Los Angeles

August 2019, Privacy Laws & Business

May 8, 2019

LOS ANGELES—The Daily Journal has named Robyn Polashuk, Clara Shin, and Sonya Winner to its 2019 “Top Women Lawyers,” recognizing the “top women lawyers in California.” Ms. Polashuk co-chairs the firm's Communications and Media Industry Group and serves as managing partner of the firm’s Los Angeles office. Her practice focuses on the licensing and distribution ...

May 7, 2019, The National Law Journal

Covington was named to The National Law Journal's "Pro Bono Hot List" for its representation of the City of Los Angeles to prevent the federal government from requiring assistance with immigration enforcement as a condition of grants. “Law firms can help close this gap, particularly in cases like these that require substantial expertise and resources,” said ...

May 7, 2019

LOS ANGELES—For the second consecutive year, The National Law Journal has named Covington to its "Pro Bono Hot List." The 2019 special report recognizes the lawyers and law firms who "have used their legal expertise to take on some of the biggest issues of our time." In its profile of the firm, The National Law Journal highlights Covington's pro bono efforts, ...

April 15, 2019

LOS ANGELES—The Los Angeles Business Journal named Covington partner Robyn Polashuk to its 2019 list of “Most Influential Women Lawyers.” This is the fifth consecutive year the publication has named her to the list. Ms. Polashuk, who co-chairs the firm’s Communications and Media Industry Group and serves as managing partner of the Los Angeles office, was ...

2019, American Bar Association

Our cross-disciplinary Internet of Things initiative contributed to the ABA's first book on IoT, The Internet of Things: Legal Issues, Policy, & Practical Strategies.   Laura Kim and Jennifer Johnson authored the chapter “U.S. Regulatory Framework for IoT,” with contributions from Sarah Wilson (product safety); Wade Ackerman, Elizabeth Guo, Christopher Hanson, ...

March 28, 2019

WASHINGTON—The Human Rights Campaign Foundation (HRC) has awarded Covington a perfect score of 100 percent for the eleventh consecutive year on its Corporate Equality Index (CEI), a national benchmarking survey and report on corporate policies and practices related to LGBT+ workplace equality. Covington is among 571 major U.S. businesses that earned a perfect ...

March 15, 2019, Corporate Counsel

Dan Shallman is quoted in Corporate Counsel regarding the anti-corruption risks of infrastructure projects in developing countries. Mr. Shallman says, We’ve seen an uptick in major infrastructure projects and those are generally in the developing world, which has the highest corruption risks. There’s risk around every corner in one of these projects.”   The ...

March 14, 2019, Corporate Counsel

Dan Shallman is quoted in Corporate Counsel regarding the uptick in anti-corruption enforcement. Mr. Shallman says, “We’ve seen an uptick in major infrastructure projects and those are generally in the developing world, which has the highest corruption risks. There’s risk around every corner in one of these projects.”   The savviest companies have developed ...

March 11, 2019, Covington Alert

This alert summarizes the major antitrust/competition developments in 2018 and offers a view on what to expect in 2019 in the U.S., EU and China.

March 7, 2019

LOS ANGELES—Ryan Weinstein has joined Covington in the firm’s Commercial Litigation practice in Los Angeles. Mr. Weinstein most recently served as an Assistant United States Attorney in the Central District of California. At the U.S. Attorney’s Office, Mr. Weinstein prosecuted and tried dozens of criminal cases, briefed and argued numerous appeals before the ...

March 1, 2019, Covington Alert

Selections of Covington’s Intellectual Property Rights Group for the “Top Ten” most significant and interesting developments in U.S. trademark, false advertising, and right of publicity law during 2018.

March 1, 2019, Covington Alert

Selections of Covington’s Intellectual Property Rights Practice Group for the “Top Ten” most significant and interesting developments in U.S. and European copyright law during 2018.

February 12, 2019

LOS ANGELES—The John M. Langston Bar Association of Los Angeles has named Covington as “Law Firm Diversity of the Year.” The firm received the award for its continued commitment to diversity. Aaron Lewis, a partner in the firm’s White Collar practice in Los Angeles, accepted the award on behalf of the firm and said, “I am proud of this award because it ...

February 4, 2019, Covington Alert

With potential liabilities in excess of $30 billion stemming from a series of deadly wildfires that ignited across Northern California in 2017 and 2018, Pacific Gas and Electric Company and its holding company PG&E Corp. (PG&E) filed for Chapter 11 relief in the United States Bankruptcy Court for the Northern District of California on Tuesday.

January 15, 2019, The Recorder

The American Lawyer named Covington the California Litigation Department of the Year, citing high-profile matters that we have handled for California institutions like the state Senate, Uber, the City of Los Angeles, McKesson, and the University of California.   The Recorder sat down to interview two of the firm's co-chairs of its Commercial Litigation ...

