Covington & Burling LLP operates as a limited liability partnership worldwide, with the practice in England and Wales conducted by an affiliated limited liability multinational partnership, Covington & Burling LLP, which is formed under the laws of the State of Delaware in the United States and authorized and regulated by the Solicitors Regulation Authority with registration number 77071..
Our goal in speaking with an applicant's references is to develop a more complete and detailed understanding of the candidate and his or her qualifications. Thorough inquiries of an applicant's references are a distinctive and crucial element of the firm's hiring process for potential summer associates. This allows us to look beyond the candidate's paper record or relatively brief campus interview. We ask every candidate for summer associate positions to provide two to three references who can speak to the candidate's qualifications, including analytical and writing ability, judgment, maturity, and collegiality.
For a candidate who has worked in a legal position previously (typically during a summer or externship), we ask to speak with a lawyer or judge who is familiar with the candidate's legal work. A prospective applicant should not be dissuaded from applying to the firm for this reason, and we frequently rely on references from non-legal employers, faculty, and other sources.
For the size summer program in each U.S. office, please refer to the NALP forms, including current and past as they may vary by year.
We encourage summer associates to spend the entire summer with us. However, we do allow summer associates to split their summer, provided that they begin their summer at the firm and remain with us for a minimum of eight weeks.