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Covington & Burling
A US-founded international firm combining life sciences and technology expertise with regulatory, corporate and disputes work.
About Covington & Burling
Covington & Burling is an international law firm founded in Washington, DC, in 1919 by J. Harry Covington and Edward B. Burling. Its London office opened in 1988, and the firm now lists 14 offices across the United States, Europe, Asia, the Middle East and Africa. Covington combines corporate, litigation and investigations work with regulatory and public policy advice, particularly where commercial decisions depend on understanding government policy and industry regulation. Life sciences and technology are prominent areas of its London practice, bringing together lawyers working on transactions, disputes and regulatory matters. This combination gives the London training programme a distinctive focus on the interaction between business, regulation and public policy.
Covington’s two-year training programme consists of four six-month seats. The current graduate brochure describes a programme including transactional, disputes and regulatory experience, while the seat-allocation webpage expressly requires a transactional and a contentious seat. Available departments include corporate, dispute resolution, employment, life sciences regulatory and transactional work, technology regulatory, and project development and finance. Trainees submit seat preferences, with allocation also taking account of business needs, and receive support from supervisors alongside formal mid-seat and end-of-seat reviews. They can apply for international secondments to Brussels or Dubai and for client secondments, which typically take place in the second year. Secondments are optional and may be affected by visa restrictions.
The firm provides financial support for PGDL and SQE tuition fees, with maintenance grants of up to £15,000 for the PGDL and up to £20,000 for the SQE. Covington works with BPP on its SQE preparation programme. Training continues through an induction covering legal fundamentals and professional skills, followed by the CovAcademy development programme. Trainees receive ongoing feedback and are matched with a buddy and then a mentor. Qualification discussions take place during the final seat or earlier, with support from the Professional Development team and a transition programme for newly qualified solicitors.
Practice areas & rankings
In Chambers UK 2026, Covington & Burling has 12 ranked departments across London and UK-wide categories. Its strongest department rankings include Band 1 for Life Sciences: Regulatory, Life Sciences: Transactional and Parliamentary & Public Affairs: Public Affairs, all UK-wide. The firm also holds Band 2 rankings for Data Protection & Information Law and Product Liability: Food, reflecting its work in regulated industries.
Beyond Chambers, Covington reports that it ranked first on Law.com International’s UK A-List 2025 for the second consecutive year. This is a broader recognition of the firm’s financial and workplace performance: the ranking considers revenue per lawyer, pro bono commitment, associate satisfaction, racial diversity and gender diversity. It should be distinguished from a practice-area award or a Chambers ranking.
Ranked departmentsChambers UK
Explore the practice areas
Covington is ranked Band 1 UK-wide for Life Sciences: Regulatory in Chambers UK 2026. The practice advises pharmaceutical and other life sciences businesses on complex regulation, agency investigations and challenges to regulatory decisions. Its work connects regulatory advice with commercial transactions and disputes, including issues involving licensing and data privacy. Chambers highlights the firm’s successful representation of Merck Sharp & Dohme in a NICE appeal concerning molnupiravir, its COVID-19 treatment, illustrating the team’s work at the intersection of medicines regulation and contentious proceedings.
The firm is also ranked Band 1 UK-wide for Life Sciences: Transactional in Chambers UK 2026. Its life sciences transactions work includes licensing arrangements, acquisitions and investment transactions, combining corporate expertise with an understanding of the regulatory and intellectual property issues affecting the sector. This sits alongside Covington’s London corporate practice, which Chambers recognises for its strength in life sciences deals and cross-border transactions with significant IP implications. The UK 2026 corporate review highlights its advice to AstraZeneca on an agreement to acquire EsoBiotec.
Covington holds a Band 1 UK-wide ranking for Parliamentary & Public Affairs: Public Affairs in Chambers UK 2026. The team advises global clients on public policy and government affairs, drawing on practitioners with UK and European policymaking experience. Its work includes helping businesses engage with policy developments affecting technology, data protection and cybersecurity. The practice demonstrates the firm’s wider approach of combining legal advice with an understanding of how policy is developed and implemented.
Ranked Band 2 UK-wide in Chambers UK 2026, Covington’s information law practice advises on data protection issues affecting technology, pharmaceutical and healthcare businesses. Its work includes navigating international data transfers where organisations must accommodate different regulatory regimes. Chambers also recognises the team’s policy-development experience and contentious capabilities, allowing it to assist clients with both compliance questions and disputes involving information law.
Covington is ranked Band 3 UK-wide for Sanctions in Chambers UK 2026. The team advises clients in sectors including technology, energy and finance on sanctions issues, handling UK and European matters and drawing on US colleagues where a business faces transatlantic concerns. The practice complements the firm’s broader regulatory and public policy work, particularly for organisations whose international operations require them to navigate overlapping restrictions.
The application process
Click on each stage to find out more.
Candidates apply through Covington’s online recruitment portal. The application should explain why the firm appeals to them and demonstrate an understanding of its work and trainee programme. Covington asks applicants to draw on both legal and non-legal experience, explaining how their transferable skills would contribute to the firm. Clear, concise writing, careful proofreading and evidence of teamwork are emphasised in its application guidance. Applications are reviewed after the relevant deadline rather than on a rolling basis.
How to answer why youCovington & Burling: quick answers
How much does Covington & Burling pay trainees?
Covington & Burling pays first-year trainees £60,000, rising to £65,000 in the second year. Newly qualified solicitors at Covington & Burling earn £165,000.
When is the Covington & Burling vacation scheme deadline?
Covington & Burling's vacation scheme applications close on 15 Jan for the 2026/27 cycle. Deadlines can change and popular schemes may close early, so check the live application deadlines tracker.
How many trainees does Covington & Burling take on?
Covington & Burling takes on around 9 trainees in each intake, so places are competitive and strong applications matter.
What grades do you need to apply to Covington & Burling?
To apply to Covington & Burling you will generally need a 2:1+ degree. Requirements can flex where there are mitigating circumstances, so always check the firm's own criteria if your grades differ.
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