December 20, 2018

LOS ANGELES—The American Lawyer has named Covington as its California Litigation Department of Year. The award recognizes the law firm whose California litigators have delivered outstanding service—and wins—for their clients in the year's most demanding litigation matters. The American Lawyer highlights Covington’s role in conducting an internal investigation ...

November 2018, Pratt's Energy Law Report

October/November 2018, Update (reprinted with permission from FDLI)

October 24, 2018, Covington Alert

California Governor Jerry Brown recently signed into law a number of landmark bills aimed at strengthening sexual harassment protections in the workplace and boosting gender equality in the boardroom. Here is an overview of the new statutes; unless otherwise specified, they take effect on January 1, 2019.

October 1, 2018

WASHINGTON—Covington has promoted 20 lawyers to its partnership. “This group covers a wide range of the firm’s most important practices and reflects the ongoing imperative of continuing to build and expand our strengths and to position the firm most effectively to be vibrant in the years ahead,” said Timothy Hester, Covington’s chair. "The size of our class is a ...

September 28, 2018

LOS ANGELES—The Daily Journal has named Covington partner Mitch Kamin among its “Top 100 Lawyers” in California. The Top 100 are selected for making a significant impact on their practice area, the legal industry or the larger society. Mr. Kamin is the co-chair of Covington’s Commercial Litigation Practice and represents global media, entertainment and other ...

July 31, 2018, Medtech Insight

Wade Ackerman is quoted in Medtech Insight regarding the FDA’s software pre-certification program and what that means for device and digital health firms interested in getting new products to the market. Mr. Ackerman says, "The agency has been transparent in that it is considering various legal mechanisms available to the agency to establish the program – ...

July 30, 2018

SILICON VALLEY—Covington advised GlaxoSmithKline on its multi-year collaboration with and $300 million equity investment in 23andMe. GSK will become 23andMe’s exclusive collaborator for drug target discovery programs. The collaboration will focus on research and development of innovative new medicines and potential cures using human genetics as the basis for ...

July 13, 2018, Bloomberg Class Action Litigation Report

June 20, 2018

SILICON VALLEY—Covington was ranked sixth among “The Best Law Firms for Minority Attorneys” and ranked seventh among “The Best Law Firms for Minority Partners” by Law360 for firms with more than 600 lawyers.  "While there is much progress still to be made, these results are a reflection of Covington's sustained efforts to recruit, mentor, develop, promote, and ...

June 14, 2018

LOS ANGELES—The Mexican American Bar Foundation (MABF) honored Covington partner and the 82nd Attorney General of the United States Eric Holder with the Pioneer for Justice Award at its 27th Annual Scholarship & Awards Gala. MABF recognized Mr. Holder for his commitment to equal justice for all Americans and for providing inspiration to advocates in the pursuit ...

June 5, 2018

WASHINGTON—Covington’s Insurance Recovery practice has received the 2018 Chambers USA "Award for Excellence" in Insurance, marking the seventh time the firm has received this honor in the 12 years it has been awarded. The "Award for Excellence" is given to one U.S. firm representing policyholders in the insurance coverage field. In addition to the award, ...

May 9, 2018

LOS ANGELES—Covington partners Carolyn Kubota, Robyn Polashuk, and Sonya Winner have been named to the Daily Journal’s 2018 “Top 100 Women Lawyers” list, recognizing the “top women lawyers in California.” Based in the firm’s Los Angeles office, Ms. Kubota is a member of the American College of Trial Lawyers and has served as lead counsel on high-profile ...

May 2018, The National Law Journal

Covington was named to The National Law Journal's "Pro Bono Hot List" for its representation of the University of California in challenging the government’s rescission of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program. "To be in court standing up for 700,000 immigrants, I don't know that there's anything quite like that. For them, it's not a legal ...

April 16, 2018, The Am Law Litigation Daily

The Am Law Litigation Daily highlights a victory on behalf of the city of Los Angeles following U.S. District Judge Manuel Real's decision to enjoin an attempt by the Justice Department to link funding for community-oriented policing to cooperation with federal law enforcement agencies on immigration enforcement. Mitch Kamin, who was a member of the Covington ...

April 12, 2018, Law360

Law360 highlights Covington's successful representation of the City of Los Angeles following a decision by a California federal judge which imposed a permanent, nationwide ban that would prevent the Administration from placing certain immigration-related conditions on community policing grants administered by the Justice Department.  The Covington team included ...

March 30, 2018, MSNBC

Jake Levine appeared on MSNBC to discuss the Trump Administration's plan to roll back fuel economy standards.

March 22, 2018

SAN FRANCISCO—Covington’s Jeffrey Davidson, Thomas Garten, Laura Muschamp, and Michael Plimack have been named among the 2018 “California Lawyer Attorneys of the Year” by the Daily Journal. This annual award recognizes lawyers in the state who have made a “significant impact on public policy, the law, the profession, or a particular practice area.” Mr. Davidson ...

