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Trainee Profile - Aysha Qureshi
 The breadth and diversity of the training contract offered by Covington was one of the factors which initially attracted me to the firm. My first year at the firm has certainly borne that out, having had the opportunity to experience two very different but equally engaging seats.
My first seat, in Litigation, provided a great introduction to the variety of tasks a trainee will typically be involved in, from detailed research to the drafting of court documents and the organisation of filings. The types of cases I had the opportunity to work on ran the gamut from complex multi-jurisdictional insurance claims to high profile competition claims involving household names.
I was fortunate enough for my time in Litigation to coincide with the build up to a significant hearing which had involved many months of planning -- sitting in on strategy meetings between barristers and the other Covington lawyers handling the case was a great learning experience and it was particularly gratifying to see research I had conducted being put to use. Preparing for and attending the final hearing was a real highlight of the seat.
My second seat was in IP/IT, a part of Covington’s Technology and Media group, which covers a number of fascinating areas of law from privacy and data protection to intellectual property developments in the context of the digital world. Both the content of the work and the day to day projects I have been involved in have been quite different to that in my previous seat. Whilst research projects in Litigation typically involve the drafting of memoranda and analysis of case law, many of the discrete research tasks within the IP/IT group can relate to new areas of law and may involve picking up the phone to officials at the European Commission or within UK Government Departments.
Both the clients that the Covington team works with and the projects they work on are high profile and cutting edge and I have particularly enjoyed the fast pace and variety of the seat. From analysing the specific privacy laws in a particular jurisdiction to considering global internet laws, no one day is the same.
During both my seats I have also been able to work on a number of pro-bono matters, something which Covington actively encourages. The work has ranged from small claims litigation to advisory work on issues such as online defamation. As well as being a rewarding experience personally and professionally, I have also appreciated the opportunity that involvement in pro-bono matters has given me to work with lawyers in other Covington departments.
Having done a summer scheme at the firm I had been impressed by its collegiate and friendly atmosphere. A year in, I can confirm that the impression was an accurate one. Going on the firm ski-trip and taking part in an annual charity run with colleagues have been just two of the highlights of the social activities on offer.
My first year at Covington has been both an enjoyable and learning experience and I look forward to another interesting year ahead.
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