resident in four of the firm’s offices and practice in the litigation, corporate/tax, and regulatory fields. Timothy Hester, chair of the firm’s management committee, commented: “These young and ...

September 29, 2008

WASHINGTON, DC, September 29, 2008 — Covington & Burling LLP received 124 individual mentions in 40 areas of law in the 2009 edition of The Best Lawyers in America. This annual compilation of top US lawyers is based on peer-review surveys and is used as a referral guide in the legal profession. The Covington lawyers recognized are as follows: Administrative: ...

9/23/2008

WASHINGTON, DC, September 23, 2008 — For the third consecutive year, Covington & Burling LLP has been named in Working Mother magazine’s list of “100 Best Companies.” Covington is one of only four law firms named in the list, which is comprised mainly of major public companies. “We are delighted that Working Mother has once again selected Covington for this ...

9/16/2008

NEW YORK, NY, September 16, 2008 — Getinge AB announced today that it will purchase Datascope Corporation for $53 per share or $865 million in cash. Covington & Burling LLP advised Merrill Lynch, financial advisor to Getinge, on the transaction. Getinge is a global medical technology company with operations in the cardiac surgery and vascular surgery markets. ...

9/10/2008

WASHINGTON, DC, September 10, 2008 — For the second consecutive year, Covington & Burling LLP has been named one of the nation’s Top Ten Family Friendly Firms by Yale Law Women. The list was created to celebrate firms who are the leaders in facilitating work-life balance for lawyers. The factors that were evaluated include access to and use of ...

9/8/2008

NEW YORK, NY, September 8, 2008 — UST Inc. and Altria Group, Inc. today announced an agreement pursuant to which Altria Group will acquire UST. Under the terms of the agreement, shareholders of UST will receive $69.50 in cash for each share of common stock held. The transaction is valued at approximately $11.7 billion, which includes the assumption of ...

9/8/2008

NEW YORK, NY, September 8, 2008 — Alberto-Culver Company announced today that it signed an agreement to acquire the Noxzema skin care brand from The Procter & Gamble Company. The agreement includes the existing business in the United States, Canada and portions of Latin America. Procter & Gamble will continue to operate its existing Noxzema shave care, ...

9/2/2008

WASHINGTON, DC, September 2, 2008 — Covington & Burling LLP is pleased to announce that it has earned the top rating of 100 percent in the 2009 Corporate Equality Index (CEI), an annual survey administered by the Human Rights Campaign Foundation. The CEI evaluated 583 businesses for their LGBTQ-related policies and practices including non-discrimination ...

8/25/2008

NEW YORK, NY, August 25, 2008 — Grey Wolf, Inc., a US drilling company, and Precision Drilling Trust, a Canadian oil and natural gas drilling company, today announced an agreement to which Precision will acquire Grey Wolf for about $2 billion in cash and stock. Covington & Burling LLP advised UBS Investment Bank, financial advisor to Grey Wolf, on the ...

8/12/2008

WASHINGTON, DC, August 12 , 2008 — For the second consecutive year, Working Mother magazine, the authoritative source for career mothers, and Flex-Time Lawyers LLC, a national consulting firm advising lawyers and legal employers on work/life balance, have named Covington & Burling LLP a Working Mother & Flex-Time Lawyers Best Law Firm for Women. In order to ...

8/7/2008

WASHINGTON, DC, August 7, 2008 — On August 5, Intercell AG completed its acquisition of Iomai Corporation (now known as Intercell USA, Inc.) in a deal that will create a leading traveler’s vaccine portfolio. Covington & Burling LLP advised Intercell on the transaction. Intercell is a growing biotechnology company which focuses on the design and development of ...

8/6/2008

NEW YORK, NY, August 6, 2008 — General Maritime Corporation and Arlington Tankers Ltd. jointly announced today that they have entered into a definitive agreement whereby the two companies will combine in a stock-for-stock combination. The combination will create a leading publicly traded tanker company with a value of approximately $2 billion. Covington & ...