March 5, 2018

LOS ANGELES—Covington partner Carolyn Kubota has been named a Fellow of the American College of Trial Lawyers, one of the premier legal associations in North America. Ms. Kubota is the seventh Covington lawyer among the current Fellows, joining Lanny Breuer, Robert Haslam, John Nields, George Pappas, William Phillips, and Robert Sayler. Ms. Kubota is a ...

March 1, 2018, Covington Alert

Selections of Covington’s Intellectual Property Rights Group for the “Top Ten” most significant and interesting developments in U.S. trademark, false advertising, and right of publicity law during 2017.

March 1, 2018, Covington Alert

Selections of Covington’s Intellectual Property Rights Practice Group for the “Top Ten” most significant and interesting developments in U.S. and European copyright law during 2017.

February 23, 2018, Covington Alert

On Wednesday, the Supreme Court issued its much-anticipated decision in Digital Realty Trust, Inc. v. Somers. Ruling 9-0, the Court held that the Dodd-Frank Act prohibits retaliation against whistleblowers only if they reported suspected wrongdoing directly to the SEC.

February 6, 2018

LOS ANGELES—The Los Angeles Business Journal recognized Wade Ackerman and Aaron Lewis in its second annual list of the most influential diverse lawyers in Los Angeles. The list recognizes 50 "stellar diverse lawyers in the LA region." In Mr. Ackerman’s profile, the Business Journal emphasized his work in the FDA regulatory space. The profile noted that “with a ...

February 6, 2018

WASHINGTON—Law360 has named five Covington practice groups among its “2017 Practice Groups of the Year.” The practice groups recognized by Law360 are as follows: Government Contracts International Trade Product Liability Sports White Collar  

January 29, 2018

LOS ANGELES—Multichannel News has named Covington partner Robyn Polashuk to its 2018 class of “Women to Watch.” Ms. Polashuk is the only outside counsel named to the list.  “This year’s group of Women to Watch is pushing the boundaries in both personal and professional achievements,” said Mark Robichaux, Editorial Director of Multichannel News. The award ...

January 29, 2018, Multichannel News

Robyn Polashuk was named to Multichannel News' 2018 class of “Women to Watch.” Commenting on what she likes most about her job, Polashuk says, "I love the diversity of the clients and projects, and the interesting new issues I am asked to address nearly every day in our evolving industry." In her profile, Polashuk also stresses the importance of growing ...

January 24, 2018, Covington Alert

As we begin 2018, the cosmetic industry marketing products in the United States faces a range of legal and regulatory considerations – from labeling and marketing claims to ingredient safety and environmental issues. This alert for our cosmetic clients analyzes federal regulatory activities in 2017 and summarizes key issues to consider for 2018, including ...

January 24, 2018, Covington Alert

Digital advertising typically involves a vast network of publishers, advertisers and their agencies, advertising exchanges and networks, technology platforms, and measurement and data analytics providers. To help streamline the commercial dealings of all of these parties in this complex ecosystem, advertising industry self-regulatory groups have developed ...

January 19, 2018, Law360

Covington was named a 2017 International Trade Group of the Year by Law360. According to Peter Lichtenbaum, the Bombardier trade remedies case, which "presents very significant economic, legal, and political issues," was one of the group's biggest from the past year. "The company remains confident that the ITC will conclude that Boeing will not be harmed by the ...

January 9, 2018

SAN FRANCISCO—Covington secured a victory on behalf of its clients the University of California and UC President Janet Napolitano when Northern District of California Judge William Alsup issued a nationwide injunction blocking the federal government’s effort to shut down the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program (DACA). On September 5, 2017, the ...

November 16, 2017

WASHINGTON—The Human Rights Campaign Foundation (HRC) has awarded Covington a perfect score of 100 percent for the tenth consecutive year on its Corporate Equality Index (CEI), a national benchmarking survey and report on corporate policies and practices pertinent to LGBT+ workplace equality. Covington is among 609 major U.S. businesses that earned a perfect ...

November 7, 2017, Covington Alert

On August 18, 2017, President Donald Trump signed into law the FDA Reauthorization Act of 2017 (FDARA). This law, containing nine titles, reauthorizes and amends the user fee programs for prescription drugs, medical devices, generic drugs, and biosimilars.

October 10, 2017, Commercial Dispute Resolution

Commercial Dispute Resolution highlights Covington's 16-partner promotion, as well as the arrivals of Jennifer Saulino and Stephen Rademaker.

September 20, 2017, Covington Alert

On August 18, 2017, President Trump signed H.R. 2430, the FDA Reauthorization Act of 2017, which became Public Law No. 115-52 (“FDARA”). Principally, FDARA reauthorizes the Food and Drug Administration (“FDA” or “the agency”) user fee programs, including the Medical Device User Fee Amendments, the Prescription Drug User Fee Amendments, the Biosimilars User Fee ...

