Our distinctively collaborative culture allows us to be truly one team globally, drawing on the diverse experience of lawyers and advisors across the firm by seamlessly sharing insight and expertise.

What sets us apart is our ability to combine the tremendous strength in our litigation, investigations, and corporate practices with deep knowledge of policy and policymakers, and one of the world’s leading regulatory practices.

The firm has over 1,000 lawyers globally, in offices in Beijing, Boston, Brussels, Dubai, Frankfurt, Johannesburg, London, Los Angeles, New York, Palo Alto, San Francisco, Seoul, Shanghai and Washington DC.

Our trainees tell us that they were attracted to Covington because we provide the responsibility and opportunity of a close-knit office, combined with the resources and prestige of a leading international firm.

Above all, though, we recognise the importance of a great firm culture. At Covington you will find a firm with values of collegiality, high standards of lawyering, respect for others, a dedication to public service and a commitment to diversity, equality and inclusion. We have some of the best lawyers in the world because we understand that excellence in legal practice involves effective teamwork, clear and shared values and generosity to colleagues and clients as well as preeminent legal skills.

Our clients include technology giants Microsoft and Meta, and we represent leaders in life sciences including AstraZeneca and Oxford Biomedica. We have advised pharmaceutical manufacturers in relation to the manufacture and supply of COVID-19 vaccines, acted for ACWA Power on the world’s most ambitious regenerative tourism project in Saudi Arabia, and we engage in cutting-edge pro bono matters, such as representing Ukraine against the Russian Federation at the ICJ.

Vacation schemes (winter 2024 and summer 2025)

Our winter and summer vacation schemes are a great way for students to really learn about the firm, its people and decide if a career at Covington is for them.

Over the one week (winter) or two week (summer) schemes students have the opportunity to become integrated into the London office and gain an insight into the work of a Covington lawyer.

Students have the opportunity to participate in:

a series of interactive presentations from practice groups and international offices;

a group activity;

networking sessions with trainees, associates, and partners;

an independent research project focusing on a practice area of interest; and

social events to help you get to know the firm.

Eligible applicants will be in their final year of a non-law degree or penultimate or final year of a law degree. We also welcome applications from graduates and career changers.

Applications for the winter vacation scheme close 24 October 2024.

Applications for the summer vacation scheme close on 17 January 2025.

CovInsights (first-year programme)

Our CovInsights programme is aimed at first year law students and second year non-law students who are still researching their legal careers.

This two day interactive programme provides a valuable insight into the firm, its practice areas, and the skills you will need to develop to become a successful lawyer. The programme is the perfect opportunity for candidates who are not yet eligible to apply for our vacation schemes.

The CovInsights programme includes:

an introduction to our key practice areas;

a group exercise;

an application skills workshop; and

networking with trainees, associates and partners.

Applications are open from 12 September until 28 February 2025. The programme will take place on 9 and 10 April 2025.

Seat options

Trainees complete four six month seats during the course of their traineeship, which consists of two core seats and two elective seats. Client secondments are available, alongside secondments to our Brussels or Dubai offices.

Our principal practice and industry groups are corporate, dispute resolution, life sciences, and technology regulatory.

Core seats

Corporate

Our corporate clients range from startups to established multinationals, and include investment

banks and investors (including private equity and venture capital).

Given the firm’s particular strengths, much of our work is within the pharmaceutical/life sciences, energy and clean energy, brands, technology, and media industries.

Our work includes premium cross-border M&A deals, advising PE funds on their investments complex worldwide licensing and collaboration transactions.

We help our clients with international project development and finance advice, venture capital financing for emerging companies and their investors, capital markets fundraisings, and fund transactions and formations.

Dispute resolution

Our dispute resolution team includes lawyers focused on litigation, arbitration and white collar crime and investigations.

Our litigators help clients with issues before Courts in England, Europe and beyond. Our work is often in groundbreaking, complex fields and we regularly advise on significant, high-profile cases including defending substantial class actions.

Our arbitrators help clients both with commercial arbitrations across a wide range of jurisdictions and bilateral investment treaty claims, including representing Ukraine.

Our white collar crime and investigations practice advise our multinational client base on a range of issues including bribery, money laundering, sanctions, and fraud.

Electives

Trainees choose two elective seats from five areas. We make every effort to satisfy requests and tailor the traineeship to specific interests.

Life sciences regulatory

Covington is widely acknowledged to have one of the world’s top life sciences practices globally. We advise companies and trade associations, including many of the major multinational pharmaceutical manufacturers, biotechnology companies and producers of medical devices, cosmetics, foods, food packaging, specialty chemicals and consumer products. Our advice covers a wide range of regulatory, transactional, and contentious matters. We represent our clients before regulators, policymakers and the national and European Courts.

The group has been heavily involved in most of the major regulatory developments in recent years, including the fight against COVID-19 and the use of AI in healthcare.

Life sciences transactional

Widely recognised as a global leader in strategic transactions, Covington advises on many of the industry’s largest and most innovative life sciences transactions year after year. A hallmark of our transactional practice is our extensive experience structuring, negotiating, and drafting complex global alliances, strategic collaborations, joint ventures, licensing and other agreements that underpin the life sciences and healthcare sectors. We work with pharma, biotech, medtech, and digital health clients, ranging from start-ups through to the largest multinationals, giving us a deep understanding of the issues that arise in relation to agreements at all stages and across all fields within life sciences and healthcare.