7/23/2008

WASHINGTON, DC, July 23, 2008 — Covington & Burling LLP is pleased to announce that it has opened an office in Beijing.  The office is the first in Asia for Covington, which also maintains offices in Brussels, London, New York, San Francisco, and Washington. “Covington has been advising its international clients on legal and business matters in Asia for ...

7/17/2008

NEW YORK, NY, July 17, 2008 — Wyeth Consumer Healthcare, a division of Wyeth, announced that it signed an agreement to purchase ThermaCare, a leading over-the-counter heat wrap, from Procter & Gamble. Covington & Burling LLP advised Procter & Gamble on the transaction. Introduced in the United States in 2002, ThermaCare Heat Wraps use heat therapy to relieve ...

7/9/2008

NEW YORK, NY, July 9, 2008 — Coty Inc. has completed its previously announced sale of the Orajel brand and other brands of Del Pharmaceuticals to Church & Dwight Co., Inc. for $380 million in cash. Covington & Burling LLP advised Coty on the transaction. Coty is the world’s largest fragrance company with annual sales in excess of $3.5 billion. Church & Dwight ...

6/30/2008

WASHINGTON, DC, June 30, 2008 — The American Lawyer has named Covington & Burling LLP to its “A-List,” a ranking of the 20 top firms headquartered in the United States. According to the editors, the “A-List” includes the firms that best embody what it means to be a success in the legal community based on revenues, pro bono efforts, lawyer satisfaction, and ...

6/30/2008

NEW YORK, NY, June 30, 2008 — Allied World Assurance Company Holdings, Ltd. and Darwin Professional Underwriters, Inc. announced today a definitive merger agreement whereby Allied World will acquire Darwin for approximately $550 million in cash. Covington & Burling LLP advised UBS Investment Bank, financial advisor to Darwin, on the transaction. Allied World is ...

6/19/2008

WASHINGTON, DC, June 19, 2008 — For the third straight year, Covington & Burling LLP has been named one of Corporate Board Member’s top 20 corporate law firms. The annual list is based on a survey of directors of publicly traded companies by Corporate Board Member magazine and FTI Consulting. A separate survey of general counsels also ranked Covington as one of ...

June 16, 2008

WASHINGTON, DC, June 16, 2008 — Covington & Burling LLP received 81 individual mentions and 45 practice mentions in the newly released 2008 Chambers USA. The guidebook, which ranks lawyers by state and national practice area, is designed to identify the most skilled legal practitioners based on the qualities most valued by clients. Here are the Covington ...

6/12/2008

NEW YORK, NY, June 12, 2008 — Invitrogen Corporation and Applera Corporation today announced a definitive merger agreement under which Invitrogen will acquire all of the outstanding shares of Applera’s Applied Biosystems Group in a cash and stock transaction valued at $6.7 billion. Covington & Burling LLP represented Greenhill & Co., which provided a fairness ...

June 11, 2008

NEW YORK, NY, June 11, 2008 — Hologic, Inc. has announced that it has signed a definitive agreement to acquire Third Wave Technologies, Inc. for approximately $580 million. Covington & Burling LLP advised Merrill Lynch, financial advisor to Third Wave, in the transaction. Third Wave develops and markets molecular diagnostic reagents for a wide variety of DNA and ...

May 19, 2008

NEW YORK, NY, May 19, 2008 — Resource America, Inc. has announced that its subsidiary, Apidos Capital Management, LLC ("Apidos"), has successfully been assigned the management contracts of four Collateralized Loan Obligations (CLOs) totaling approximately $1.3 billion. Covington & Burling LLP advised Resource America and Apidos on the transaction. Resource ...

5/12/2008

NEW YORK, NY, May 12, 2008 — Covington & Burling LLP is pleased to announce that Nigel Howard has joined the firm’s technology transactions practice as a partner. Mr. Howard will be resident in Covington’s New York office. Mr. Howard’s practice focuses on information technology, outsourcing, and intellectual property issues. He represents clients in complex ...