August 28, 2017, Bloomberg

Bloomberg highlights Covington's role as co-counsel with the ACLU in a lawsuit challenging the ban preventing transgender men and women from serving in the armed forces. “When the memorandum was issued on [August 25] it was apparent to us that this was going to cause immediate harm to the transgender community serving in the military," says David Zionts. Mitch ...

August 16, 2017, Covington Alert

Two recent federal district court decisions involving computer “spoofing” scams highlight the uncertainty about whether such incidents may be covered under standard “computer fraud” provisions in widely used crime insurance forms. The conflicting results in these cases provide a stark reminder to policyholders that seemingly minor differences in policy wordings ...

August 15, 2017

LOS ANGELES—The Los Angeles Business Journal has named Covington partner Mitch Kamin one of the “Most Influential IP Attorneys” in Los Angeles. The Los Angeles Business Journal highlighted Mr. Kamin’s representation of entertainment industry leaders such as 21st Century Fox and Sony Music Entertainment in complex, high profile intellectual property disputes, ...

August 15, 2017

SILICON VALLEY—Covington secured a significant patent infringement victory on behalf of Elbit Systems Ltd. over its groundbreaking patent relating to high-speed satellite communications.  A jury in the Unites States District Court for the Eastern District of Texas awarded Elbit Systems $21,075,000 in damages, exclusive of pre-judgment interest and post-verdict ...

August 12, 2017, Los Angeles Times

Aaron Lewis is quoted in a Los Angeles Times article regarding an internal investigation by the University of Southern California reviewing what its leaders knew about the conduct of former medical school dean Dr. Carmen Puliafito.

July 28, 2017, Medtech Insight

Marialuisa Gallozzi, John Buchanan, and Jeff Kiburtz are quoted in a Medtech Insight article regarding the growing interest in the healthcare sector in buying cyber insurance. According to Gallozzi, "We are in the midst of an evolution of the insurance market right now in this area." She says cyber insurance policies have been a growing trend but unlike other ...

July 6, 2017, Law360

Carolyn Kubota and John Hall are quoted in a Law360 article regarding Kubota's arrival to Covington's Los Angeles office as a partner in the firm's Litigation and White Collar Defense and Investigations practices. “A friend of mine once said, [trials] are the most fun you can have wearing a suit, and I’m a strong believer in that,” Kubota says. “I find [that], ...

July 6, 2017, Daily Journal

John Hall and Carolyn Kubota are quoted in a Daily Journal article regarding Kubota's recent arrival to Covington's Los Angeles office. According to Hall, "Carolyn is a world-class litigator with an exceptional track record of trial success, and her tenacity and depth of experience will be highly valuable to our clients," adding that her track record of handling ...

July 6, 2017, The Recorder

Carolyn Kubota and John Hall are quoted by The Recorder in an article regarding Kubota's recent arrival to Covington's Litigation and White Collar Defense and Investigations practices in Los Angeles. “I hope I’ll be able to expand the work I’m doing for pharma companies to other companies and broaden, rather than change, [my practice],” Kubota says. According to ...

July 5, 2017

LOS ANGELES—Carolyn Kubota, a nationally acclaimed trial and white collar defense lawyer and former federal prosecutor, has joined Covington’s Litigation and White Collar Defense and Investigations practices in Los Angeles. Ms. Kubota has served as lead counsel on high-profile investigations, criminal trials, and high-stakes commercial litigation matters, ...

June 16, 2017, Medtech Insight

Wade Ackerman is quoted in a Medtech Insight article regarding FDA's regulatory strategy in relation to digital health. "While Congress addressed some aspects of FDA's regulation of health software in the 21st Century Cures Act last year, the digital landscape continues to evolve rapidly," Ackerman says. "FDA's intent to outline a new digital health innovation ...

June 14, 2017

WASHINGTON—Covington’s Insurance Recovery practice has received the 2017 Chambers USA "Award for Excellence" in Insurance, marking the sixth time the firm has received this honor in the 11 years it has been awarded. The "Award for Excellence" is given to one U.S. firm representing policyholders in the insurance coverage field. In addition to the award, Covington ...

June 12, 2017

LOS ANGELES—Covington partners Robyn Polashuk, Clara Shin, and Sonya Winner have been named to the Daily Journal’s 2017 “Top 100 Women Lawyers” list, which recognizes the leading women lawyers in California who “try complex commercial disputes and put together industry-transforming deals.” Managing partner of the firm’s Los Angeles office, Ms. Polashuk focuses ...

