Covington Named to The National Law Journal's 2022 "Appellate Hot List"

WASHINGTON—The National Law Journal named Covington to its 2022 “Appellate Hot List.” Lawyers and law firms featured in the annual special report were recognized for “their success before the U.S. Supreme Court and federal appeals courts.”

Covington was recognized for a winning record spanning the U.S. Supreme Court, state Supreme Courts, and multiple federal courts of appeals throughout the country. It includes victories for, among others, Boehringer Ingelheim, Capital One, Disney, Eli Lilly & Company, Merck, the National Football League, TikTok, the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Committee, and Wells Fargo Bank.

Covington appellate victory highlights included:

• Continuing to be a significant player in the U.S. Supreme Court arguing on behalf of major electric utilities in one of the biggest cases of the previous Term, and helped lead a coalition of media entities that obtained reversal of a Third Circuit ruling that had blocked important reforms of the Federal Communications Commission’s media-ownership regulations. In the current Term, Covington argued a major False Claims Act case to resolve a circuit split on the government’s authority to dismiss qui tam suits.
• In the Supreme Court of California, Covington won a case addressing important tort standards for sexual abuse cases. In the Washington Supreme Court, Covington secured a unanimous win on a certified question on the “learned intermediary” doctrine in a case concerning warnings for prescription medication.
• In the federal Courts of Appeals, Covington continued its prominent role before the D.C. Circuit as successful counsel in a wide range of regulatory-litigation matters against federal agencies. Other wins included issues ranging from federal preemption to the enforceability of arbitration agreements and critical questions of contract interpretation.
• Covington’s Appellate and Supreme Court Litigation practice also played a key role in many of the pro bono matters that earned Covington a spot in The American Lawyer’s Pro Bono Scorecard of firms with the most pro bono hours.

Covington’s Appellate and Supreme Court Litigation practice is led by Beth Brinkmann and Robert Long, with Mark Mosier, David Zionts, Kevin King, and Lauren Willard rounding out the core team. The practice includes more than 30 partners – many with subject matter expertise such as products liability, patent law, financial services, insurance, or class actions – and more than 90 lawyers firm-wide. The group includes four former Assistants to the Solicitor General of the United States, as well as lawyers who served as law clerks for each of the federal Courts of Appeals.