4/30/2008

NEW YORK, NY, April 30, 2008 — Covington & Burling LLP is pleased to welcome four more lawyers to its recently expanded Private Equity Practice. The new members follow the recent arrivals of Covington partner and Private Equity co-chair Timothy Clark and partner Loretta Shaw-Lorello. The new arrivals, who will work alongside Mr. Clark and Ms. Shaw-Lorello in the ...

4/22/2008

NEW YORK, NY, April 22, 2008 — Grey Wolf, Inc. and Basic Energy Services, Inc. have approved a definitive agreement to combine the two businesses in a “merger of equals.” Based upon closing prices for each company’s common stock as of April 18, the estimated value of the combined company would be $2.9 billion. Covington & Burling LLP advised UBS Investment Bank, ...

4/9/2008

WASHINGTON, DC, April 9, 2008 — For the third consecutive year, Covington & Burling LLP has been awarded worldwide first place firm rankings by the Practical Law Company in both the Life Sciences Industry and Life Sciences Regulatory Super League categories. In honoring Covington, PLC states: “Known for its outstanding regulatory practice in Washington DC, the ...

4/3/2008

WASHINGTON, DC, April 3, 2008 — Covington & Burling LLP has announced the promotion of four new of counsels and five new special counsels in the firm’s five offices. The new of counsels are as follows:  Christopher Denig (Washington) focuses on representing clients in complex federal civil litigation (including class actions), internal corporate ...

3/3/2008

NEW YORK, NY, March 3, 2008 — Pfizer Inc. announced today that it has entered into an agreement to acquire Serenex Inc., a privately held biotechnology company. Covington & Burling LLP advised Pfizer on the transaction. Pfizer, the world’s largest research-based biomedical and pharmaceutical company, discovers and develops innovative medicines to treat and help ...

2/21/2008

WASHINGTON, DC, February 21, 2008 — Encysive Pharmaceuticals Inc. announced yesterday that it has entered into an agreement to be acquired by Pfizer Inc. Under the terms of the agreement, Pfizer will make a cash tender offer for all issued and outstanding shares of Encysive for $2.35 per share, representing an equity value of approximately $195 million. ...

2/1/2008

SAN FRANCISCO, CA, February 2, 2008 — Covington & Burling LLP advised Schwab Performance Technologies in its acquisition of RIA back office outsourcing provider Etelligent Consulting, Inc. Financial terms of the transaction have not been disclosed. Founded in 1985, Schwab Performance Technologies is a subsidiary of The Charles Schwab Corporation and a leading ...

1/28/2008

WASHINGTON, DC, January 28, 2008 — LX Networks LLC, a leading producer of local television and broadband video programming under the LX.TV name, has been acquired by the NBC Local Media Division of NBC Universal. The announcement was made today. Covington & Burling LLP advised LX Networks in the deal. Founded in 2006 and based in New York, LX’s programming ...

1/8/2008

WASHINGTON, DC, January 8, 2008 — Joy Global Inc., a worldwide leader in high-productivity mining solutions, reported today that it has signed a definitive agreement to acquire 100% of the stock of NES Investment, Co., the parent holding company of Continental Global Inc. Continental designs, manufactures, installs and services highly engineered bulk material ...

1/2/2008

WASHINGTON, DC, January 2, 2008 — Covington & Burling LLP has been selected by The American Lawyer as one of the nation’s top five litigation departments. The recognition, and a profile on the firm’s litigation practice, are featured in the widely read publication’s January 2008 issue. In naming Covington one of five finalists for its biennial Litigation ...

1/2/2008

NEW YORK, NY, January 2, 2008 — Coty Inc. has completed its acquisition of DLI Holding Corp., the parent company of Del Laboratories, Inc., one of the leading manufacturers of nail care, cosmetics, personal care, and OTC products. Covington & Burling LLP advised Coty on the transaction.Coty Inc. is the world’s largest fragrance company and a recognized leader in ...

1/2/2008

NEW YORK, NY, January 2, 2008 — Pfizer announced on December 31 that it has completed the cash tender offer for the outstanding shares of common stock of Coley Pharmaceutical Group, Inc., a publicly-held biopharmaceutical company specializing in vaccine adjuvant technology and a new class of immunomodulatory drug candidates designed to fight cancers, allergy and ...