June 7, 2017, Covington Alert

On Monday, in Kokesh v. SEC, the Supreme Court handed a major loss to the Securities and Exchange Commission, unanimously holding that SEC claims for disgorgement of ill-gotten gains are subject to a five-year statute of limitations. The Kokesh decision also calls into question the proper measure of disgorgement (e.g., gross versus net profits) and even whether ...

May 9, 2017, MedTech Insight

Wade Ackerman is quoted by MedTech Insight in an article covering the May 5 Food, Drug and Law Institute's annual meeting in Washington. Ackerman provided his insights on the hiring trajectory for those individuals tasked to implement the 21st Century Cures Act, and noted that the funds can be viewed as having broad applications for hiring.  Ackerman stated, ...

May 5, 2017

LOS ANGELES—The California Life Sciences Association (CLSA) has named Covington partner Wade Ackerman to its board of directors. Founded in 2015, CLSA works closely with industry, government, academia and other stakeholders to shape public policy, drive business solutions, and grow California’s life sciences innovation ecosystem. CLSA serves biotechnology, ...

May 1, 2017, Covington Alert

In a widely anticipated step, FCC Chairman Ajit Pai has released the text of a draft Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (“NPRM”) proposing to change the legal framework that governs broadband providers, eliminate the “Internet conduct standard” for evaluating broadband provider practices on a case-by-case basis, and seek comment on whether to keep, modify, or ...

April 26, 2017

LOS ANGELES—The Los Angeles Business Journal has named Covington partner Robyn Polashuk one of the “Most Influential Women Lawyers” in Los Angeles.  The Los Angeles Business Journal recognized Ms. Polashuk’s “unique practice that lies at the intersection of traditional and digital media.” The profile highlighted Ms. Polashuk’s representation of entertainment ...

April 20, 2017, Law360

Earlier this month, in Maloney v. T3Media Inc.,[1] the Ninth Circuit held that former college athletes could not assert a right of publicity to prevent the NCAA and its licensee, T3Media, from distributing images of the players. The court ruled that the players’ right of publicity was preempted by Section 301 of the Copyright Act because photographs of the ...

March 7, 2017, Covington Alert

Yesterday, President Trump issued a new Executive Order (the “Order”) titled “Protecting the Nation from Foreign Terrorist Entry into the United States.” This new Order replaces the so-called “travel ban” Executive Order issued January 27 (the “Prior Order”) which was subject to a nationwide temporary restraining order issued by the U.S. District Court for the ...

March 4, 2017, ABA Insurance Coverage Litigation Committee CLE Seminar

February 27, 2017

WASHINGTON—Law360 has named four Covington practice groups among its “Practice Groups of the Year.” The practice groups recognized by Law360 are as follows: International Trade Life Sciences Product Liability Sports  

February 22, 2017, Covington Advisory

Selections of Covington’s Intellectual Property Rights Practice Group for the “Top Ten” most significant and interesting developments in U.S. and European copyright law during 2016.

February 22, 2017, Covington Advisory

Selections of Covington’s Intellectual Property Rights Practice Group for the “Top Ten” most significant and interesting developments in U.S. trademark, false advertising, and right of publicity law during 2016.

February 7, 2017, Covington Alert

This International Employment Update summarises recent international employment law developments in Austria, China, France, Italy, the United Arab Emirates, the United Kingdom, and the United States.

February 1, 2017, 21st Century Cures Act Webinar Series

January 30, 2017, Covington Alert

As has been widely reported, President Trump issued an Executive Order (“the Order”) on Friday, January 27, 2017, entitled “Protecting the Nation from Foreign Terrorist Entry Into the United States,” which, among other directives, bans individuals from Iran, Iraq, Syria, Sudan, Libya, Yemen, and Somalia (the “Covered Countries”) from entering the United States ...

January 25, 2017, 21st Century Cures Act Webinar Series

January 18, 2017, 21st Century Cures Act Webinar Series

January 17, 2017, Covington Alert

On January 13, 2017, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA or Agency) released a discussion paper synthesizing public feedback on FDA’s 2014 draft guidance documents and outlining a possible approach to regulation of laboratory developed tests (LDTs) (Discussion Paper). This approach is intended to “advance the public discussion by providing a possible ...

January 13, 2017, Medtech Insight

Wade Ackerman participated at the Medtech Showcase and is quoted in a Medtech Insight article regarding the launch of AdvaMed Digital and the increased focus on medtech and digital health. According to Ackerman, having the dedicated sector within AdvaMed will be a positive for future digital-health policy development.

January 10, 2017, The Pink Sheet

Wade Ackerman participated at the Biotech Showcase and is quoted by The Pink Sheet in an article regarding the increased use of real-world evidence by FDA following the passage of the 21st Century Cures Act. According to Ackerman, FDA will be running a pilot program to evaluate the potential of real-world evidence to support supplemental indications and satisfy ...

