Covington Grabs Ex-Heller Lawyers

Covington & Burling has added about 50 ex-Heller Ehrman lawyers to its firm, including three partners in the D.C. office. Sturgis Sobin, Maureen Browne, and Johnny Chiu all join the Washington office's intellectual property practice as partners as will at least two associates — Alexander Chinoy and Christina Olson — and at least one special counsel — Paul Wilson. Heller Ehrman dissolved last month.

Legal Times’ sibling publication, The Recorder, reported in September that Covington would be adding 14 partners from Heller, including the three leaving its D.C. office and coming to Covington's Washington office. Covington has now confirmed the news.

“Our new colleagues are an exceptionally talented group who nicely complement our existing IP lawyers,” says Timothy Hester, chair of Covington’s management committee.

The approximate 50 lawyers joining the firm include 14 partners, six counsel, and several associates. The firm also announced today that it will open two new offices in California - in Silicon Valley and San Diego. Covington already has an office in San Francisco.

The exact number of lawyers the firm has added as part of the firm’s expansion is still unclear because, according to a Covington spokesperson, all of the talks with potential hires have not been completed.