12/18/2007

NEW YORK, NY, December 18, 2007 — Covington & Burling LLP advised Northwestern University in the sale of a portion of its worldwide royalty interest in Lyrica® to Royalty Pharma for $700 million in cash. The transaction is the largest sale ever of a royalty stream for a pharmaceutical product. John Gourary, co-head of Covington’s finance practice, together with ...

December 18, 2007

NEW YORK, NY, December 18, 2007 — BUPA today announced that it has entered into an agreement to acquire Health Dialog. Covington and Burling LLP represented BUPA, Health Dialog’s largest shareholder, in the $775M transaction, which is expected to close in January. BUPA is a global provider of healthcare services and is the largest private health insurer in the ...

12/18/2007

NEW YORK, NY, December 18, 2007 — Pfizer Inc. announced today that it has entered into an agreement to acquire CovX, a privately-held biotherapeutics company. Covington & Burling LLP advised Pfizer on the transaction. Pfizer, the world’s largest research-based biomedical and pharmaceutical company, discovers and develops innovative medicines to treat and help ...

12/3/2007

WASHINGTON, DC, December 3, 2007 — Covington & Burling LLP is pleased to announce that Paul Tagliabue, most recently the National Football League’s Commissioner and previously a Covington partner, is rejoining the firm as senior of counsel effective December 1st. Mr. Tagliabue will serve in the firm’s Washington, DC and New York offices, and will advise clients ...

11/30/2007

NEW YORK, NY, November 30, 2007 — E*TRADE FINANCIAL Corporation has announced an agreement that will result in a cash infusion of $2.5 billion. The transaction, led by affiliates of Citadel Investment Group, includes immediate funding of approximately $2.4 billion with the remaining $150 million expected to fund by January 15, 2008. Covington & Burling LLP ...

November 29, 2007

NEW YORK, NY, November 29, 2007 — US BioEnergy Corp. and VeraSun Energy Corp. announced today they will combine in an all-stock deal. Under the agreement, 0.81 shares of VeraSun stock will be issued for each outstanding share of US BioEnergy, and the combined company is projected to have a market capitalization of approximately $1.5 billion. Covington & Burling ...

11/19/2007

NEW YORK, NY, November 19, 2007 — Celgene Corporation and Pharmion Corporation announced the signing of a definitive merger agreement under which Celgene will acquire Pharmion for approximately $2.9 billion. Covington & Burling LLP advised Merrill Lynch, Pierce, Fenner & Smith Incorporated, financial advisor to Celgene, on the transaction, which is expected to ...

11/16/2007

NEW YORK, NY, November 16, 2007 — Technisource, Inc. announced it has signed a definitive agreement to be acquired by Spherion Corporation for total consideration of $140 million. Covington & Burling LLP advised Technisource on the transaction. Spherion Corporation is a leading recruiting and staffing company that provides integrated solutions to meet the ...

November 15, 2007

NEW YORK, NY, November 15, 2007 — Hellenic Telecommunications Organization S.A., the Greek landline telephone company known as OTE that is listed on the Athens, London, and New York stock exchanges, has announced its tender offer for all issued and outstanding shares of Cosmote Mobile Telecommunications S.A., the Greek wireless carrier listed in Athens and ...

11/01/2007

NEW YORK, NY, November 1, 2007 — Mainfreight Limited has completed its acquisition of AMEX-listed Target Logistics, Inc. in an all-cash transaction. Covington & Burling LLP advised Mainfreight on the transaction. Mainfreight is a global supply chain logistics provider with approximately 3,000 team members based in operations in New Zealand, Australia, Asia, and ...

10/30/2007

NEW YORK, NY, October 30, 2007 — Fiber Composites has completed its previously announced acquisition of Louisiana-Pacific Corporation’s (LP’s) WeatherBest decking and railing business and manufacturing and distribution facility in Meridian, Idaho. Covington & Burling LLP advised Fiber Composites on the transaction. Fiber Composites is a leading manufacturer of ...

