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- Eric H. Holder, Jr.
Eric Holder advises clients on complex investigations and litigation matters, including those that are international in scope and involve significant regulatory enforcement issues and substantial reputational concerns. Mr. Holder, who was a partner at Covington from 2001 to 2009, rejoined the firm after serving for six years as the 82nd Attorney General of the United States.
Before his service as Attorney General, Mr. Holder maintained a wide-ranging investigations and litigation practice at Covington. Among numerous significant engagements, he led the firm’s representation of a major multi-national agricultural company in related civil, criminal, and investigative matters; acted as counsel to a special investigative committee of the board of directors of a Fortune 50 technology company; successfully tried a complex discrimination lawsuit on behalf of a leading financial services company; and represented several life sciences companies in litigation and investigations.
Mr. Holder served as Attorney General from February 2009 to April 2015. As the third longest serving Attorney General in U.S. history and the first African American to hold that office, Mr. Holder is an internationally recognized leader across a broad range of regulatory enforcement, criminal justice, and national security issues. In 2014, Time magazine named Mr. Holder to its list of 100 Most Influential People, noting that he had “worked tirelessly to ensure equal justice.”
Including his tenure as Attorney General, Mr. Holder has served in government for more than thirty years, having been appointed to various positions requiring U.S. Senate confirmation by Presidents Obama, Clinton and Reagan.
Previous Experience
- Attorney General, U.S. Department of Justice (2009-2015)
- Partner, Covington & Burling (2001-2009)
- Deputy Attorney General, U.S. Department of Justice (1997-2001)
- U.S. Attorney, District of Columbia (1993-1997)
- Associate Judge, Superior Court of the District of Columbia (1988-1993)
- Trial Attorney, Public Integrity Section of the U.S. Department of Justice’s Criminal Division (1976-1988)
Eric Holder Honored by the Washington Lawyers’ Committee for Commitment to Civil Rights
June 16, 2017
WASHINGTON—The Washington Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights and Urban Affairs honored Covington partner and former U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder with the 2017 Wiley A. Branton Award for his “unremitting commitment to civil rights and leadership on critical equal justice issues inside government and in the private bar.” The Wiley A. Branton Award is the ...
January 16, 2017
LONDON—Craig Pollack and Louise Freeman have joined Covington as partners in the firm’s European Dispute Resolution practice resident in London. Mr. Pollack will also serve as co-chair of the firm’s Global Disputes Initiative with former U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder and former U.S. Under Secretary of State Alan Larson. Mr. Pollack focuses on complex high ...
October 20, 2016
WASHINGTON—The National Law Center on Homelessness & Poverty honored Covington partner and former U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder with the Outstanding Achievement Award for his work in identifying and ameliorating federal policies that target the criminalization of poor people. The Law Center highlighted Mr. Holder’s leadership role overseeing the ...
October 17, 2016, GW Today
Eric Holder was interviewed at a HistoryMakers event by Jonathan Capehart of The Washington Post and is quoted in a GW Today article offering highlights. “I like people to think of me as a person who believes in this country… as an advocate for people who too frequently were voiceless, [and] as a man who tried to change institutions in our country that needed ...
September 29, 2016
WASHINGTON—The National Legal Aid & Defender Association (NLADA) honored Covington partner and former U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder with the 2016 Justice John Paul Stevens Lifetime Achievement Award for his leadership in bolstering civil rights and access to justice. The NLADA’s Justice John Paul Stevens Lifetime Achievement Award is bestowed on a lawyer ...
August 22, 2016
WASHINGTON—Global Investigations Review has named Covington’s FCPA practice among Washington’s “elite,” the highest tier in its “Washington DC’s FCPA Bar” survey. In its profile, GIR notes Covington’s “deep bench of high-level former prosecutors,” including former U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder; the last two former heads of the Criminal Division at the ...
Eric Holder Named to LDF’s National Board
May 24, 2016
WASHINGTON — Covington partner and former U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder was named to the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund’s (LDF) National Board of Directors. Mr. Holder recently received LDF’s highest honor, the Thurgood Marshall Lifetime Achievement Award, named for its founder and the first African-American Supreme Court justice. Mr. Holder's ...
April 5, 2016, Global Competition Review
Eric Holder’s remarks from “GCR Live: Cartels” are quoted extensively in this GCR article. Holder said, “Regardless what the election holds in November, my strong belief is that the antitrust division will continue to focus on cartel enforcement. This is a priority for the Justice Department now, and will continue to be for the next attorney general.”
