Covington Names New SF Leader as Regulatory Work Ramps Up

Gretchen Hoff Varner was profiled by The Recorder in a piece covering her appointment as the firm’s San Francisco office’s managing partner. According to Gretchen, as tech sector regulation continues to evolve at a rapid clip, Covington is responding to a swell in client demand in Northern California.

“We’ve quietly become one of the leading firms for representing technology companies,” Gretchen said. “Tech is becoming more regulated and there are an increasing number of investigations, antitrust issues, regulatory issues, and litigation matters. Covington has been doing that kind of work for 100 years. For tech companies becoming heavily regulated, that is the heartbeat of what Covington does.”

With a track record in key areas such as antitrust and privacy, Covington is uniquely positioned to apply such knowledge to the challenges that tech companies face, she expressed, adding that it has become increasingly important to have vibrant regulatory practices outside of D.C. given increased enforcement priorities from state regulators.

“One of the real benefits of Covington in particular is that it’s easy to move from New York to San Francisco or Los Angeles to D.C.,” Gretchen said. “We are really one firm. As people have life circumstances, it’s great that we can accommodate that.”

In her new management position, Gretchen expressed she’s focused on leading a culturally distinct office in San Francisco, with an emphasis on providing engaging opportunities to the next generation of lawyers.

“We want to make sure we’re investing in our pipeline of diverse associates and continuing to deliver on our value proposition at Covington for young lawyers,” she said. “Practicing law isn’t just about legal research or discovery, but building relationships with clients and other lawyers, standing up in court, engaging in meaningful pro bono opportunities, being at the negotiating table, and becoming a subject-matter expert.”

“Our goal is to give newer lawyers the full experience of being a professional at Covington,” she said.