10/15/2007

WASHINGTON, DC, October 15, 2007 — Covington & Burling LLP has secured a major appellate victory in New York’s high court for Foster Wheeler LLC. On October 11, 2007, the New York Court of Appeals unanimously agreed that New Jersey law, rather than New York law, governs Foster Wheeler’s disputes with its insurers over coverage for asbestos bodily injury claims. ...

10/12/2007

NEW YORK, NY, October 12, 2007 — TouchTunes Music Corporation, the largest on-location digital entertainment network, has announced its acquisition of White Rabbit Game Studio, creators of PlayPorTT and developers of portable, on-location game systems. Covington & Burling LLP advised TouchTunes on the transaction. White Rabbit executives and employees will form ...

10/12/2007

NEW YORK, NY, October 12, 2007 — Covington & Burling LLP recently obtained asylum for a Chechen client and her husband. The firm’s client, a Russian national and ethnic Chechen, came to the United States from Chechnya in 2006 on a work and travel visa. Shortly after arriving, she learned that her mother, who works for the Chechen Ministry of Education, had ...

10/1/2007

NEW YORK, NY, October 1, 2007 — PerkinElmer, Inc. and ViaCell, Inc. today announced the signing of a definitive agreement under which PerkinElmer will acquire ViaCell for approximately $300 million. Covington & Burling LLP advised Merrill Lynch & Co., financial advisor to PerkinElmer, on the transaction, which is expected to close in the fourth quarter of 2007. ...

10/1/2007

WASHINGTON, DC, October 1, 2007 — Covington & Burling LLP announced that six of its associates have been elected to the firm’s partnership, effective today. Stuart Stock, chair of the firm’s management committee, commented, “These six outstanding men and women are representative of Covington’s depth and excellence. We are pleased to welcome them to our ...

9/28/2007

WASHINGTON, DC, September 28, 2007 — In its inaugural year, The Legal 500 US has recognized Covington & Burling LLP’s practice excellence in 23 fields. Compiled in four volumes published in 2007, the Legal 500 US singles out the following practices:  Broadcasting and Digital Buyouts: sub-$1b Copyright - regional Copyright Litigation - regional Data ...

9/26/2007

WASHINGTON, DC, September 26, 2007 — Yale Law Women has named Covington & Burling LLP one of the Top Ten Family-Friendly Firms. The rankings were based on a number of factors, including maternity/paternity leave, emergency and on-site child care, alternative work arrangements and the ratio of women partners and associates. The 2007 list was co-sponsored by the ...

9/25/2007

WASHINGTON, DC, September 25, 2007 — For the second consecutive year, Working Mother magazine has named Covington & Burling LLP to its “100 Best Companies” list. The list identifies the top one hundred companies in the United States based on a survey of all areas of work life, including company culture, family-friendly policies, and compensation. Most of the ...

September 6, 2007

WASHINGTON, DC, September 6, 2007 — Covington & Burling LLP received 115 individual mentions in 38 areas of law in the 2008 edition of The Best Lawyers in America. This annual compilation of top US lawyers is based on peer-review surveys and is used as a referral guide in the legal profession. The recipients are as follows: Administrative: E. Edward Bruce and ...

8/17/2007

NEW YORK, NY, August 17, 2007 — Lamson & Sessions announced that it has entered into a definitive merger agreement to be acquired by Thomas & Betts Corporation for approximately $450 million in cash. Covington & Burling LLP advised Perella Weinberg Partners, financial advisor to Lamson & Sessions, on the transaction. Perella Weinberg Partners is an independent, ...

8/14/2007

WASHINGTON, DC, August 14, 2007 — Working Mother magazine, the authoritative source for career mothers, and Flex-Time Lawyers LLC, a national consulting firm advising attorneys and legal employers on work-life balance and the retention and advancement of women, have named Covington & Burling LLP a 2007 Working Mother & Flex-Time Lawyers Best Law Firm for Women. ...