Washington Lawyers' Committee and Covington Release Report on Challenges Faced by D.C. Women in Prison
March 25, 2016
WASHINGTON, DC — A report focusing on the overwhelming challenges faced by D.C. women who are incarcerated was released today by The Washington Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights and Urban Affairs and Covington. The report, titled “D.C. Women in Prison: Continuing Problems and Recommendations for Change,” provides an in-depth look at the experience of women who ...
December 12, 2015, NPR
Eric Holder was interviewed by NPR’s Michel Martin to discuss his work as Attorney General and what’s ahead for him at Covington. According to Holder, his “life is still going to be focused on dealing with voting rights issues.”
November 5, 2015
WASHINGTON, DC, November 5, 2015 - The NAACP Legal Defense and Education Fund (LDF) named Covington partner and former US Attorney General Eric Holder as the recipient of its Thurgood Marshall Lifetime Achievement Award, recognizing his lifelong efforts to advance civil rights. LDF recognized Mr. Holder for his work at the US Department of Justice to fight ...
July 6, 2015
WASHINGTON, DC, July 6, 2015 — Former U.S. Attorney General Eric H. Holder, Jr., is returning to Covington as a partner after more than six years of service as the nation’s top law enforcement officer. Mr. Holder will be resident in the firm’s Washington office and focus on complex investigations and litigation matters, including matters that are international ...
July 6, 2015, Reuters
July 6, 2015, NBC News
Former AG Eric Holder returns to former D.C. law firm
July 6, 2015, The Washington Post
July 6, 2015, The Lawyer
Holder's Return to Covington Was Six Years in the Making
July 5, 2015, National Law Journal
July 5, 2015, The Wall Street Journal
September 29, 2008
WASHINGTON, DC, September 29, 2008 — Covington & Burling LLP received 124 individual mentions in 40 areas of law in the 2009 edition of The Best Lawyers in America. This annual compilation of top US lawyers is based on peer-review surveys and is used as a referral guide in the legal profession. The Covington lawyers recognized are as follows: Administrative: ...
June 16, 2008
WASHINGTON, DC, June 16, 2008 — Covington & Burling LLP received 81 individual mentions and 45 practice mentions in the newly released 2008 Chambers USA. The guidebook, which ranks lawyers by state and national practice area, is designed to identify the most skilled legal practitioners based on the qualities most valued by clients. Here are the Covington ...
Two Covington Partners Among National Law Journal’s ‘50 Most Influential Minority Lawyers’
5/27/2008
WASHINGTON, DC, May 27, 2008 — The National Law Journal has named Covington & Burling LLP partners Eric Holder and Thomas Williamson to its survey of “The 50 Most Influential Minority Lawyers in America.” The first-ever list, which honors lawyers who have had a national impact in their legal fields during the past five years, is featured in the NLJ’s May 26 ...
Covington’s Eizenstat, Gesell, Holder, Horsky, and Ruff Among Legal Times’ ‘Greatest Washington Lawyers of Past 30 Years’
5/27/2008
WASHINGTON, DC, May 27, 2008 — In connection with its 30th anniversary, Legal Times’ May 19 anniversary issue features a salute to the “Greatest Washington Lawyers of the Past 30 Years.” The special report recognizes 30 lawyers each in the categories “Champions,” “Visionaries,” and “Pioneers.” Covington partners Stuart Eizenstat and Eric Holder were named, ...
11/30/2007
WASHINGTON, DC, November 30, 2007 — Nineteen Covington & Burling LLP attorneys are recognized as “Top Lawyers” in the December 2007 issue of Washingtonian magazine. The list, compiled by the magazine’s editorial staff based on peer recommendations, identifies leading lawyers in the Greater Washington area. Of the “Top Lawyers,” Washingtonian identified 30 as the ...
September 6, 2007
WASHINGTON, DC, September 6, 2007 — Covington & Burling LLP received 115 individual mentions in 38 areas of law in the 2008 edition of The Best Lawyers in America. This annual compilation of top US lawyers is based on peer-review surveys and is used as a referral guide in the legal profession. The recipients are as follows: Administrative: E. Edward Bruce and ...
June 18, 2007
WASHINGTON, DC, June 18, 2007 — Covington & Burling LLP received 44 practice mentions and 74 individual mentions in the newly released 2007 Chambers USA guidebook. The 2007 edition of Chambers USA attempts to identify the most skilled legal practitioners throughout the country based on the qualities most valued by clients. Covington attorneys have been ...
Practices
Education
Columbia Law School, J.D., 1976
Columbia College, B.A., 1973
Government Service
- U.S. Department of Justice
Bar Admissions
- District of Columbia
- New York