Covington Elects Doug Gibson as Chair

Covington Elects Doug Gibson as Chair

November 6, 2019

WASHINGTON—Covington has announced that its partners have unanimously elected Doug Gibson as chair of the firm’s Management Committee and that he will begin a four-year term on January 1, 2020.

The chair leads the Management Committee in setting the firm’s strategy, overseeing the firm’s operations, supporting the firm’s representation of clients, and working to foster and promote the firm’s culture of collaboration, teamwork, and service.

“I appreciate the confidence and support of the partnership and will continue to build on our collaborative and dynamic culture,” said Mr. Gibson. “More than half of the Fortune 100 and Fortune 500 have turned to Covington to handle their most difficult legal, regulatory, and policy matters, and we will ensure that the firm continues to be well-positioned to handle those issues in the future by steadily evolving to meet our clients’ changing needs. We are uniquely able to address complex, interdisciplinary matters because our many practice strengths and a collaborative ethos allow us to deliver higher value to our clients.”

Mr. Gibson began his legal career as a summer associate at Covington in 1989, was hired as an associate at the firm in 1990, became a partner in 1998, and has served on Covington’s Management Committee since 2012. Mr. Gibson is one of the most highly regarded lawyers practicing in the sports industry and has been named one of the 50 most influential people in sports by Sports Business Journal.

Mr. Gibson will replace Tim Hester, who served as chair for the past 12 years. Under Mr. Hester’s leadership, Covington opened eight new offices, in Beijing, Dubai, Johannesburg, Frankfurt, Los Angeles, Palo Alto, Seoul, and Shanghai; more than doubled the size of the firm through organic growth and strategic hires, including significant growth in Europe, California, New York, and Washington; and achieved record financial growth, all while significantly expanding the firm’s pro bono efforts, enhancing the firm’s diversity, and maintaining the firm’s culture of collaboration and teamwork.

“We are extremely grateful for Tim’s tireless efforts and significant contributions to the firm,” said Mr. Gibson. “When Tim became chair in 2008, he helped the firm navigate significant global economic headwinds that affected the entire profession. Under Tim’s leadership, the firm avoided layoffs of any lawyers or staff during the recession, and stayed sharply focused on continued growth and improvement to ensure its long-term success.  He gave us a strong sense of confidence and resolve through his steady leadership, unwavering energy, and buoyant optimism. He charted a course for the firm that included increasing our size and scale and building a distinctive mix of practices and geographic footprint that meets the needs of our clients while strengthening and nurturing our collaborative culture. As a result, we are a much stronger institution that will benefit from his many efforts long into the future.”

One of the key hallmarks of Mr. Hester’s tenure as chair included his dedication to building durable client relationships. After stepping down from his current role, he will become chair emeritus of the firm, with a particular focus on the firm’s client relationships and international engagements. He will also continue his practice in the antitrust field and will maintain an active role in pro bono matters.

“I have the utmost confidence in Doug’s dedication to the very best values of the firm and the profession, and I know he will be an exemplary leader of our firm,” said Mr. Hester. “I am particularly proud that we have significantly strengthened the firm’s practices and expanded its scale while maintaining our deep-seated focus on excellence in the practice of law, an unwavering dedication to client service, and a devotion to the very best values of the profession and a true partnership. This reflects that Covington is on the right strategic trajectory, with the right spirit and dedication to the craft of lawyering and our values as a firm and professional community.”