Our Website Uses Cookies
We and the third parties that provide content, functionality, or business services on our website may use cookies to collect information about your browsing activities in order to provide you with more relevant content and promotional materials, on and off the website, and help us understand your interests and improve the website.
For more information, please contact us or consult our Privacy Notice.
Your binder contains too many pages, the maximum is 40.
We are unable to add this page to your binder, please try again later.
This page has been added to your binder.
- Home
- Practices and Industries
- Litigation and Investigations
- White Collar Defense and Investigations
- Cultural Reviews and Investigations
Exceptional Experience and Expertise
Now, more than ever, businesses and organizations are under exacting scrutiny with regards to the handling of alleged misconduct, including sexual harassment, discrimination, fraud, and extortion, and no industry is immune. Frequently, the revelation of more nuanced cultural problems within an organization have the potential to give rise to significant litigation or reputational risk.
Whether motivated by internal concerns or by exposure to the media, Covington has handled sensitive investigations, audits, and reviews for a variety of entities—from multinational technology companies to secondary schools and colleges—facing criticism stemming from a broad range of allegations.
This experience puts us in a position to respond quickly, effectively, and conscientiously to these issues when they arise and to strike the right balance between transparency and brand protection for our clients. Drawing upon tailored cross-disciplinary strengths, we assemble a team of lawyers with both subject matter expertise and industry knowledge, responding to the specific needs of the client for every project.
A Market-leading Investigations Practice
We bring all of the skills of Covington’s leading investigations lawyers to these matters, utilizing the team’s decades of experience handling complex, often multijurisdictional, investigations on behalf of clients. Whether the work entails interviews with executives or employees, large- or small-scale document collection, focus groups, auditing policies and practices, or analysis, we handle all such matters holistically, tailoring the investigation and the final work product to the client’s needs.
An Experienced International Employment Team
These types of issues inevitably implicate employment law issues, whether in relation to potential unlawful conduct within the organization, or advice on proceeding with actions against employees of the organization as a result of the investigation. It is therefore essential to have employment lawyers involved who have direct experience both working on this type of investigation and litigating matters that have gone unresolved.
Close Coordination with Experts
To ensure our clients have 360-degree solutions when crises emerge, Covington has strong relationships with experts in a range of disciplines including public relations, cybersecurity, personal security, financial services, diversity and inclusion, and accounting, and with local criminal and civil attorneys and barristers.
Prevention
Often, these issues come to the fore unexpectedly and suddenly, but we also have experience helping companies assess and preempt potential issues before they arise. Preventative investigations and compliance programs can be tailored to specific issues that have been identified but have not reached “crisis level.” Alternatively, general audits can be conducted to detect previously unidentified issues.
Misconduct Investigation and Review for UK Investment Bank
Advising the London Board of Directors of an investment bank on the company's human resources structure, policies, and procedures for investigating claims of discrimination and misconduct by senior executives, following an allegation of misconduct involving a member of the company's senior management team.
Workplace Culture Audit for UK Entertainment Company
Conducting a workplace culture audit for a large UK entertainment company to proactively identify and rectify potential reputational and legal risks.
Corporate Culture Investigation for Uber Technologies, Inc.
Led a three-month investigation into the corporate culture at Uber Technologies Inc. following a blog post by a former Uber engineer that alleged that the company’s work culture was biased against women and that managers ignored sexual harassment complaints. The process included more than 200 interviews with current and former employees, and resulted in a set of recommendations approved unanimously by the board that subsequently were released publicly.
Independent Investigation for Choate Rosemary Hall
Conducted an independent investigation of historic adult sexual misconduct for Choate Rosemary Hall school. Covington’s report was released to the media and covered extensively.
Presidential Representation in Various Investigations
Represented former U.S. President Bill Clinton in impeachment hearings and trial, four independent counsel investigations, a Justice Department task force investigation, and numerous congressional oversight investigations.
Investigation into Sexual Misconduct for Prestigious Private School
Represented a prestigious all-girls private school in an investigation focused on sexual misconduct that was the subject of significant press.
Investigation of a UK FTSE 100 Following a Whistleblower Report
Investigating allegations of sex discrimination on the part of the General Counsel of a UK FTSE 100 company in response to a whistleblower hotline report.
Former SDNY Prosecutor Joins Covington
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 ...
Covington Nabs 11-Year Federal Prosecutor For NY Office
September 11, 2019, Law360
Amanda Kramer spoke with the New York Law Journal about her recent move to Covington and her experience as a prosecutor in New York. Ms. Kramer says, “I’m really excited for this change and thrilled to be here.” On one occasion, she prosecuted a case involving underpaid employees, saying “One of the big benefits of that case was that it brought attention to the ...
September 11, 2019, New York Law Journal
Amanda Kramer spoke with the New York Law Journal about her recent move to Covington and her experience as a prosecutor in New York. Ms. Kramer says, “I’m really excited for this change and thrilled to be here.” On one occasion, she prosecuted a case involving underpaid employees, saying “One of the big benefits of that case was that it brought attention to the ...
Covington & Burling scoops former SDNY prosecutor
September 11, 2019, Reuters
Reuters covered Amanda Kramer’s onboarding as a partner to Covington. Ms. Kramer said the firm’s “track record of bringing in former prosecutors and giving them a place where they can thrive and have really robust practices.”
Workplace Culture and Harassment Red Flags and Lessons Learned
June 6, 2019
This webinar discussed the importance of workplace culture and best practices to reduce the risk of a toxic work environment. Topics included the current landscape employers are facing, why culture in the workplace matters, warning signs of an unhealthy workplace culture, and the legislative response to the #MeToo movement.
How #MeToo Is Changing Internal Investigations
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 ...
How 5 Firms Are Building More Diverse Ranks
August 20, 2017, Law360
Law360 features Covington in an article examining how "firms are making substantial progress on diversifying their ranks." According to Anne Lee, "The firm is thoughtful about creating opportunities for developing attorneys, and that’s what has kept me here. It’s helping me grow.” Michael Imbroscio describes that firm's program where diverse recruits who have ...
October 26, 2016, Inside Counsel
- The American Lawyer
- California Litigation Department of Year (2018)
- White Collar/Regulatory Litigation Department of the Year "Finalist" (2018)
- Global Investigations Review 30 (2016-2017)
- Global Investigations Review 100 (2015)
- The National Law Journal, "Washington Litigation Department of the Year" (2013)
- Law360’s "Practice Group of the Year," White Collar (2017)