8/1/2007

NEW YORK, NY, August 1, 2007 — The Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company and The Carlyle Group announced today that The Carlyle Group has completed its acquisition of Goodyear’s engineered products division for $1.475 billion. Covington & Burling LLP advised Goodyear in the transaction, which was announced on March 23, 2007. Goodyear is the world's largest tire ...

7/24/2007

NEW YORK, NY, July 24, 2007 — Ryerson Inc. announced today that it has entered into a definitive merger agreement to be acquired by Platinum Equity, a leading private equity firm, in a transaction valued at approximately $2 billion. Under the terms of the agreement, an affiliate of Platinum Equity will acquire all of the outstanding shares of Ryerson common and ...

7/19/2007

NEW YORK, NY, July 19, 2007 — Moscow CableCom Corp. and Renova Media Enterprises Ltd. jointly announced today that they have completed the previously announced merger under the terms of which Renova Media, the largest holder of Moscow CableCom’s voting securities, has acquired all of the equity securities of Moscow CableCom that it did not previously own. ...

7/18/2007

NEW YORK, NY, July 18, 2007 — In a unanimous decision issued on July 12th, the Florida Supreme Court vacated the convictions and death sentence of Merrit Alonzo Sims, holding that his trial counsel’s failure to object to certain prejudicial evidence at trial constituted ineffective assistance of counsel under the Sixth Amendment. This decision caps nearly ten ...

June 26, 2007

NEW YORK, NY, June 26, 2007 — The GSI Group, Inc. announced that its parent company, GSI Holdings Corp., which is controlled by Charlesbank Capital Partners, has entered into an agreement pursuant to which affiliates of Centerbridge Partners, L.P. will acquire a majority stake. Covington & Burling LLP advised The GSI Group and Charlesbank Capital Partners on the ...

June 18, 2007

WASHINGTON, DC, June 18, 2007 — Covington & Burling LLP received 44 practice mentions and 74 individual mentions in the newly released 2007 Chambers USA guidebook. The 2007 edition of Chambers USA attempts to identify the most skilled legal practitioners throughout the country based on the qualities most valued by clients. Covington attorneys have been ...

May 31, 2007

NEW YORK, NY, May 31, 2007 — Ceridian Corporation, Thomas H. Lee Partners, L.P. ("THL Partners") and Fidelity National Financial, Inc. announced that they have entered into a definitive merger agreement under which Ceridian will be jointly acquired by THL Partners and FNF in an all cash transaction valued at approximately $5.3 billion. Covington & Burling LLP ...

May 21, 2007

NEW YORK, NY, May 21, 2007 — Atlas Energy Resources, LLC announced that it has signed a definitive purchase agreement to acquire DTE Gas & Oil Company, a wholly owned subsidiary of DTE Energy Company, for $1.225 billion in cash. Covington & Burling LLP advised UBS Investment Bank, financial advisor to Atlas Energy, on the transaction, which is expected to close ...

May 18, 2007

NEW YORK, NY, May 18, 2007 — The Procter & Gamble Company and Inverness Medical Innovations, Inc. announced that they have completed their previously announced deal to form a 50/50 joint venture for the development, manufacturing, marketing and sale of existing and to-be-developed consumer diagnostic products. Inverness contributed its related consumer ...

May 8, 2007

LONDON, 8 May, 2007 — Covington & Burling LLP today announced its role in advising ICICI Bank Limited, India’s 2nd largest bank, and Standard Chartered Bank, India’s largest international bank, as joint lead arrangers for an aggregate of US$925m in project financings supporting two separate projects being undertaken separately by Reliance Ports and Terminals ...

4/18/2007

NEW YORK, NY, April 18, 2007 — Teekay Shipping Corporation, A/S Dampskibsselskabet TORM, and OMI Corporation announced that Teekay and TORM have entered into a definitive agreement to acquire OMI for $2.2 billion or $29.25 per share in cash.  Covington & Burling LLP advised Perella Weinberg Partners, financial advisor to OMI, on the transaction.  Teekay and TORM ...