January 5, 2017, 21st Century Cures Act Webinar Series

January 4, 2017, Covington Alert

One piece of the ongoing debate over the Securities and Exchange Commission’s use of Administrative Law Judges to adjudicate enforcement actions may be heading to the U.S. Supreme Court. On December 27, 2016, in Bandimere v. SEC, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit invalidated SEC sanctions against an individual on the ground that the ALJ who ...

December 22, 2016, Covington Alert

On December 13, 2016, President Obama signed H.R. 34, the 21st Century Cures Act, which became Public Law No. 114-255 (“the Act”). Its enactment represents the culmination of a multi-year bipartisan legislative process spearheaded on the House side by Energy and Commerce Committee Chairman Fred Upton, Ranking Member Frank Pallone, and Rep. Diana DeGette and on ...

December 21, 2016

WASHINGTON—The Human Rights Campaign Foundation (HRC) has awarded Covington a perfect score of 100 percent for the ninth consecutive year on its Corporate Equality Index, a national benchmarking survey and report on corporate policies and practices related to LGBT workplace equality. Covington is among 517 major U.S. businesses that earned a perfect score this ...

December 8, 2016, Covington Alert

On December 6, 2016, in the first insider trading case the Supreme Court has decided in nearly two decades, the Court, in Salman v. United States, unanimously upheld a conviction for trading based on material non-public information provided by the defendant’s brother-in-law as a gift. The decision was a big win for the Department of Justice and the Securities ...

December 6, 2016, Covington Alert

On December 2, 2016, the English High Court ruled that the members of the band Duran Duran would be in breach of the contracts under which they assigned their publishing copyrights if they exercised their U.S. statutory right to terminate the transfer of the U.S. copyrights under section 203 of the Copyright Act. The case, Gloucester Place Music Limited v Simon ...

October 28, 2016, FDA Week

Wade Ackerman spoke at a DIA conference on October 24 and is quoted in an FDA Week article regarding combination product reform.  According to Mr. Ackerman, there has been strong bipartisan support for 21st Century Cures and Medical Innovation bills. However, if combination product language does not get passed in this Congress, Ackerman also pointed to the FDA ...

October 25, 2016, Covington Alert

In a recent case, Robinson v. U-Haul Company of California, the California Court of Appeal for the First Appellate District affirmed a trial court's award of attorney’s fees and issuance of a permanent injunction against a company from using a noncompete in its California dealer contracts.

October 18, 2016, Covington Alert

At the end of each September in California, a flurry of legislative activity precedes the deadline for Governor Brown to sign or veto bills approved during the 2015 to 2016 legislative session. As in years past, a number of employment-related bills were signed into law by Governor Brown. The following alert highlights a few such bills that merit attention. ...

October 17, 2016, Los Angeles Times

The Los Angeles Times highlights the role of Dan Shallman and Aaron Lewis in helping unravel a bribery case against two brothers who allegedly tried to buy the support of a Huntington Park city council member for higher towing fees. In what Dan Shallman called a “huge vindication,” the court sentenced one of the brothers with probation.  

October 10, 2016, CDR News

CDR News highlighted the promotion of 13 Covington lawyers to partner, as well as the arrival of Lord Francis Maude in London as a Senior Advisor in the firm’s Public Policy and Government Affairs practice. According to firm chair Timothy Hester, “Our new partners reflect the excellence, strengths, and diversity of the firm and will play important roles in the ...

October 3, 2016

WASHINGTON—Covington has promoted 13 lawyers to its partnership. “Our new partners reflect the excellence, strengths, and diversity of the firm and will play important roles in the firm for decades to come and will help drive our key practices to even greater success in the years ahead,” said Timothy Hester, Covington’s chair.  The new partners, who are based in ...

October 3, 2016, Global Investigations Review

Global Investigations Review highlighted the promotion of Jennifer Saperstein and Aaron Lewis as partners of the firm. The article notes that Saperstein advises clients on Foreign Corrupt Practices Act matters and internal investigations while Lewis advises clients on white-collar defense and internal investigations, drawing on six years of Justice Department ...

September 12, 2016

LOS ANGELES—The Los Angeles Business Journal has recognized Aaron Lewis as one of the “Most Influential Minority Lawyers” in Los Angeles. The inaugural list names 40 “stellar minority lawyers in the LA region,” highlighting recent success in their respective areas of practice.  The Los Angeles Business Journal highlighted Mr. Lewis’s recent significant ...

September 9, 2016, Law360

Wade Ackerman and Denise Esposito are quoted in a Law360 article regarding Ackerman’s recent arrival as a partner in the firm’s Food, Drug, and Device practice. According to Ackerman, he’d like to serve as bridge between Washington, D.C., and Los Angeles for the firm. For a food and drug attorney, Covington is the place to go, given its “long history of having a ...