Employment

Covington’s international employment practice helps multinational employer clients manage HR- legal compliance projects. Our work includes the preparation of global policies and codes of business conduct, expatriate secondments/global mobility, multi-country project management, cross-border M&A, corporate restructuring, and litigation. Current projects in which we are involved include business and human rights- related compliance initiatives, Employment Tribunal litigation, and international workforce transactions.

Technology regulatory

We advise clients on a variety of technology regulatory issues. Our expertise spans such diverse topics as data protection, cybersecurity, copyright and other IP, e-commerce, the use of AI, platform regulation, Internet of Things, digital health, social media, behavioural advertising, geolocation tracking and biometrics, to name just a few.

Project development and finance

Our team advises companies, lenders and governments on a wide variety of energy and infrastructure projects. Our main focus in energy is on green energy rather than fossil fuels. We have substantial experience in renewables and are rapidly gaining experience in battery and hydrogen projects.

corporate

dispute resolution

employment

life sciences regulatory

technology regulatory

project development and finance

life sciences transactional

Secondments

We will ask you about your seat preferences before you join the firm. To help you decide you will be invited to a live discussion (seat spotlight) to give you further information on the seats available. During each seat you will share an office with a partner or an associate (supervisor) and you will also have an additional supervisor on hand to help guide you through your time and your work in the relevant practice group. You will receive regular informal feedback as well as a formal mid-seat and end of seat review.

As a trainee you will also have the chance to apply for an international or client secondment, which is an excellent opportunity to develop an understanding of the global nature of our work and to experience working in a different cultural environment. Our client secondments offer the opportunity to deepen relationships and to really develop an understanding of what clients want from their lawyers. Secondments are not compulsory and there may be visa restrictions.

Brussels secondment

Dubai secondment

Pro bono secondment

Client secondment

Brussels secondment

A secondment to Covington’s Brussels office provides an opportunity to work in our EU competition law practice group. Ranked among the top antitrust and competition firms in the world, the team advises clients on a range of issues- cartels, abuse of dominance, mergers, and State aid and foreign direct investment- and represents them in front of the European Court, the European Commission, national competition authorities, and national courts.

Dubai secondment

Our Dubai office offers a broad range of experience across the practice groups – PDF, corporate, dispute resolution and public policy and regulatory. They provide a variety of advice on infrastructure development, project acquisition and finance, M&A and other corporate transactions. Our disputes team have a diverse practice with a focus on major projects in the region. We also cover a wide range of

Sovereign advisory, regulatory and government engagement matters in the public policy team.

The secondee works with lawyers across the office but will typically focus on either the transactional (PDF and corporate) or advisory (disputes, public policy and regulatory) side of the practice during the seat. The trainee seconded to the Dubai office also works alongside a Dubai resident trainee.

The Dubai office advise across a range of sectors from oil and gas/petchem, power generation, water, mining, and other industrial and agricultural infrastructure sectors, infrastructure, life sciences, telecoms, technology, and defence and national security, construction, and engineering.

A secondment to the firm’s Dubai office is a unique opportunity within the firm to work in an emerging market environment, supporting sophisticated global corporate clients and investors, and leading regional sovereign wealth funds, governments and businesses, helping them to respond to complex legal challenges throughout the Gulf.

Qualification

During your final seat (if not before) we will open up discussions with you regarding your qualification preferences. We are happy to say that most of our trainees stay with us upon qualification. Our professional development team will support you on your journey to becoming a newly qualified solicitor and you will also participate in the newly qualified solicitors transition programme.

The firm has now moved the SQE route to qualification. We sponsor all non-law students to complete the PGDL prior to commecing their SQE studies.

At Covington, we strive to put our diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) values into action every day. We recognize that diversity enriches our culture, enhances our work with clients, and strengthens the profession. Covington lawyers bring a wide variety of backgrounds, perspectives, and life experiences to our practice. The firm emphasizes DEI principles in its recruitment, retention, development, and promotion practices. We are intentional, deliberate, and focused on what we want to achieve – a diverse, equitable, and inclusive firm. Learn more at cov.com/diversity-equity-and-inclusion.

Comprehensive financial support for tuition fees for the Postgraduate Diploma in Law (PGDL) and SQE, and maintenance grant of up to £15,000 for the PGDL and up to £20,000 for the SQE.

• Corporate
• Dispute resolution (commercial litigation & white collar crime & investigations & international arbitration)
• Employment
• Life sciences regulatory
• Life sciences transactional
• Technology regulatory
• Project development & finance
• Client secondment
• Secondments to Dubai & Brussels offices

• General Practice
• Corporate & Commercial
• General Commercial
• Niche

• London

• Amicus
• Kids in Need of Defense (KIND)

• Aspiring Solicitors
• Black Solicitors Network
• Bright Network
• DiversCity
• InterLaw Diversity Forum
• IntoUniversity
• Social Mobility Foundation
• Warwick University Multicultural Scholars Programme