4/18/2007

NEW YORK, NY, April 18, 2007 — Innkeepers USA Trust announced that it has entered into a definitive agreement to be acquired by Apollo Investment Corporation for $1.5 billion or $17.75 per share in cash. Covington & Burling LLP advised UBS Investment Bank, financial advisor to Innkeepers, on the transaction, which is expected to close in the second quarter of ...

4/16/2007

NEW YORK, NY, April 16, 2007 — Sallie Mae announced today its $25 billion sale to private equity firms, JC Flowers and Friedman, Fleischer & Lowe who combined for the acquisition with JPMorgan Chase and Bank of America.  Covington & Burling LLP represented Greenhill & Co., financial advisor to the Special Committee of Sallie Mae, in the deal. The Covington team ...

4/16/2007

NEW YORK, NY, April 16, 2007 — The Thomson Corporation closed the sale of its Thomson Medical Education business to ABRY Partners, a Boston based private equity firm.  Covington & Burling LLP advised The Thomson Corporation on the transaction. The Thomson Corporation is a leading global provider of integrated information-based solutions to business and ...

4/12/2007

NEW YORK, NY, April 12, 2007 — Boart Longyear Group announced that it has completed its Australian initial public offering for A$2.75 billion, which was Australia’s largest IPO in nine years. The final price of shares was A$1.85.  Boart Longyear expects normal trading of its shares to commence on April 16, 2007.  Covington & Burling LLP advised the management ...

April 3, 2007

WASHINGTON, DC, April 3, 2007 — Covington & Burling LLP has announced the promotion of four new Of Counsel and six new Special Counsel.The four new Of Counsel are Daniel P. Cooper, Christian Neira, Matthew J. O’Connor, and Kevin J. Shortill.Daniel P. Cooper advises on European privacy and data protection matters, as well as on contentious and non-contentious ...

March 15, 2007

New York, NY, March 15, 2007 — Covington & Burling LLP represented Cowen Capital Partners LLC in its March 8 leveraged recapitalization of Ricerca Biosciences, LLC, including new equity and term facilities approaching US $50 million. Covington has represented Cowen in all of its prior investments in Ricerca Biosciences dating back to 2000.Ricerca Biosciences is ...

March 8, 2007

WASHINGTON, DC, March 8, 2007 — Major League Baseball announced the launch of the MLB Channel today in connection with its seven-year agreement with DIRECTV to carry the MLB EXTRA INNINGS subscription package of out-of-market games. DIRECTV will be a minority partner in the MLB Channel, and will work with MLB to develop the new network. Scheduled to launch in ...

February 26, 2007

WASHINGTON, DC, February 26, 2007 — Private equity firms Kohlberg Kravis Roberts & Co. (KKR) and Texas Pacific Group (TPG) announced today that they have agreed to acquire Texas power company TXU Corp. for $45 billion.  Covington & Burling LLP advised KKR and TPG on environmental, regulatory, and other governmental and public policy aspects of the transaction, ...

February 16, 2007

NEW YORK, NY, February 16, 2007 — Equifax Inc. and TALX Corporation announced on February 14, 2007 that Equifax will acquire TALX in a stock and cash transaction valued at approximately $1.4 billion, including the assumption of debt. Covington & Burling LLP advised Bear Stearns & Co. in the deal, which is expected to close in the late second or early third ...

February 1, 2007

NEW YORK, NY, February 1, 2007 — Covington & Burling LLP advised Pfizer in the acquisition of BioRexis, a privately held biopharmaceutical company. The transaction is expected to close in the first or second quarter of 2007. The financial terms of the transaction were not disclosed.BioRexis is developing long-acting GLP-1 receptor agonists for the potential ...

January 29, 2007

WASHINGTON, DC, January 29, 2007 — Abitibi-Consolidated Inc. and Bowater Inc. announced today they will combine in an all-stock deal that would create the third largest publicly traded paper and forest products company in North America. Covington & Burling LLP represented Goldman Sachs and UBS in the deal. Goldman Sachs and UBS served as financial advisors to ...