Fall 2016, AIPLA Quarterly Journal, Vol. 44, No. 4

September 1, 2016, The Recorder

Wade Ackerman and Robyn Polashuk are quoted in a Recorder article regarding the growth of the firm’s LA office, which includes Ackerman’s recent arrival. "We're in a period of unprecedented change in the way products are regulated, and a lot of companies are on the West Coast,” said Ackerman. Commenting on West Coast business, Polashuk says, “It hasn't been, ...

August 31, 2016

LOS ANGELES—Wade Ackerman has joined Covington as a partner in its Food, Drug, and Device practice, resident in Los Angeles. Until June 2016, Mr. Ackerman served as Senior FDA Counsel to the U.S. Senate Health, Education, Labor & Pensions Committee. In this role, he has been intimately involved in legislative initiatives, oversight hearings, and other Senate ...

August 29, 2016, Los Angeles Business Journal

Mitchell Kamin is quoted in a Los Angeles Business Journal article regarding a $25 million verdict against ISP Cox in a copyright infringement case brought by BMG Rights Management. According to Kamin, “The music industry and copyright holders are certainly pushing to limit the safe-harbor provision.” He continues, “They feel companies on the tech side of things ...

August 1, 2016

WASHINGTON—The American Lawyer has named Covington to its 2016 “A-List,” an annual ranking of the top 20 firms based on revenue per lawyer, pro bono commitment, diversity, and associate satisfaction. Covington has appeared on the “A-List” eleven times since this honor was introduced in 2003. “We are extremely pleased to have again been named to The American ...

June 24, 2016, Covington Alert

The UK has voted to leave the European Union in an advisory referendum. 52% leave - 48% remain. Were the UK to leave the EU, this would have significant implications for the UK and for international businesses operating in the UK. The longer term impact of the decision on the regulatory framework for the UK will depend, in part, on the relationship that the UK ...

June 7, 2016

WASHINGTON—Covington has again received top rankings from Chambers USA, with 60 practice rankings and 120 individual rankings for lawyers in the publication’s 2016 edition. The legal guide identifies leading lawyers and law firm practices based on interviews conducted by Chambers’ researchers with thousands of lawyers and their clients. The firm was ranked in ...

April 21, 2016, Covington Alert

On April 5, 2016, the United States Department of Justice (“DOJ”), through the Criminal Division’s Fraud Section, announced a one-year Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (“FCPA”) enforcement pilot program (the “Pilot Program”) intended to motivate companies to voluntarily disclose FCPA-related misconduct and increase transparency around the Fraud Section’s approach ...

April 20, 2016

LOS ANGELES — Covington partners Emily Henn, Robyn Polashuk and Sonya Winner have been named to the Daily Journal’s annual list of “Top Women Lawyers” in California. The list recognizes 100 lawyers who “try complex commercial disputes and put together industry-transforming deals.” Ms. Henn, based in the firm’s Silicon Valley office, co-chairs the firm’s Class ...

April 14, 2016, BNA’s Patent, Trademark & Copyright Journal

April 6, 2016, The Recorder

Dan Shallman is quoted in this article exploring a DOJ pilot program that could reduce criminal penalties for companies that self-report FCPA violations. According to Shallman, the voluntary disclosure would likely appeal to large companies that face significant FCPA exposure. “It's trickier for cases where the exposure is smaller and less clear," he says.

February 3, 2016

WASHINGTON, DC — Covington assisted the National Football League in negotiating its partnership with CBS and NBC to produce and televise "Thursday Night Football" for the 2016 and 2017 seasons. In addition to continuing its Thursday Night Football partnership with CBS, the NFL is adding NBC as a partner, with both networks set to air five Thursday Night Football ...

January 28, 2016

WASHINGTON, DC - Law360 has named six Covington practice groups among its “Practice Groups of the Year.” The practice groups recognized by Law360 are as follows: Government Contracts Insurance International Trade Life Sciences Product Liability Sports

December 28, 2015, Covington Alert

November 18, 2015

WASHINGTON, DC, November 18, 2015 - The Human Rights Campaign Foundation (HRC) has awarded Covington a perfect score of 100 percent for the eighth consecutive year on its Corporate Equality Index, a national benchmarking survey and report on corporate policies and practices related to LGBT workplace equality. Covington is among 400 major US businesses that ...

November 9, 2015, Multichannel News

September 16, 2015, Mealey’s Litigation Report: Insurance

September 14, 2015

LOS ANGELES, September 14, 2015 - Covington announced that Mitchell Kamin has joined the firm’s litigation and white collar defense and investigation practices in its Los Angeles office. A prominent litigator and community leader who served as co-managing partner of a leading Los Angeles litigation boutique, Mr. Kamin will continue to focus on high stakes ...

August 21, 2015, Covington Alert

August 11, 2015

WASHINGTON, DC, August 11, 2015  —The Los Angeles Business Journal has named Covington partner and former federal prosecutor Daniel Shallman to its list of the city’s “Most Influential Lawyers” in the white collar and cyber practice areas. In selecting Mr. Shallman, the publication noted that he has handled “a string of impressive matters” since joining the firm ...

July 23, 2015

LONDON, July 23, 2015 — Covington has launched a new app designed specifically for smart phones and tablets called ‘The Arbitration Handbook’. The app compiles over 90 resources (arbitral rules, treaties, national laws and guidelines) commonly used in international arbitration into one convenient electronic resource, while enabling users to bookmark and ...

June 1, 2015

WASHINGTON, DC, June 1, 2015  — Covington has again received top rankings from Chambers USA, with 46 practice rankings and 152 individual rankings for lawyers in the publication’s 2015 edition. The legal guide identifies leading lawyers and law firm practices based on interviews conducted by Chambers’ researchers with thousands of lawyers and their clients. The ...

May 29, 2015

WASHINGTON, DC, May 29, 2015 — Law360 ranked Covington eighth on its list of “Top 25 Best Law Firms For Black Attorneys.” The list highlights firms that have significantly more black attorneys than the industry average, particularly at the partner level. According to the publication, the firms in the top 25 average 6.6 percent black non-partners and 4.4 percent ...

May 21, 2015

WASHINGTON, DC, May 21, 2015  — Covington’s insurance recovery practice won the 2015 Chambers USA Award for Excellence in Insurance, marking the fifth time the firm has received this honor in the nine years it has been awarded. The Award for Excellence, presented at Chambers USA’s annual awards dinner in New York City on May 19, was given to only one U.S. firm ...

May 18, 2015

SILICON VALLEY, May 15, 2015 — Covington partners Emily Johnson Henn and Robyn Polashuk have been named to the Daily Journal’s list of “Top Women Lawyers” in California. The list recognizes 100 lawyers who “try complex commercial disputes and put together industry-transforming deals.” Ms. Henn, based in the firm’s Silicon Valley office, was recognized for her ...

April 7, 2015

LOS ANGELES, April 7, 2015  — Multichannel News named Covington partner Robyn Polashuk one of nine leading cable-industry lawyers “who seal the deals in cable.” In its profile, Multichannel News highlighted Ms. Polashuk’s work on a wide array of distribution deals, including Univision in its broadcast and cable carriage deal with Dish Network’s OTT Sling TV ...

March 27, 2015

LONDON, 27 March, 2015 — Covington received 56 individual mentions and 29 practice mentions in the 2015 edition of Chambers Global. The guidebook, which ranks lawyers globally by pan-regional and country practice area, is designed to identify the most skilled legal practitioners based on the qualities most valued by clients. The Covington lawyers selected as ...

March 6, 2015

LOS ANGELES, March 6, 2015 — Former federal prosecutor and leading white collar defense lawyer Dan Shallman will join Covington as a partner in the firm’s new Los Angeles office on March 9. Mr. Shallman will head the firm’s Southern California white collar and investigations team while also playing a leading role in the growth of Covington’s LA office. Aaron ...

March 6, 2015

LOS ANGELES, March 6, 2015 — Covington will open a new office in Los Angeles on March 9. The office will be staffed by current firm lawyers and three new senior lawyers and will focus initially on insurance coverage, media and content distribution, patent litigation, public policy/government affairs and white collar defense. "We believe there is a strong base ...

March 6, 2015

LOS ANGELES, March 6, 2015 — Covington is pleased to announce that René Siemens will join the firm as a partner in its new Los Angeles office, where he will continue to represent corporate policyholders in complex insurance coverage disputes. He is expected to join by March 16. Mr. Siemens is a nationally recognized coverage practitioner. His practice includes ...

March 6, 2015, Law360

March 6, 2015, Main Justice

March 6, 2015, National Law Journal

March 6, 2015, The Lawyer

Covington is featured in these articles regarding the opening of its LA office. From NLJ: "Covington & Burling will open an office in Los Angeles after poaching two partners from West Coast-centric firms, closing its San Diego office and relocating lawyers, the firm said. Covington says it will place about 15 lawyers in Los Angeles. The partners will focus on ...

March 6, 2015, The Daily Journal

March 4, 2015, Bloomberg BNA

February 12, 2015, Law360

Covington's Robyn Polashuk and Lala Qadir have authored this piece on the measure by the Federal Communications Commission relating to Internet transmissions.

May 30, 2014, Law360 - 5 Must-Know Facts About Ballmer's $2B Clippers Bid

Covington advised Steve Ballmer on his agreement to purchase the Los Angeles Clippers from The Sterling Family Trust for $2 billion. The firm is mentioned in the above articles regarding the deal. Law360 writes, "Steve Ballmer is represented in the latest deal by a Covington & Burling LLP team led by Doug Gibson, Scott Roades and Peter Zern, including Rob ...