January 22, 2007

NEW YORK, NY, January 22, 2007 — Covington & Burling LLP advised Coty Inc. in its $125 million sale of the Calgon® and healing garden® brands, the number one and two brands respectively in the specialty bath sector, to Ascendia Brands, Inc. The transaction is expected to close in the first quarter of 2007.Coty Inc. is the world’s largest fragrance company with ...

January 19, 2007

WASHINGTON, DC, January 19, 2007 — Barclays has announced that it will pay an undisclosed amount for naming rights to the new Barclays Center located in Brooklyn, New York for a term of 20 years. Covington & Burling LLP advised Barclays on the transaction.The new Barclays Center is the core feature of the Frank Gehry designed $4 billion Atlantic Yards ...

January 17, 2007

NEW YORK, NY, January 17, 2007 — Evraz Group S.A. announced that it successfully completed its tender offer for Oregon Steel Mills, Inc. (NYSE: OS) common stock for $63.25 per share, with approximately 91.5% of the outstanding shares of common stock of Oregon Steel Mills tendered into the offer. The tender offer was the first step of the previously announced ...

January 8, 2007

NEW YORK, NY, January 8, 2007 — Covington & Burling LLP advised Cowen Group, Inc. in the creation of Cowen Healthcare Royalty Partners, a alternative asset management fund, and in the negotiation of employment and equity arrangements with its three principals, Dr. Gregory B. Brown, Todd C. Davis, and Clarke B. Futch, who will execute the initiative.Cowen ...

12/19/2006

NEW YORK, NY, December 19, 2006 — Covington & Burling LLP announced today that Jack Bodner, Dianne Coffino, and Ben Hoch have joined the firm as partners. Ms. Coffino and Mr. Hoch join Covington’s corporate restructuring and bankruptcy practice group, and Mr. Bodner joins Covington’s mergers and acquisitions group. All three will be resident in the firm’s New ...

11/06/2006

NEW YORK, NY, November 6, 2006 — Abbott Laboratories (NYSE: ABT) announced the acquisition of Kos Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ: KOSP) through a cash tender offer of $78.00 per common share, or $3.7 billion. Covington & Burling LLP represented Abbott in the transaction. Abbott is a global, broad-based health care company devoted to the discovery, development, ...

10/5/2006

WASHINGTON, D.C., October 5, 2006 —  Covington & Burling LLP announced the election of ten new partners, effective October 1.  Stuart Stock, chair of the firm’s management committee, commented, “These remarkable lawyers reflect the strength and diversity of our firm and its practice.  We are very pleased to have them as members of our partnership.”  Covington’s ...

9/26/2006

 NEW YORK, NY, September 26, 2006 —  Covington & Burling LLP represented financial investors Olmeca Investments B.V. and Nautilus Gibraltar, SPRL in connection with their  agreement to sell their stake in Cablemás, S.A. de C.V., the second largest cable television operator in México, to the founding family of Cablemás.  The transaction is expected to close by ...

9/25/2006

WASHINGTON, DC, September 25, 2006 — Working Mother magazine today announced that Covington & Burling LLP is a 2006 Working Mother 100 Best Company. For 21 years, Working Mother has celebrated employers whose groundbreaking benefits—from flexible schedules and child care to innovative leave policies for new parents—are helping redefine workplace standards across ...

July 19, 2006

NEW YORK, July 19, 2006  -  Covington & Burling LLP advised Ocean Spray in its long-term strategic alliance with Pepsi-Cola North America.  Under the alliance, PepsiCo will begin marketing, bottling, and distributing single-serve cranberry juice products in the U.S. and Canada under the Ocean Spray name starting in 2007. Ocean Spray is an agricultural ...

July 10, 2006

NEW YORK, NY, July 10, 2006  -  Covington & Burling LLP advised Société Générale and SG Cowen & Co., LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of SG, in the private sale of the portfolio companies in the SG Merchant Banking Fund to a new fund sponsored by Paul Capital Partners. The Covington team included Scott Smith, J. D. Weinberg, Peter Bognadow, Rob Heller (tax), ...